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Anthony Bowens Comments On Knee Injury

Chris Stephens
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The Acclaimed’s Anthony Bowens is expected to miss up to 2-months due to recent knee surgery. This was first revealed by Tony Khan in a media scrum to promote AEW Revolution. Bowens himself commented on the injury recently.

“What you’ve seen the last 4 months was me basically wrestling on 1 leg. I can’t wait to get back full throttle. Don’t worry though, there’s still plenty of Acclaimed content coming your way each week. I’m excited for everyone to get to know us/me a little better outside the ring,” Bowens Tweeted.

The other member of the Acclaimed, Max Castor, competed in the Face of the Revolution ladder match on Sunday’s PPV.

Bowens hasn’t wrestled since early February. The Acclaimed dropped a match to Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Chris Jericho on an episode of Dynamite taped on February 4th, 2021.

Bowens is an 8-year pro having been trained by Pat Buck in New Jersey. He and Castor were signed to multi-year deals with AEW in November.

“I started 2020 trying to do anything I could to get to noticed by AEW and I ended it by main eventing Dynamite. Unreal. Like us or not The Acclaimed have arrived and we are here to stay,” he Tweeted in December.

Stephanie McMahon Talks Move To Hire More Female WWE Writers

Jake Skudder
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Stephanie McMahon recently spoke to Digital Spy. As part of the interview, McMahon stated how the company is looking to hire more female writers to give WWE programming a different feel and perspective.

“Hiring in the writing room is really important” Stephanie McMahon began. “Because it has previously been a fairly male-dominated writing room and there are big efforts right now to change that.”

Stephanie McMahon on Writer’s Room Representation

“I don’t have the stats off the top of my head” McMahon continued. “So I’m not sure how many women we’ve hired since we started but I know it’s several, including a senior ranking VP (Christine Lubrano) who’s in charge of many different aspects of making sure that the creative and partnerships and all lines of business are all working together.”

Stephanie McMahon finished by saying that the company are looking to ‘improve’ their storylines. “So there’s a been a huge movement. And for both men and women we are always looking to improve our storylines no matter what and improve our character development.”

NWA Announces Several Names To Debut At “Back For The Attack”

Chris Stephens
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The National Wrestling Alliance returns to PPV on March 21st, 2021 with “Back For The Attack.” The show will air on the same day as WWE’s Fastlane PPV. Nick Aldis, Thunder Rosa, Aron Stevens, Trevor Murdoch, Elijah Burke, Tim Storm, and Kamille have all been previously advertised to take part in the show

The NWA announced several more names for the PPV recently, with some making their debut for the promotion.

The NWA announced that Tyrus (aka Brodus Clay) will make his debut for the promotion at Back For The Attack.

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Chris Adonis, formerly known as Chris Masters, will also be on the PPV.

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Formerly of TNA Wrestling, Crimson will be on the PPV.

Jordan Clearwater will be returning to the promotion.

Slice Boogie will make his NWA debut on the show.

Billy Corgan recently spoke to the associated press about the NWA’s return.

“I feel like we’re finally taking the steps we were hoping to take a year ago. We were never in any financial peril,” Corgan added. “We were totally on a growth pattern. The plan for last year before things kind of hit the skids was to start pivoting. We were in discussions with Live Nation about running live events to help bring in revenue and expand who was watching the product. It was more about growing pains stuff, but we didn’t have any problems internally with the product.”

Nigerian Presidential Aide Sends Message To Apollo Crews

Chris Stephens
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Apollo Crews has been paying homage to his Nigerian heritage as of late on Smackdown. This drew the attention of Bashir Ahmad, the personal assistant to Muhammadu Buhari, President of Nigeria.

Ahmad sent the following Tweet to Apollo recently online:

Naija is another way to say Nigeria or refer to a person from Nigeria.

Other popular wrestlers with Nigerian heritage include Impact’s Moose. His father was from Nigeria and unfortunately passed away on the day Moose committed to the University of Syracuse football program.

Jordan Omogbehin, Style’s bodyguard known as Omos, is from Nigeria.

Babatunde Lukasz Aiyegbusi, also known as Dabba-Kato is from Poland but has Nigerian heritage.

Ezekwesili Nduka is currently training at the Performance Center. He is a former football player and bodybuilder with Nigerian parents.

Apollo Crews on His Nigerian Heritage

Crews spoke with SI.com recently about his new persona on Smackdown.

“This isn’t arrogance or cockiness; it’s just me knowing what I am capable of doing,” Crews said. “My talent has been hidden for too long, and people are finally going to see how great I really am.”

He also spoke about how Roman Reigns has influenced him.

“Roman does everything so well. I’ve watched and learned from him. He’s the best. Everyone wants to be in the spot he’s in, so watching him has taught me so much. I want to be that person who can captivate an audience, with an undeniable greatness. That’s Roman’s level, and that is what I am working toward,” Apollo Crews said.

When The AEW Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch Idea Was Conceived

Jake Skudder
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This past Sunday saw Kenny Omega defend his AEW Championship against Jon Moxley. The bout was an Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch; with ‘homemade’ explosives created by Omega himself (in storyline) which went off at intervals during the match.

The explosions inside the ring were solid. These would pop every time either Moxley or Omega hit the barbed wire that replaced the ring ropes. Unfortunately the ending of the PPV saw the ‘explosions’ turn out to be more of a dud than anything.

Omega recently addressed this on Wrestling Observer Radio. “It was really deflating to do so much preparation, test the explosions; have them be impressive in the rehearsal, and then have it be something so much different than what was promised.”

It was also revealed in this week’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the concept for the match has been in the works for a long time. Dave Meltzer wrote that “Kenny Omega came up with the idea more than a year ago, and Jon Moxley was picked as the opponent.”

Meltzer also confirmed that “the idea going in was to have the greatest and most spectacular match of its kind, with both believing the other was the perfect opponent for that job.”

Did you enjoy the match besides the dud of an ending? Let us know in the comments

Scoops On Screen – AEW ‘Fixes’ Dud Explosion from Revolution

Jake Skudder
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All Elite Wrestling was in a tough spot when the mega-hyped Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match ended with technical difficulties. SEScoops correspondent Jake Jeremy argues on YouTube that #AEW? made the best of a bad situation on this week’s #AEWDynamite? with their followup angle.

Check out our opinion editorial video below and let us know how you felt about the way that AEW reacted to the AEW Revolution ending botch on this week’s episode of Dynamite.

AEW President Tony Khan addressed the botched explosion during the media scrum post-AEW Revolution.

“Honestly, I’m glad neither guy came out with a serious injury because it was a really scary match and they both really put their health at risk for a huge PPV main event,” Khan said. “I think it was awesome, it was a great spectacle and I think we’re all lucky that the bomb going off in the end didn’t really hurt anybody, that Kenny’s big masterplan, that he built a dud [explosion].”

“The basic explanation is that Kenny’s ring set to explode, his plan as a heel who built this thing with a hammer and nails as we saw, that the final bomb just didn’t go off,” Khan concluded.

What would you like to see us produce for video content on YouTube going forward? Let us know in the comments

Eric Bischoff Talks AEW vs NXT Not Being a ‘Real War’

Jake Skudder
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Former WWE Executive Director of SmackDown and WCW President recently discussed the finishing ‘Wednesday Night War’ between NXT and All Elite Wrestling.

“I have a hard time when people talk about the Wednesday Night Wars, they’re not the Wednesday Night Wars” Bischoff stated on 83 Weeks. “Two shows head to head does not a war make. A good war is when all boats rise with a high tide, when it lifts the entire industry.”

Eric Bischoff on WCW vs WWF

Bischoff then discussed the comparisons between the 90’s war between WCW and the WWF. “That’s what we saw here, even though the WWF was suffering in some respects, their business was improving markedly so in other respects because of Nitro.”

“I think sometimes that gets lost in the gang warfare of wrestling relations” Bischoff continued. “Meaning if you’re a fan of WWF you couldn’t be a fan of WCW, if you’re a fan of WCW you hated WWF, if you’re a fan of AEW you can’t stand NXT, if you’re a fan of NXT you can’t stand AEW, that’s silly horse s–t that people subscribe too. It doesn’t necessarily make a war, what makes a war is when you’re competing against each other, forcing each other to improve your product and then you’re watching the audience grow in response. Therein lies a good war.”

credit 83 Weeks and a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Apollo Crews Talks New Gimmick, Learning From Roman Reigns

Rayan Sayyed
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Apollo Crews has gone through a drastic change in his character over the past few weeks on SmackDown. He turned heel in February and attacked Shinsuke Nakamura and Big E after losing a match to Nakamura. He kayfabe injured Big E by slamming steel steps onto his back, which forced him to take time off of SmackDown. Crews would then go on to debut a new “Nigerian Royalty” character with new gear and entrance music. Crews would do a good job pulling the character off and working with what’s given to him, even earning a WWE Intercontinental Championship match against Big E at Fastlane.

Apollo Crews talked about his new persona in an interview with Sports Illustrated, where he discussed his newfound confidence in himself. “This isn’t arrogance or cockiness; it’s just me knowing what I am capable of doing,” Crews said. “My talent has been hidden for too long, and people are finally going to see how great I really am.”

Apollo Crews also said that this new character is a chance for him to get back in touch with his Nigerian roots. He also revealed that he cared too much about what people thought of him and now his mindset has changed. He’s happy with his role, and it feels like a part of him. “I have such a different background,” Crews said regarding his lineage. “You don’t often see African representation on our show. This is a chance to get back in touch with my Nigerian roots. I always cared too much what people thought when I was younger, but my mindset has changed. I’m excited about what I’m doing right now. It’s an extension of who I am, and it feels so natural. I am stepping outside my comfort zone, and I’m so excited to do that.”

Apollo Crews also revealed that his impressive in-ring work was able to carry him throughout the indies. But once he got into WWE, he struggled to find himself in a new environment. Crews said that since he’s a shy person, it takes him some time to get familiar with a new situation. Because of this, he came accross as a generic guy and saw that fans weren’t able to connect with him. Since then, he has worked hard to build the connection and make fans care about his character.

Crews’ Inspiration from Roman Reigns

One such character that struggled to connect with fans was that of Roman Reigns. Apollo Crews said that he took inspiration from Reigns’ journey in finding his character and he’s applying what he’s learned from the Universal Champion.

“Roman does everything so well. I’ve watched and learned from him. He’s the best. Everyone wants to be in the spot he’s in, so watching him has taught me so much. I want to be that person who can captivate an audience, with an undeniable greatness. That’s Roman’s level, and that is what I am working toward,” Apollo Crews said.

Apollo Crews faces Intercontinental Champion Big E at Fastlane on Sunday, March 21.

Intercontinental Title Match Set For WWE Fastlane

Rayan Sayyed
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WWE has announced an Intercontinental title match for Fastlane, the final pay-per-view event on the road to WrestleMania 37.

WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E will defend his title against recently turned-heel Apollo Crews on WWE Fastlane. On this week’s SmackDown, we saw Big E return to the show after he was stretchered out after a brutal attack by Crews a few weeks ago. Crews had used steel steps as his weapon, launching them into the air so that they could fall down on Big E. The returning champion had much to say about what transpired over the past few weeks on this week’s episode.

Big E came down to the ring with braces and bandages on, only to remove them and show how fit he is. Big E said that he was in a medical facility because of Apollo Crews and there’s no coming back from that for Crews. Big E demanded that Crews show up, but he didn’t come out. Big E said that he’s not surprised, but he got all dressed up to defend his Intercontinental title tonight and he issued an open challenge to anyone who wants a shot at the belt from the locker room.

King Corbin came out and told Big E to calm down because he was looking crazy. Sami Zayn also joined the discussion and said that he’s ready to fight. Zayn said that it would be the perfect ending for his documentary and that since Corbin never actually accepted his challenge, he’s good to go. Big E said that whoever gets in the ring first gets the match, and Zayn ran in first to meet with punches and a Big Ending sending him out of the ring. The bell rang and Big E was able to successfully defend his title.

Big E’s celebrations were put to a halt as Apollo Crews’ music started playing and Crews launched a surprise attack from behind on him, hitting him with a suplex. He picked up the steel steps again and hit Big E’s arm and wrist with them.

Apollo Crews was asked backstage why he attacked Big E when he could have just accepted his Open Challenge instead. Crews said that he’s a descendant of Nigerian royalty and he answers to no one. People like Big He cater to him instead, he said. He then said he’d gladly accept his challenge for the Intercontinental Championship, at WWE Fastlane, that is.

Murphy Posts Explanation Behind Heel Turn, Then Deletes It

Rayan Sayyed
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0

Murphy was involved in a rather surprising backstage segment with Seth Rollins on last week’s SmackDown. Murphy wanted to join hands with a heel Rollins, which would show that Murphy’s character has turned heel again. While Rollins wasn’t too keen on an alliance with him again, it does seem that Murphy’s character has received a heel turn. While it hasn’t been clearly explained yet, Murphy did posted an explanation behind his sudden heel turn in the form of a comment on a photo of the encounter between the Messiah and his disciple uploaded on WWE’s Instagram page.

“Let’s point out the obvious! The Mysterio’s used me! I never needed them! I’m beyond one of the most talent (sic) in-ring performers on the planet! Aalyah used me to be on tv and advance an acting career. Dominik used me so he had a reason to stand ringside. Rey was jealous that I became the new face of the cruiserweight and he was left out of the discussion. They took what they wanted then they left me in the shadows! Sounds like my time in NXT,” Murphy wrote in the comment.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMR_CJzg2Tf/

It’s interesting to speculate if WWE nixed this explanation involving the Mysterios since the comment got deleted only within a few hours of posting. On this week’s SmackDown, we saw Murphy squaring off against Cesario in a singles match. They were also joined by Seth Rollins, who took a seat on the entrance ramp to watch the match. After a few minutes into the match, Rollins got involved and hit Murphy with the Stomp and taunted him. Rollins also delivered the Stomp on Cesaro, and placed a chair around his neck. Seth was going to destroy Cesaro’s neck with another Stomp but he was stopped by WWE producer Jamie Noble. It seems like Murphy will be involved in the feud between Rollins and Cesaro in the future.

WWE SmackDown Results (3/12): Universal Championship Contract Signing, Big E Returns

Robert Lentini
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WWE SmackDown aired live from the ThunderDome in Tropicana Field. Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan had a contract signing for their title match at WWE Fastlane during tonight’s show. Intercontinental Champioin Big E returned to action after Apollo Crews brutally attacked him a couple weeks ago.

SmackDown Results (3/12)

  1. Street Profits, Rey Mysterio, Dominik def. Robert Roode, Dolph Ziggler, Chad Gable, Otis
  2. Cesaro def. Murphy via DQ
  3. Tamina & Natalya def. Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair
  4. Big E def. Sami Zayn

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Daniel Bryan Interrupted Edge

Edge kicked off this week’s show and said that there will be a big contract signing for the Universal Championship match at Fastlane tonight. Edge said that there are some things he needs to get off his chest and called Reigns & Heyman great “spin doctors”.

Edge noted how Bryan claimed he deserved to be in the main event of WrestleMania more than Edge because he has wrestled more in the past few months. Edge added that it is time to remind everyone who he is and that he is back in the ring because he loves doing this.

Daniel Bryan interrupted and said it looked like Edge is bothered by what he said last week and that was not his intention. Bryan said that he has an infinite amount of respect for Edge but when he wanted to challenge Roman for the title, it had nothing to do with Edge.

Bryan noted that he felt demoralized after watching point at the WrestleMania sign during the conclusion of Elimination Chamber. Daniel stated that this could be his last WrestleMania, so he has to give it everything he has got to try and make it to the main event.

Daniel told Edge that he has his spot at WrestleMania and that is why he has gone into business for himself. Edge said that Reigns has already defeated Bryan and that it doesn’t matter how he got it, a win is a win. Edge added that he likes Bryan, but doesn’t like how he went about things and thought he was better than this.

Street Profits, Dominik & Rey Picked Up A Win

Street Profits, Rey Mystery, Dominik faced Robert Roode, Dolph Ziggler, Otis, and Chad Gable. Dawkins and Roode started off the action and Angelo connected with a Clothesline. Montez tagged in and connected with a Dropkick on Roode. Robert battled back and beat Dominik down in the corner.

Dominik connected with a Hurricanrana and Gable tagged in. Gable beat Dominik down and tagged in Robert Roode. Dominik connected with a double Tornado DDT before tagging in Dawkins.

Ziggler and Dawkins traded shots in the middle of the ring. Angelo connected with a Spinebuster and tagged Ford. Roode shoved Ford off the turnbuckle and to the floor outside the ring as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Dolph Zigger had Montez Ford in a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Ford tagged in Dawkins but the referee didn’t see it because he was distracted by Roode. Robert then tagged in and continued to isolate Ford in the corner.

Montez planted Gable with a German Suplex and tagged in Rey. Mysterio connected with a DDT and went for the cover but Otis broke it up. Roode tagged in and hit Rey with a Spinebuster for a two count. Rey and Dominik hit Roode with a double 619 and Montez followed it up with the Frog Splash for the pinfall victory.

Seth Rollins Attacked Cesaro

Cesaro squared off against Murphy once again tonight. Seth Rollins’ music hit right as the match was about to start. Rollins took a seat on the entrance ramp and watched the match.

Cesaro controlled the action early and beat Murphy down in the corner of the ring. Murphy connected with a knee to the face and made his way to the top rope. Cesaro connected with a Dropkick that sent Murphy tumbling to the ring apron. Cesaro planted Murphy with a Superplex and then some uppercuts. Cesaro got Murphy in the Swing but Rollins hopped into the ring and attacked to end the match in a DQ.

Seth hit Murphy with the Stomp and started taunting him. Rollins hit Cesaro with another Stomp and then placed a chair around Cesaro’s neck. Seth went to deliver another Stomp but WWE Producer Jamie Noble intervened and blocked Rollins. Seth was then shown having a backstage stare down with Shinsuke Nakamura backstage to end the segment.

Banks & Belair Aren’t On The Same Page

Sami Zayn approached Kevin Owens backstage and said that he wants him to be in his documentary. Owens avoided the question and said he has to do the KO Show tonight. Zayn claimed that the documentary was going to do big numbers like Logan Paul and Owens said he will think about it before walking away.

Owens made his way to the ring and said it is good time be back after being away for a couple of weeks. Kevin noted that it has been a rough few months for him, physically and mentally, but he will keep fighting no matter what. Owens introduced Bianca Belair as his first guest and then SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks.

Kevin said that Banks and Belair have a chance to make their WrestleMania match even bigger if they want into the event as Women’s Tag Team Champions. Owens added that there seems to be some tension over Reginald and Carmella. Sasha interrupted and said it isn’t her fault that she looks good and Reginald likes her.

Belair interrupted and said she doesn’t like Sasha’s attitude and Reginald could be a problem when they battle for the Women’s Tag Team Championships at WWE Fastlane. Sasha referred to herself as the Michael Jordan of the women’s division and that Bianca can one day be like LeBron James.

Banks added that she would have eliminated Belair if she was in the women’s Royal Rumble and will be the reason that they become tag champs at Fastlane. Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler interrupted and Kevin shouted that he did not invite them.

Tamina Snuka and Natalya then joined the party as Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, and Reginald joined commentary. Sasha Banks and Natalya locked up in the middle of the ring and Banks connected with an Arm Drag. Tamina tagged in and beat Sasha down in the corner.

Natalya tagged in and continued to isolate Banks in the corner of the ring. Natalya applied the Sharpshooter but the SmackDown Women’s Champion was able to escape. Bianca tagged in and planted Natalya with a Spinebuster. Reginald hopped on the ring apron for a distraction and Natalya capitalized with a Clothesline. Sasha confronted Reginald outside the ring and chased him around. Tamina then rolled up Belair from behind for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Belair yelled at Banks and claimed she cost them the match by getting distracted by Reginald. Sasha said she is not taking the blame and called Belair a rookie before walking away.

Apollo Crews Attacked Big E

Intercontinental Champion Big E made his way to the ring to respond to Apollo Crews. Big said he was in a medical facility because of Crews and there is no coming back from that for Apollo. Big E said he has to go Old Testament on Apollo and has to end him. Big E then demanded that Crews make his way to the ring but he didn’t show up. Big E issued an open challenge to whoever wants a fight.

King Corbin told Big E to calm down because he was looking all crazy. Sami Zayn joined the party and said he wanted a fight. Corbin said he was in the middle of accepting the challenge but Sami claimed that they have it on film that Corbin wasn’t accepting anything. Zayn added that winning the title back will be the perfect ending to his documentary.

Big E sent Zayn out of the ring and near King Corbin as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, Sami was in control and had Big E in a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Big E escaped and leveled Sami with an elbow to the face. Sami connected with a slam and went for the cover but Big E kicked out at two.

Zayn started complaining about the referee’s count being slow and Big E capitalized by sending Sami across the ring. Big E went for a Splash but Sami got out of the way and the Intercontinental Champion crashed to the apron.

Sami connected with a Sunset Powerbomb and went for the cover but Big E kicked out at two. Zayn started taunting Big E once again and it cost him. Big E got pissed off and quickly connected with the Big Ending for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Apollo Crews rushed the ring and attacked Big E from behind. Crews planted Big E with the Angle Slam and stood over him. Apollo then grabbed the steel steps and hit Big E in the shoulder with them.

Edge Or Jey Uso Will Be The Special Enforcer At Fastlane

Universal Champion Roman Reigns made his way to the ring with Paul Heyman and Jey Uso in the final segment of the show for the contract signing. Adam Pearce was already in the ring with the Universal Championship contract for Fastlane. Daniel Bryan then jointed them in the ring. Pearce stated that it was time to sign the contract but Roman demanded that his seat be moved to the head of the table.

Reigns was about to sign the contract but stopped and said he doesn’t want to do this because Bryan doesn’t deserve it. Daniel signed the contract immediately and said he was excited for the match. Daniel told Reigns that he wasn’t a man of his word and is afraid of him.

Daniel added that he made Jey Uso quit last week and started taunting Roman. Daniel joked that he should be the Head of the Table and Reigns got annoyed. Roman signed the contract and Jey gave it to Pearce. Bryan vowed to make Reigns quit just like he did to Jey Uso.

Jey got pissed off and claimed Bryan was disrespecting him. Jey suggested that he be a “Special Enforcer” at Fastlane to make sure everything is fair & square. Edge interrupted and suggested that he face Jey Uso next week and the winner will be the Special Enforcer at Fastlane. Pearce agreed and made the match official. Edge and Bryan attacked Jey and and Reigns. Edge shoved Bryan aside and went after Reigns. Bryan connected with the Running Knee to Edge and did the “yes!” chant in the corner to close the show.

WWE NXT Referee Needs Surgery After Tearing His Bicep

Andrew Ravens
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WWE NXT referee Tom Castor is on the shelf with an injury.

Castor shared the news in a post on Twitter this past Thursday. He tore his bicep off the bone. As a result, he will now have to undergo surgery to fix it. 

In the post, he mentioned that he worked the match that saw NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai retain over Toni Storm on this week’s episode of WWE NXT in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the USA Network. 

You can see his full statement here: 

This was the last match he officiated before suffering the bicep tear. For those who may not know, he also suffered a brutal leg injury during a match between The Velveteen Dream and Tyler Breeze in April 2019 at the NXT live event in Omaha, Nebraska

In late February 2020, after being out for several months following that injury, Castor returned to the ring. As it stands right now, there’s word yet on how long Castor will be out of action this time. 

Cody Rhodes On Shaquille O’Neal: He’s Got The Wrestling Bug

Andrew Ravens
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The Shaquille O’Neal & Jade Cargill vs. Cody Rhodes & Red Velvet match took place earlier this month on an episode of AEW Dynamite and received rave reviews. 

This was the in-ring debut under the AEW banner for the NBA Hall of Famer. The AEW Executive spoke about the contest during an appearance on Action Sports Jax On ESPN690. 

In addition to the limited experience of Shaq, Velvet and Cargill were also green, which is totally understandable for fans to have low expectations, according to Rhodes. 

He said he is part of the hardcore audience as well, but he’s always surprised when people doubt him because he never does anything without a gameplan and being extremely organized. He noted that he took on a lot of responsibility with completely new talent. 

“After it was over, I can tell you, he’s got the bug. It happens. I’ve seen it happen to older wrestlers. I’ve seen it happen to people coming for the first time. Stephen Amell, very similar situation. He’s got the bug. We didn’t converse much, but I said, ‘I think you’re a wrestler now,’ and I really mean that. I’d love to have him back.”

Rhodes continued by noting that there are obvious matches that fans want to see and Shaq is taking training seriously, which is a good thing. He brought up how Shaq brings more eyes to AEW’s product and perhaps those fans will stay. 

There’s no word yet on when Shaq might work another match.

Andrade Requested WWE Release Earlier This Week (Updated)

Anutosh Bajpai
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Andrade is creating buzz this morning after the former NXT champion has taken some actions which are making people wonder about his WWE future.

The former NXT star as seen in the below screenshot has removed all mentions of WWE from his Twitter bio and the profile is no longer verified on the social site:

Andrade Twitter

Update: SEScoops has learned that Andrade requested his release from WWE this past Monday at Raw. The news was first reported by WrestlingInc. It is unclear at this time whether or not his release will be granted, but we can confirm – Andrade wants out.

Andrade’s WWE Run

Andrade had a promising start to his WWE career and he quickly rose through the ranks in NXT after his signing in 2015. He had a successful run with the NXT title.

He was then moved to the main roster in 2018 and the former US champion was said to be one of the talents seen as future stars by Paul Heyman during his run as the Executive Director of Raw.

Andrade’s push came to a screeching half after Paul Heyman was removed from the position. It’s been said that Vince McMahon does not see Andrade as somebody who can draw money for WWE.

The Mexican star’s last storyline in WWE was when he was teaming up with Angel Garza but he has not been part of any angle since their breakup. Andrade hasn’t been seen on WWE programming since October 2020.

There is no word yet on what these recent actions mean for the future of the WWE star but we will keep you posted as more details about his status with the company become available.

Mil Muertes & Azteca Underground Continue Invasion of MLW

Chris Stephens
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A mysterious group known only as “Azteca Underground” has infiltrated Major League Wrestling. The group’s owner has never been named but is said to have a lot of money and is referred to as “El Jefe” frequently on Fusion. Azteca Underground has purchased Salina de la Renta’s “Promociones Dorado” faction.

Former Lucha Underground Champion, Mil Muertes, has arrived in the promotion as well. He defeated Savio Vega in an Azteca Jungle Fight on MLW’s special “Filthy Island” event. Muertes then returned to MLW on Fusion this week, attacking Alexander Hammerstone and stealing his National Openweight Championship.

MLW recently Tweeted out a link to the Azteca Underground website with a clip of Muertes’ attack on Hammerstone:

https://twitter.com/mlw/status/1370210437623644162?s=12

Mil Muertes and Azteca Underground

The Azteca Underground website has received some updates since it was first published. Currently, the mysterious webmaster is asking his followers to help with rental space:

Screen Shot 2021 03 12 at 10.21.42 AM

Another section of the website states that Azteca Underground is hoping to uncover some lost artifacts:

Screen Shot 2021 03 12 at 10.23.05 AM

Details of the artifacts is also included on the website:

Screen Shot 2021 03 12 at 10.23.49 AM
Screen Shot 2021 03 12 at 10.23.58 AM

So far, the only official members of Azteca Underground are Mil Muertes, Salina de la Renta, LA Park, LA Park Jr. and El Hijo de LA Park. Los Parks currently hold the MLW World Tag Team titles after winning them from Ross & Marshall Von Erich.

Kenny Omega Opens Up About Explosion Dud At AEW Revolution

Anutosh Bajpai
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AEW put out another great PPV in Revolution which was main evented by the Barbed Wire Death Match between Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley featuring some pretty extreme moments.

However, the disappointing finish to the event overshadowed the efforts of everyone involved and the failed ring explosion which was hyped up by the company led to a lot of criticism from the fans.

The reigning AEW champion and the Executive Vice President Kenny Omega broke his silence on the dud during an interview with Wrestling Observer Newsletter and he admitted that it was a deflating experience:

“Yeah, it was really deflating to do so much preparation, test the explosions, have them be impressive in the rehearsal, and then have it be something so much different than what was promised.”

kenny omega revolution
Kenny Omega Arrives at AEW Revolution (Photo: AEW)

Kenny Omega On Death Match Preparation

Omega continued by explaining how they worked hard on the different aspects of the match to make things entertaining and it sucked for it all to end in a disappointing finale:

“It made me appreciate everyone who worked hard and did their part even more, though. But like you said, we really wanted to have a good one, and we added real barbed wire to help with the feeling of danger so we really risked a lot. Again, I loved the match; glad we did it, sucks about the finale.”

Kenny Omega is not the only person involved to have commented on the finish of the show and both Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston also cut a promo on the AEW champion during this week’s episode of Dynamite.

Paul Wight Details Having An “Accident” While Wrestling Brock Lesnar

Chris Stephens
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Paul Wight really opened up recently during an appearance on Renee Paquette’s “Oral Sessions” podcast. During the show, Wight admitted that he an “accident” after taking an F5 from Brock Lesnar once while on tour in South Africa.

“I had some bad food and this is back when I had the leather pants thank God,” Wight said on the show. “I hit that mat and (Lesnar) comes to me, ‘did you s**t?’ I said ‘Yeah’ He goes ‘haha, you s**t.’”

Wight would continue to say that Lesnar then opted to repeatedly step on his stomach after, perhaps in an effort to make the situation worse.

“Then while I’m laying in the ring after the F5, he keeps stepping on my stomach like he’s trying to make more to come out.”

“This night I was humiliated. So, Pauly is laying there he goes ‘You gonna carry me to the back?’ I’m like, ‘No’ ‘What do you mean you’re not gonna carry me to the back?’ ‘I s**t myself’ ‘What?’ ‘I s**t my pants’ ‘I can’t hear you. What?’ ‘I s**t myself!’ ‘Oh, okay, are you alright?’”

Paul Wight Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar F5’s Big Show Paul Wight

Paul Heyman Confirms The Story

Upon hearing Wight tell the story, Paul Heyman chipped in the following on Twitter to confirm the story:

Big Show Paul Wight vs. Brock Lesnar

Not including house shows, Big Show and Brock Lesnar wrestled 7 singles match between 2002-2015. Big Show won the first encounter at Survivor Series 2002 and won the WWE Heavyweight Championship. Lesnar has dominated the series since, however, with 4 wins and 1 no-contest.

Backstage News On The Original Plans For NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships

Anutosh Bajpai
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General Manager William Regal introduced the NXT women’s tag team championships during this week’s episode of the show and he also crowned the inaugural champions. However, reports from the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Live reveal that the original plans for the introduction of the title were different and it explains why the company had to change them.

According to the report, the original plan was to present the winners of the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with the newly made titles. Though the company rushed the women’s tournament and it took place alongside the men’s version of the competition, which was not the initial plan.

The problem with this decision was that the title belts were not ready in time to be presented to the winners of the tournament Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez during the Takeover: Vengeance Day event in February. Kai and Gonzalez were then promised a shot at the women’s tag team titles held by Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler instead and the match took place at last week’s episode of NXT.

The officials then came up with the idea for the screwjob finish after receiving the belts before last week’s episode which saw Jax and Baszler retaining the titles. This set up the big reveal at this week’s episode of the Black and Yellow brand where William Regal presented Kai and Gonzalez with the championships.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkGP8WBQT7c

AEW Dark Elevation: Full Card For Premiere Episode (3/15)

Chris Stephens
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AEW will debut a new show on YouTube this coming Monday, March 15th, 2021. AEW Dark: Elevation will be hosted by Tony Schiavone and Paul Wight. Tony Khan recently revealed the lineup of matches for the premiere episode.

The main event will see former AEW Women’s Champion Riho vs. Maki Itoh. The full lineup is as follows:

  • Riho vs. Maki Itoh
  • Jungle Boy vs Danny Limelight
  • Max Caster vs. Dante Martin
  • Tay Conti vs Ashley Vox
  • Will Hobbs vs. Brandon Cutler

*Update*

AEW has since announced the following additional matches will also take place:

  • Red Velvet vs. ‘The Real Mean Girl’ Dani Jordyn
  • Ray Lyn vs. Abadon
  • Leila Grey vs. Diamanté
  • Skyler Moore vs. Big Swole
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What is AEW Dark Elevation?

Cody Rhodes recently detailed how AEW Dark: Elevation is different from AEW Dark in an a pre-Revolution media call.

“It’s going to be similar to Dark, but there should be more of a focus on individuals who are part of our roster,” Rhodes explained. “Tony Schiavone is the one who is spearheading that. I think you’re gonna see some one-to-one pieces, some sit-down interviews.”

“I think you’re gonna see a little bit more of a character insight, not unlike you see with American Ninja Warrior or even my other show on TBS, Go Big Show,” Rhodes continued.

“So I think that, and a few other items, of course, the biggest item being Paul Wight, will separate AEW Dark Elevation from its predecessor, AEW Dark.”

AEW President Tony Khan Hypes AEW Dark Elevation Premiere

Asuka Reportedly Dealing With Concussion

Anutosh Bajpai
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Raw women’s champion Asuka is reportedly dealing with a concussion.

The February 23 episode of Monday Night Raw saw the Empress Of Tomorrow teaming up with Charlotte Flair for a match against Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler.

Not only did Asuka suffer a loss in the bout but the women’s champion also lost some of her teeth thanks to a brutal kick from Shayna Baszler.

Now the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that the Japanese star not only suffered physical damage but the kick also resulted in a concussion.

Asuka hasn’t taken part in active competition since then and there is no word on how long she might have to stay out of action before being allowed back in the ring by WWE doctors.

While the plans have not been confirmed, there are rumors that Flair is currently scheduled to challenge the former NXT women’s champion for the Raw women’s title at WrestleMania 37 this year.

This new report, however, puts a question mark over these plans and it’s making fans wonder if this could force the management to change the plans for the bout.

If this does happen, it will be the second time Flair’s WrestleMania plans have to be altered as she was originally pencilled to face Lacey Evans before the latter announced her pregnancy.

Paul Wight Comments On His Creative Frustrations In WWE

Chris Stephens
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Paul Wight was recently interviewed by Renee Paquette for her “Oral Sessions” podcast. During the conversation, Wight noted that his decision to leave WWE came about quickly. He also noted that creative frustration played a role in his decision to leave.

“This was a very quick decision that was made in a matter of 48 hours for me,” Wight said. “For me, I think it was just creatively, frustration. I had gone back and forth with Paul Heyman, Bruce Prichard, and Vince. I had some medical issues a couple of years ago where I had problems with a hip real bad, and you know how things are there, where if you get out of the loop a little.”

“It’s real hard for them to work you back into the loop, no matter how much talent you have, no matter how much you have to offer. It was frustrating for me.”

“I’m not going to take my money, sit at home, and be happy like a little princess,” Wight continued. “That’s not my deal. I like to work for my money and earn it and I like performing.”

“Don’t Put Me In Shady Pines”

The man formerly known as Big Show feels like he still has a lot to offer. He wasn’t happy when WWE tried to put him out to pasture.

“They were trying to use me for other things like [public] relations, which is stuff I like to do anyway,” he continued. “But they were trying to do me a favor and put me in ‘Shady Pines’. I’m like, ‘Don’t put me in ‘Shady Pines’ and I had another opportunity to do something else and I took it.”

Paul Wight and Tony Schiavone will host All Elite Wrestling’s new YouTube series, AEW Dark: Elevation. The show premieres Monday, March 15th at 7pm (EST).

Upon his signing with AEW, the company confirmed Wight’s wrestler license is active, a strong indication that we’ll be seeing him in the ring sooner or later.

Renee Paquette’s discussion with Paul White can be heard here.

Paul Wight
Paul Wight and Vince McMahon

Rikishi Talks Biggest Regret from WWE Career

Jake Skudder
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WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi recently appeared on Chris Van Vliet’s Insight podcast. The former Intercontinental Champion discussed a number of topics during the podcast, including his regrets at not winning a WWE Championship during his time with the company.

“That was one thing that I wished would have happened. I just wanted to have that shot, to become the world champion” Rikishi began. “Just one time. If you’re in this industry and you’re not shooting for the top like that, then you’re in the wrong industry. You need to start getting your priorities straight. Even though, a lot of people may think it’s a work and so forth, but you can tell they put the belt on certain people for a reason.”

“If you’re not fighting to perfect your craft, to really get looked at, to have the company, the bookers, the promoters, be able to have that look on you, then you’re not working hard enough” Rikishi continued. “Then you’re not understanding this industry.”

Rikishi
Rikishi

Rikishi on WrestleMania

Rikishi finished by saying that he wished he had a main event slot at a WrestleMania. The father of The Usos specifically said that he wanted to have a WrestleMania main event match against either The Rock or Stone Cold Steve Austin.

“Had I been able to turn it back around, yeah, I would have loved to have had a match against The Rock or Stone Cold Steve Austin for the title, and beat them. And beat them on the big grand stage of WrestleMania.”

You can watch the full interview in the YouTube player embedded below:

Do you think that Rikishi could’ve ever got to that level in the WWE/WWF? Let us know in the comments

MLW Fusion (3/10): Mil Muertes Attacks Hammerstone

Chris Stephens
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MLW Fusion 3/10 featured Alexander Hammerstone vs LA Park in the main event. ACH also took on Team Filthy’s Kevin Ku and Gino Medina went one-on-one with Gringo Loco. The full show is in the player below:

MLW Fusion 3/10 Quick Results:

  1. Gino Medina defeated El Gringo Loco
  2. ACH defeated Kevin Ku
  3. MLW National Openweight Championship
    Alexander Hammerstone (c) defeated LA Park

Here are the key takeaways from the show:

Alliance Building Between Injustice and Calvin Tankman

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1369801608423411712

Calvin Tankman came to the aid of Injustice last week on Fusion. He’s also been calling out heavyweight champion Jacob Fatu. There appears as though an alliance of sorts building between Tankman and Injustice. This week, Reed and Oliver showed their appreciation for Tankman’s help last week and invited him to join with them against Contra Unit or just for a smoking session.

Gino Medina Defeats Gringo Loco

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1369804459023425538

Former member of the Dynasty, Gino Medina, faced off against Chicago’s favorite luchador, Gringo Loco, this week. Medina’s father was a famous luchador in Mexico, El Sanguinario, who was once a member of the Los Gringos Locos faction.

Medina picked up the win after landing what looked like a question-mark kick to the back of Loco’s head.

After the match, Medina called out his former Dynasty stablemate, Richard Holliday. The last time we saw those two together, they couldn’t seem to agree on if Medina left the stable or if Holliday fired him. It was later revealed that Medina and Holliday got into a backstage brawl and were ejected from the building.

MLW World Middleweight Rankings

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1369805783475568644

Last week on Fusion, the league released top-5 rankings for its tag division for the first time. This week, they did the same with its middleweight division.

MLW World Middleweight Champion: Lio Rush

  1. Laredo Kid
  2. Daivari (Contra Unit)
  3. Myron Reed (Injustice)
  4. Bu Ku Dao
  5. Brian Pillman Jr.
https://twitter.com/TheLionelGreen/status/1369807841893048321

After the rankings were released, Alicia Atout reported that Rush has posted an open contract to the wall in the back. Evidently, Rush feels confident that he can defend his title against anyone. Later in the show, it was revealed that someone had taken the contract but we still don’t know who.

ACH Picks Up Measure Of Revenge Against Team Filthy

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1369808225890168832

Team Filthy is believed to be behind a recent attack on ACH that left him with injured ribs. This week, ACH was able to pick up a measure of revenge on the faction by defeating member Kevin Ku.

ACH received a little help from the Von Erich brothers in this match as well. As ACH was on the outside, Ku’s teammate Dominic Garrini looked to get involved but Ross and Marshall ran out to prevent him from doing so. ACH then dove on top of the pile on the outside before hitting a brainbuster on Ku inside the ring for the win.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1369809458415738882

The Texas-based wrestlers stood tall in the ring but Tom Lawlor made his way out for a promo. Lawlor had announced earlier in the night that he plans on suing the Von Erichs for what they did to him during his Filthy Island special.

Hammerstone Defends Openweight Title Against LA Park

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1369815205438517252

Alexander Hammerstone had to face all 3 members of Los Parks in this match. It didn’t take long for LA Park to lure the referee out of position and allow his sons to get in some cheap shots on the champion. Hammerstone also had no back-up since Holliday had been ejected from the building after brawling with Gino Medina.

Further interference from Los Parks allowed their father to hit his patented spear on the champion. This normally pins anyone but not Hammer! He kicked out at 2. Park would try another spear but Hammerstone got his foot up, hit a German duplex and then landed an elbow to the back of the head for the win.

Mil Muertes Attacks Alexander Hammerstone

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1369815759438888961

After the match, Mil Muertes came out and attacked Hammerstone. The champion was left laying as Muertes motioned for Salina de la Renta to enter the ring. The “Man of a 1000 deaths” handed Salina the title belt and she held it up to close the show.

Coming Up In MLW

The following matches are booked for upcoming episodes of MLW Fusion.

Next week:

  • MLW Tag Team Championships
    Los Parks (c) vs Injustice
  • TJP vs Bu Ku Dao

Never Say Never – March 31st, 2021

  • MLW World Championship
    Jacob Fatu (c) vs Calvin Tankman

Pat McAfee Talks Potential WrestleMania 37 Match

Jake Skudder
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One time NXT Superstar Pat McAfee recently appeared on the 10 Questions with Kyle Brandt podcast. The former NFL kicker discussed a number of topics on the show, including a potential WrestleMania 37 match.

“That would be dope. That would be pretty cool,” McAfee said on the podcast. “Just like the NFL thing though, now that I’ve gotten a chance to do it… I have so much respect for anyone who’s ever wrestled. The amount of work and amount of buy in to be a successful wrestler, especially to be a WWE WrestleMania guy; that’s a lot.”

Pat McAfee on WrestleMania

“The goal is for people to remember something as epic” Pat McAfee continued, saying how he would want to return to WWE. “But I’m not sure I’m tough enough for a ‘Mania like run, or my schedule that could allow me. But that would obviously be insane if I were at a WrestleMania.”

Pat McAfee also discussed his love of the Attitude Era on the show. “Attitude Era is where I lived,” said McAfee.  “I grew up in that. I would assume everyone who is about my age new the Attitude Era. Monday Night Wars. WWF RAW and Monday Nitro were battling, it was awesome.”

Do you think that Pat McAfee will be wrestling at WrestleMania 37? Who would you like to see him in the ring with? Let us know in the comments

h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription

Booker T Talks Christian Cage Leaving WWE for AEW

Jake Skudder
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WWE Hall of Famer and former TNA star Booker T recently discussed Christian Cage making his way to the All Elite Wrestling roster. Cage was revealed at this past Sunday’s AEW Revolution event, ‘signing’ in-ring to confirm that he was now a member of the AEW team.

“I didn’t see it coming, but I didn’t not see it coming either,” Booker T said on the Hall of Fame podcast. “It was one of those deals where Christian has always been a guy that writes his own script. [That’s] in terms of ‘it’s not working out here, let me go try it out over there.'”

“Maybe the grass is greener on the other side” Booker T continued. “Or maybe I just need a change up. Christian, after you saw him in the Rumble, looked pretty good. The brother looked like he can still go. He’s my brother man, we’re tight like that. Some guys man, they feel like they still got something left in the gas tank and they want to go. They don’t want to be told no.”

Booker T on Christian Cage

Booker T also lamented the fact that this may be the last time that he gets to work alongside Captain Charisma. Christian Cage and Booker T were both part of the WWE Backstage show which aired on FOX; although right now the future of that show appears to be up in the air.

“If it was the last time him and I worked together on WWE Backstage, I just wanna say I’m gonna miss him” Booker T stated. “Christian was always like my right hand man, always a guy I loved to be around, always the guy that wasn’t going to be the sore thumb at the party. He is a guy who’s taken every finisher better than anybody else.”

Christian Cage has joined AEW with his new catchphrase being ‘Out Work Everyone.’ The former WWE Intercontinental, World Heavyweight and TNA Champion will be looking to put on some stellar performances as he heads into the twilight of his career.

h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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