Marty Scurll was released from Ring of Honor in early January. After having signed the largest contract in company history, Scurll was let go following a months-long investigation by ROH into accusations made against him as part of the #SpeakingOut movement. It appears Scurll has landed back with NJPW, however.
Multiple reports have come out recently that Scurll worked a recent set of New Japan Strong tapings at the company’s Los Angeles Dojo. This was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“Marty Scurll worked the New Japan tapings a couple of weeks ago in California,” said Dave Meltzer.
“I’m not at all surprised at Marty Scurll working for New Japan, that’s just how they do things and in Japan, it’s not going to be an issue. In the United States, it’s going to be an issue to a lot of fans. There are people who want him black-balled for life.”
Scurll’s segments on the show have yet to air. New Japan Strong airs Friday nights beginning at 10 PM est. on New Japan World. This week’s show will be headlined by KENTA challenging Jon Moxley for the IWGP United States Championship.
The 32-year-old Scurll is a former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion in NJPW. He also once held the NEVER 6-Man tag-titles along with the Young Bucks. In ROH, he’s a former TV Champion and 6-Man tag champ along with Brody King and PCO.
There is sad news to report this morning as Joseph Hudson, aka The Question Mark, aka Jocephus, has passed away. News of his passing was posted on Instagram by the NWA’s Billy Corgan.
Such horrible news to share. Jocephus Hudson has passed. Moments ago @NWA President William Patrick Corgan issued a statement on his IG. Joe was so creative and a hell of a guy. Most of you know him as @QuestiontheTHE. My condolences to his family, friends and fans. #RIPpic.twitter.com/1hnVUq4vZy
“It’s with a heavy heart that I share that my friend and brother in wrestling, Joseph Hudson, has passed away suddenly from an as-yet undiagnosed medical issue. NWA fans would know him as Jocephus as well as The Question Mark; where thanks to the great fans at GPB Studios in Atlanta, Joseph was able to receive the kind of support in the ring he’d always dreamt of. He is survived by a young son whom he loved dearly, and if anything would pain him about leaving this Earth it would be not being able to be there for his boy. RIP Joseph, love to you and Godspeed.”
Dutch Mantell noted on Twitter that he believes Hudson’s death was the result of a stroke or a brain aneurism. An exact cause of death is not currently known.
Sad news tonight folks. My friend, Joseph Hudson, who went by the wrestling name Jocephus and portrayed a young Bruiser Brody in the DSOTR episode 1 passed away tonight. It is believed that he either suffered a stroke or an aneurysm. @PWTorch@PWInsidercom@RealJeffJarrettpic.twitter.com/Vgux3bADk1
Hudson was a major part of the NWA’s revival in recent years. As Jocephus, he feuded with Tim Storm and took part in some entertaining segments. On episodes of NWA Powerrr, he portrayed the Question Mark character and teamed with Aron Stevens.
Jon Moxley has one WWE legend that he wants in AEW.
All Elite Wrestling has seen a few former WWE stars jumping ship to the rival promotion since its launch. Most recently, the company was able to bag in Big Show. He just signed a multi-year deal with AEW to work as a broadcaster and wrestler.
Jon Moxley recently spoke with Inside The Ropes and was asked who else he’d like to see join AEW. Moxley said that he’d like to see Christian on AEW’s roster.
Christian, a World Champion in multiple promotions, made a surprise appearance at last month’s WWE Royal Rumble. He has also signed a part-time contract with WWE, reportedly.
Jon Moxley said, “I’ll tell you, a guy I’d like to see here is Christian. I don’t know if that was a one-off for him in the Royal Rumble but he looked frigging good to me. He looked like he was in great shape, he looked sharp, man.”
Jon Moxley on Christian
Moxley continued, “I tell you, he’s one of the guys that’s — the wrestlers know it more so than anybody — Christian is so good. Like, his brain and his execution, and his mind for wrestling is just like next-level.
“First time we worked with him, you know, we’d come in and we’re doing these six-mans with The Shield, really pushing the pace and trying to make the most exciting matches. We’re pushing these guys to like, all these dream team guys. We’re pushing them to be like, ‘No, let’s do another thing and another thing, let’s add more to do another save and another thing, and let’s do a triple this,’ or whatever,” he later added. “And we’re really pushing the pace, you know, and like thinking, like, ‘All right. Yeah, nobody can keep up with us. This is awesome.'”
Christian’s return to the WWE was kept quiet from everyone backstage. Only a select few knew about his involvement ahead of time. Edge was one of them, who even said that they drew to the Rumble in his car together. Christian reportedly signed to appear with WWE on a part-time basis.
Christian had to hang up his boots in 2014 after a history of suffering concussions. In a similar case to Daniel Bryan, Christian was medically cleared years after he was told that he couldn’t wrestle again.
Kyle O’Reilly felt the brunt of the attack by his former teammate Adam Cole on last week’s NXT, where Cole kicked O’Reilly in the face and threw him onto the steel steps. After the show, fans got concerned as photos of O’Reilly being stretchered out of the arena came out online. However, WWE clarified the situation, and we now know that O’Reilly is okay and is not seriously hurt.
On tonight’s episode of NXT, it was revealed during a report how long O’Reilly will be out of action. The company announced that he will not be medically cleared to return for 4 to 6 weeks, that at least a month from now or month-and-a-half due to the injuries suffered by Cole’s brainbuster on the steel steps.
Thankfully, it was nothing serious as what fans were initially believing, and it’s relieving to know that he’s doing okay and will be back to action soon. This is to add to the storyline between Adam Cole betraying The Undisputed Era. It would be interesting to see how Kyle O’Reilly would exact revenge on Cole for his actions, as the given timeframe is around WrestleMania so we could probably see him back to start a new program with Cole after Cole possibly wins the title at the event.
Adam Cole apologized for his actions during the final moments of NXT, and addressed his questionable actions from TakeOver and last week. He admitted that what he did to Kyle O’Reilly was wrong and vowed to fix things any he can. Roderick Strong came out and asked him why he feels sorry now, and not during the ten days since he turned on them. Finn Balor also got involved, who attacked Cole. He was superkicked away by Cole with him and Strong remaining in the ring. Cole apologised and said he loved Strong like a brother, and hugged him. Only to hit him with a low blow and betraying Undisputed Era and making his stance clear for good. It seems like the faction is gone now, with Bobby Fish out with an injury and O’Reilly gone for a good month.
Adam Cole knew that it was time to finally explain his contentious actions at NXT TakeOver and the following week. At TakeOver, Cole attacked both Finn Balor and fellow Undisputed Era member, Kyle O’Reilly, and last week he went one step further and threw O’Reilly onto the steel steps so hard that fans got concerned for his health. Read more on O’Reilly’s health status here.
In the closing moments of this week’s episode of NXT, Adam Cole finally decided to explain himself. He said that he wanted to disclose what his intentions were, and he feels sick to his stomach with it. Cole said that he was upset with Kyle O’Reilly getting title shots, but it doesn’t excuse his actions. The NXT title means a lot to him, but he knows what he did was wrong.
Adam Cole said he was wrong for taking O’Reilly out he should be in the ring with him, but that isn’t possible because of what he did. He apologised for the “stupid mistake”. Cole said that he’s sorry to Kyle and he would do anything in his power to fix this, or at least try if he can’t.
Hearing this, Roderick Strong came out and asked Adam Cole if he really feels bad about his actions. Strong said that everything’s changed because of his actions. “This Undisputed ERA. This was built on trust. Love, a brotherhood. We would do whatever it took to have each other’s back no matter what it was, and just like that you shattered that trust,” Strong said.
Finn Balor came out and pushed aside Roderick Strong, to beat down Adam Cole. Strong tried to make the save but he got attacked as well. Cole eventually superkicked Balor, knocking him out. Strong punched Cole but it seemed like he felt hurt inside from this. Cole started apologising and said that it was his fault, and called Strong his brother that he loved.
Adam Cole and Roderick Strong then hugged, with what looked like them making up at last. Unfortunately, Cole hit him with a low blow, ripping off his Undisputed Era necklace and hit Strong with a superkick to seal the deal.
This segment pretty much signified the apparent end of The Undisputed Era, with Bobby Fish out with an injury, and Kyle O’Reilly out of action too, it would be interesting to see how things go from here.
Corey Graves never shies away from the opportunity to offer WWE some constructive criticism on his podcast, “After The Bell.”
During the latest episode of the show, Graves discussed the current product over on WWE NXT, and what he believes it’s lacking. Graves pointed out that the program contains, possibly, the greatest in-ring work going at the moment within the business. However, he doesn’t feel like fans know who this current crop of NXT stars actually are. Graves went on to compare how stars of NXT’s past; such as Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Bayley, and more had established characters during their respective runs on the show.
“A lot of people just watch NXT for in-ring action, and if that’s your vibe, if that’s your flavor of ice cream, cool. I understand it. I’m just saying, for Corey Graves, the wrestling fan, knowing what I know and knowing the way my mind works obviously with RAW and SmackDown that I’m focused on now, I think we need to know who these people are a little bit more,” Graves said (via NoDq.com).
“When I compare everything to NXT, I think back to my time there. You knew who Bayley was. You knew what made Seth Rollins tick. You knew what The Wyatt Family were about. Adam Rose, for goodness sake, he was this party animal. It didn’t translate, obviously, to major success on RAW or SmackDown, but you knew who these people were.
“I regularly watch NXT, but I don’t study it like I used to. I don’t follow every bit of it. So, when I sit down and watch TakeOver, I look at it thinking, as a general wrestling fan who may not know who all these people are, in this case, it was me, what could they show me to make me care a little bit more and to hook me a little bit deeper?”
Graves himself was one of the Superstars who was with NXT during its inception after it evolved from Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) in 2012. His run with the brand as an in-ring talent was short-lived, however, as he was forced to retire due to concussion complications in December of 2014. Since, Graves has established himself as a tremendous broadcaster for the company, currently working on SmackDown Live.
Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair was recently a guest on the WINCLY podcast to discuss several professional wrestling topics.
One topic touched on during that conversation was the passing of Flair’s son, Reid, back in 2013. Reid Flair passed away from an apparent drug overdose in March of 2013 at the age of 25. While discussing the issue, Ric Flair noted that he buried Reid with one of his two WWE Hall Of Fame rings. This prompted his longtime friend Triple H to gift him a new Hall Of Fame ring with his late son’s name inscribed on it.
“I’ve moved on. Trust me, I’ve had words with Hunter, and I’ve had words with Stephanie,” Flair said. “I’ve argued with them, and we’ve had tough times too. I was drinking a lot, and Steph and I had a bad argument.
“I said something terrible, but they’ve forgiven me and so has Hunter, and Vince has never left my side ever since the day I met him. And they couldn’t have done more for my son. I can remember after we buried Reid, I put one of my Hall of Fame rings on Reid. At NXT one time, Hunter said, ‘I need to talk to you,’ and I maybe thought I had done something wrong.
“And he called me into his office, and he had a duplicate ring with Reid’s name engraved on it. That’s someone who cares. I spent half the time with Hunter than I did with those guys (the Horsemen).”
Flair continues to play a role in WWE today, even after his official in-ring retirement with the company back in 2008. He’s actually locked in a storyline with his daughter, Charlotte Flair, on Monday Night Raw. Ric Flair was previously managing Charlotte’s rival, Lacey Evans, before her real-life pregnancy forced her out of the ring. Now, Ric will likely continue his storyline with Charlotte heading into WrestleMania this April.
AEW Dynamite aired from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. Lance Archer faced Rey Fenix in the main event of this week’s show. The winner of the match will earn a spot in the Face of the Revolution Ladder match at the PPV.
Nyla Rose def Britt Baker to advance to the finals of the AEW Women’s Eliminator Tournament
Lance Archer def. Rey Fenix to qualify for the Face of the Revolution Ladder match
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Jon Moxley Commented On The Barbed Wire Death Match
Jon Moxley faced Ryan Nemeth in the first match of the night. Moxley went for a DDT but Ryan dodged it and applied a Headlock. Moxley leveled Nemeth with a chop to the chest. Moxley quickly battled back with the Paradigm Shift for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Moxley took a seat in the ring and said that he will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes to get back the AEW Championship. Jon asked what images come to your mind when you hear the words “Exploding Barbed Wire Death match”.
Moxley said fire, blood, burns, torture, agony, vintage Japanese wrestling magazines come to mind. Jon stated that he is an addict, he is addicted to be in this ring and it is a feeling he cannot get enough of. Jon noted that even if it is some kind of trap by Omega and his boys, he cannot resist the thought of an Exploding Barbed Wire Death match. Jon added that his fans will know that he gave everything he had at Revolution and if it all done at the PPV, what a hell of a way to go out.
Varsity Blondes battled Brian Cage and Ricky Starks tonight on Dynamite. Taz joined commentary for the match as Starks and Pillman Jr. locked up in the middle of the ring. Pillman sent Ricky out of the ring and hit him with a Dropkick.
Back in the ring, Pillman rolled up Ricky for a two count. Starks sent Pillman to the outside and Cage planted him with a Powerbomb against the ring post as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Cage slammed Pillman to the canvas and tagged Ricky Starks back in. Ricky continued to beat down Pillman and hit him with a Splash in the corner of the ring.
Griff Garrison finally tagged in and unloaded some strikes to Cage and knocked him out of the ring. Garrison followed it up with a ridiculous Crossbody over the top rope onto Cage outside the ring. Garrison climbed to the top rope and leveled Ricky Starks with a Dropkick. Brian Cage tagged in and planted Griff with the Drillclaw for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Darby Allin was shown getting out of a body bag with a smile on his face. Sting then showed up with Hook (Taz’s son) in the body bag. Darby Allin then came down from the rafters and beat the hell out of Ricky Starks. Sting sent Cage to the corner and leveled him a Clothesline. Sting hit the Stinger Splash and followed it up with the Scorpion Death Drop on Cage to end the segment.
Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy Challenged Miro & Kip Sabian
Tony Schiavone interviewed Kip Sabian, Penelope Ford, and Miro. Sabian complained about his wedding being destroyed by Charles the Butler and Orange Cassidy. Miro said he will forgive Charles if he comes back and continues to be his butler. Tony said he was handed a note from Cassidy and Chuck that asked if they wanted a match at Revolution.
Jake Hager faced Brandon Cutler tonight. Cutler hit a right hand to the face and unloaded some more punches to the face in the corner of the ring. Hager leveled Cutler with a kick to the face and posed in the ring. Hager followed it up with a massive Clothesline for the easy pinfall victory.
After the match, Inner Circle came to the ring and attacked Brandon Cutler. Young Bucks rushed the ring and made the save. Matt Jackson grabbed a microphone and said that they don’t have to wait until Revolution. Young Bucks challenged Jericho and MJF to get their asses to the ring right now.
Jericho and MJF showed up on the jumbotron and said they aren’t coming down to the ring. Jericho then revealed that they attacked Matt and Nick’s father and slammed his head into a production truck. MJF then bounced did the same and then they ran away before the Young Bucks showed up.
Isiah Kassidy faced Hangman Adam Page tonight. Page stomped on Kassidy in the corner of the ring to start off the action. Kassidy sent Hangman to the corner but Page bounced off the turnbuckle and connected with a massive Clothesline. Hangman brought Kassidy out of the ring and sent him into the barricade.
TH2 distracted the referee and Matt hit Hangman with a cheap shot. John Silver and Alex Reynolds rushed the ring and informed referee Aubrey Edwards that Matt was interfering. Aubrey kicked out Matt from ringside as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
Kassidy hit a Brainbuster and applied am Armbar in the middle of the ring when Dynamite returned. Hangman escaped and planted Kassidy with the Deadeye for the pinfall victory.
Nyla Rose and Britt Baker battled in the Women’s Eliminator Tournament tonight on Dynamite. Baker slammed Nyla’s shoulder into the ring post and focused her attack on the arm. When Dynamite returned from a break, Rose connected with a massive Clothesline.
Nyla made her way to the second rope but Rebel hopped on the ring apron for a distraction. Nyla hit her with a Chokeslam and then a Cannonball in the corner of the ring. Baker capitalized on the distraction and brought Nyla down to the canvas. Baker went for the Lockjaw but Nyla was able to block it.
Rose slammed Britt down to the canvas and went for the cover but Baker kicked out at two. Britt went for the Lockjaw again but Nyla broke free. Rose connected with a big right hand to the face and followed it up with the Beast Bomb but Baker kicked out at two. Nyla then planted Baker with another Beast Bomb for the pinfall victory. Nyla will face either Thunder Rosa or Riho in the finals of the US bracket.
Lance Archer Qualifed For The Ladder Match At Revolution
Lance Archer battled Rey Fenix in tonight’s main event. The winner of the match would qualify for the Face of the Revolution Ladder match. The winner of the Ladder match will be the #1 contender for the TNT Championship.
Fenix booted Archer in the face and followed it up with a Hurricanrana off the middle rope. Rey sent Lance Archer out of the ring and Fenix hit with a flip through the ropes. Jake Roberts hit Fenix with a cheap shot and started talking to Archer. Fenix leaped over Jake Roberts and onto Archer before the action returned to the ring.
When Dynamite returned, Archer connected with a Clothesline that turned Fenix inside out on the ring apron. Archer launched Fenix into the barricade and followed it up with a Senton against the steel. Back in the ring, Archer went for the Blackout but Rey escaped.
Fenix connected with an awesome Double Stomp to the back of Archer’s head and both wrestlers fell to the canvas. Archer and Fenix got to their feet and traded chops in the middle of the ring. Fenix planted Archer with a Cutter and went for the cover but Archer kicked out at two.
Archer connected with a Fisherman’s Buster and went for the pin but Fenix somehow was able to kick out at two. Archer climbed to the middle turnbuckle but Fenix caught him with a Spanish Fly.
Fenix went for another cover but Lance kicked out at two. Archer hit a shoulder tackle that sent Fenix flying across the ring. Archer planted Fenix with a Chokeslam for another two count. Archer connected with the Blackout for the pinfall victory. After the match, Lance Archer gave Rey Fenix a fist bump to close the show.
Opinion: AEW Revolution is stacking to be a great show. The only weak part of this week’s Dynamite was the Miro storyline in my opinion. It really isn’t working at all and I hope AEW has something good planned for him following Revolution. Fenix and Archer put on an awesome main event and I thought Nyla versus Baker was very good as well. Darby Allin ziplining to the ring and seeing Sting hit the Scorpion Death Drop was entertaining as hell. Overall, I thought this was one of the better recent episodes of Dynamite.
The February 24, 2021 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
Dexter Lumis def. Johnny Gargano
Tyler Rust vs. Leon Ruff ended in a no contest due to an attack on Ruff by Isaiah Scott
Io Shirai def. Zoey Stark
Xia Li def. Kacy Catanzaro via referee’s decision
The Grizzled Young Veterans def. Drake Maverick and Killian Dain
Karrion Kross def. Santos Escobar.
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Io Shirai vs. Zoey Stark
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Zoey Stark in a non-title match took place.
The match was lengthy with Stark getting plenty of offense. Io went over with her finisher. A strong showing for Stark. After the match, Toni Storm came out and did a promo about how Io is willing to fight anyone, but her.
She said that last week she kicked Io’s head off. She recalled not being pinned at TakeOver and Io can’t beat her. Io said that she will fight her any time, any place, and anywhere. Toni said Io is scared of facing her. Toni told Io to make the match happen.
Stark made her WWE debut while working the women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic as she teamed with Marina Shafir, but lost to Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon in a first round match that aired on 205 Live. She then made her NXT debut by defeating Valentina Feroz last week.
NXT GM William Regal put out a video while praising Stark’s performance in her debut and gave her the opportunity to face Shirai in a non-title match. On the flip side, Shirai retained her NXT Women’s Championship by defeating Mercedes Martinez and Toni Storm in a triple threat match at TakeOver: Vengeance Day. Fast forward to last week’s NXT, WWE did an angle where Storm attacked Shirai while Shirai was taking part in a photoshoot.
Adam Cole Addresses His Actions
Adam Cole broke his silence regarding his recent attacks.
Cole did a promo about how he had intentions of explaining his actions and he feels sick to his stomach with it. He said that the NXT Title means everything to him, but he doesn’t like who he has become. He said that he was upset with Kyle O’Reilly getting title shots, but it doesn’t excuse his actions. He said he’s ashamed of himself. He said that he wishes he could have this chat in person, but they can’t because of himself.
He said he was wrong for what he did and he hates himself for it. He said he’s going to try to fix it. Roderick Strong came out and questioned Cole for feeling bad over the last week until now. Strong was upset with Cole and said the group was built on brotherhood. Strong told him that Kyle is going to heal, but he’s not sure what Kyle will do to him when he does. NXT Champion Finn Balor came out and attacked Cole. Strong tried to make the save, but he got attacked as a result. Cole caught Balor with a superkick. Strong punched Cole and looked upset about it. Cole apologized and started crying. Strong apologized as well and they hugged it out. Cole hit a low blow to Strong then ripped the Undisputed Era necklace and connected with a superkick to close the show.
This comes after he took out NXT Champion Balor and O’Reilly with superkicks after Balor retained his NXT Championship against Pete Dunne in the main event of TakeOver: Vengeance Day.
The following episode of NXT, WWE played it up as Cole thought O’Reilly betrayed the Undisputed Era for showing respect to Balor after they had saved him from an attack by Dunne, Oney Lorcan, and Danny Burch. O’Reilly attempted to get answers from Cole on NXT, but instead, teamed up with Roderick Strong and Balor against Dunne, Lorcan & Burch for the main event.
While Dunne, Lorcan & Burch defeated O’Reilly, Strong & Balor, Cole made the headlines when he hit a brainbuster to O’Reilly on the steel steps. After the match, Cole superkicked Balor and posed with Balor’s NXT Championship.
Johnny Gargano vs. Dexter Lumis
NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano vs. Dexter Lumis in a non-title match was booked as the opening contest.
Candice LeRae had attempted to attack Lumis, but he caught her and tossed her onto the apron, which led to Gargano getting the edge. Gargano tried to use a chair, but Lumis stopped him. Then, Austin Theory tried to do so, but he was stopped and Lumis locked in his submission finisher for the win.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." – Michael Scott #WWENXT
Gargano retained his North American Championship against Kushida at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day earlier this month, which is also where this feud really caught fire between Gargano and Lumis. Theory was abducted by Lumis as The Way (Gargano, LeRae, Indi Hartwell, and Theory) as they were coming out to the ring.
Last week, WWE followed up the angle by having Lumis arrive to the building with Theory in a white van as during LeRae and Hartwell’s match against Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon. Gargano went and got Theory.
Tag Team Match
The Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Drake Maverick and Killian Dain was booked in a tag team match. This was the first time each team has wrestled since their losses in the Dusty Classic.
The match was fine and strong down the stretch. The finish saw the vets hit their finishers for the win.
Although The Grizzled Young Veterans made it to the finals of the men’s Dusty Classic, they lost to MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day earlier this month. To get to the finals, Gibson & Drake defeated Ever-Rise (Chase Parker & Matt Martel), Kushida & Leon Ruff, and Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher.
It's a hard-hitting tag team collision as #GYV clashes with Killian Dain & @WWEMaverick!#WWENXT @ZackGibson01 @JamesDrake_GYT pic.twitter.com/3I9CfcmkP5
On the flip side, Maverick & Dain defeated Curt Stallion & August Grey in the first round of the Dusty Classic but lost to MSK in the quarterfinals.
Karrion Kross vs. Santos Escobar
Karrion Kross vs. Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar in a non-title no DQ match took place.
It featured them brawling in the parking lot with Escobar hiding in an equipment truck. Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde came out to attack Kross. This turned out to be a Falls Count Anywhere Match.
They brawled from the parking lot to the ring with Kross taking out Escobar’s associates. Escobar worked over the left shoulder of Kross throughout it. Kross won it with his finisher.
The match was made official last week by NXT general manager William Regal after Scarlett appeared in his office and asked for the match. He told him that she was there because it wouldn’t be good if Kross was there instead.
Later in the show after finding out the news, Escobar ordered his Legado Del Fantasma stablemates Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde to make sure Kross doesn’t make it for the match. However, they were laid out backstage then Kross sent a warning to him that he’ll do the same thing to him. The feud started when Kross randomly challenged him to a match.
“For those that have been on this decade long journey with me, you know how badly I have wanted this,” she wrote. “I’ve sacrificed and dedicated my life to this. Moved across continents, learned languages, immersed myself in new styles, cultures and experiences with the over all goal of making it one day to the @wwe. I have worked my butt off and today my dream has come true.
I promise to work harder than I ever have, to show the world who I am as a performer and human being. I love my life and take absolutely nothing for granted. I’m hungrier than I have ever been and now the work begins. Thank you to all those that have supported me, and to those that don’t like me…welp, too bad [shrugs emoji] I know my worth, my talent and I will always strive to be better. Now buckle up because this is going to get interesting. LETS GET TO WORK!!”
She had been under contract with Impact Wrestling from 2017 to the end of 2020 where she was positioned as a top star in the women’s division during her entire run. Taya had the longest single-reign in Impact Knockouts Championship history.
Before she left Impact, she had also been a big star in Mexico with AAA. She worked for Lucha Underground from 2016-18. Valkyrie got her start in the business after being trained by Lance Storm at the Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Earlier this month, Randy Orton expressed his interest in working with Karrion Kross.
Since Kross signed with WWE and joined NXT last year, he’s been positioned as a top star. He was fast-tracked to the top of the card and the only reason he’s not the NXT Champion right now is due to him suffering a shoulder injury that resulted in him being put on the sidelines.
He noted that he laughed about it at first as he was done doing his morning cardio and saw it on his phone.
“My first, immediate reaction, because I saw what time it was tweeted, I was like, ‘What?!? What is this?’ It was very late in the morning. I was like, ‘I clearly missed a very good time last night.’ But, yeah, it was very flattering and I thought it was awesome, and I think the world of him.”
He noted that he thinks people should have more fun with social media instead of being serious while using it. Kross doesn’t know him, but has heard that Orton has a sense of humor.
“I’ve been aware of that for a time and as flattering as it was, I know he’s only kidding around. But, I can’t wait to work with him in the future. I’m definitely interested in doing that. In order for him to hit the RKO, he’s going to have to give me his back, and a lot of bad things can happen. Just thought I’d throw that out there for peace of mind.”
Orton is currently in a feud with Bray Wyatt while Kross took on NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar on Wednesday’s episode of NXT.
Sting was recently fully cleared for physical activity ahead of his first match in several years.
Sting had to retire from wrestling due to him having spinal stenosis in 2015. He joined AEW and is slated to do a cinematic street fight when he teams up with Darby Allin against Brian Cage and Ricky Starks at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event.
Last week on Dynamite, Sting took his first bump in nearly six years as he took a powerbomb by Cage. AEW President Tony Khan spoke about the spot during an interview with Mike Johnson of PWinsider.com.
“He’s been cleared, he’s been fully cleared,” Khan said of Sting. “He’s been training with Darby and sparring partners and he’s been fully cleared to wrestle. In his training, one thing he’s done to get ready with his sparring partners is a powerbomb. In terms of getting ready for this, I was more than fine with it and in fact called it.”
Khan mentioned that Sting has been taking them in training and it was time to do it in front of a live crowd. He noted that Sting has been completely cleared to do it and wanted to do it and he wanted to get out there and wrestle.
“Sting’s cleared to wrestle and he wants to wrestle and this is how he wanted to end his wrestling career in-ring was in AEW and come in and go out the way he always wanted to go out with great matches.”
Khan stated that he expects Sting to have a great performance at Revolution and Sting has high expectations for it. He added that the spot got people talking in a positive way.
AEW World Champion and 2.Show host Kenny Omega returns with a special guest, Brandon Cutler. The guys will have some development updates to share. AEW is also teasing the reveal of a “MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT!”
AEW currently has three video games in development:
AEW Console Game
AEW Elite General Manager
AEW Casino: Double or Nothing
Check out the teaser announcement for Episode 2 below.
According to a report from PWInsider, Paul Wight became a free agent last month after he and WWE were unable to reach an agreement on the financial terms of a new contract.
Big Show’s final WWE appearance took place in January during RAW Legends Night that took place on January 4th, 2021. Big Show was belittled by Randy Orton during a backstage segment. You can see a clip of their interaction below:
Big Show’s WWE Departure
According to a source in WWE, Big Show made it known at Legends Night that he was unhappy with how the negotiations were going. His Superstar profile was moved to the Alumni section on WWE.com on February 19th.
Paul Wight was quoted in a press release about his signing with AEW:
“AEW Dark is an incredible platform to hone the skills of up-and-coming wrestlers, but I also love that established AEW talent can build out their personalities and showcase themselves in new ways on Dark,” said White. “It’s no exaggeration when they say that AEW is boundless.”
Paul White burst onto the national wrestling scene as The Giant when he joined WCW in 1995. He was immediately positioned as a main event challenger to Hulk Hogan. He captured the WCW Championship from Hogan at Halloween Havoc of that year.
He jumped ship to WWE in 1999, where he went on to have a Hall of Fame career.
AEW’s new show on YouTube will air Monday nights at 7 PM est. AEW Dark: Elevation will feature the newly signed “Big Show” Paul Wight and Tony Schiavone as commentators.
“Complementing AEW Dark on Tuesdays, AEW Dark: Elevation will air on Mondays at 7 p.m. ET on AEW’s YouTube channel, and will showcase AEW’s established and rising stars, as well as the top independent wrestlers within the industry, competing against each other in the ring in pursuit of wins,” reads AEW’s press release.
“AEW Dark: Elevation will also maintain continuity with AEW DYNAMITE, AEW Dark, AEW pay-per-view shows and streaming events, with wins and losses factoring into each wrestler’s ranking in the company.”
It’s been over 20 years since I’ve worked with @PaulWight and I’m PUMPED that we will team together to bring you AEW Dark: Elevation beginning Monday 3/15 on our YouTube channel. We will also hear from Big G next Wed live on #AEWDyanmitepic.twitter.com/m9tazNQ2I7
The length of episodes of AEW Dark increased following the onset of the pandemic. Khan recently explained on Talk is Jericho why the show length increased so much.
“We bring in people to give them tryouts, and we are giving a lot of independent wrestlers work, in addition to the tryout people that we want to get a look at and put in specific matches. There are other people – we are trying to put the top people from Dynamite in get-over matches on Dark.”
“You want to get some local people and keep them working because there’s no independent shows for all these people around Florida and Georgia like there used to be.”
In a “giant” move likely to send ripples through the wrestling world, “Big Show” Paul Wight has signed with AEW. The 49-year-old had been with WWE since leaving WCW and signing there in 1999.
In addition to returning to the ring, AEW is stating Wight will also serve as a commentator on the new YouTube show, AEW Dark: Elevation.
Big Show commented on the blockbuster news, noting that it’s been “amazing” to see what AEW has built in just a couple of years. He’s excited for his new role as commentator for AEW’s newest series, AEW Dark: Elevation.
“AEW Dark is an incredible platform to hone the skills of up-and-coming wrestlers, but I also love that established AEW talent can build out their personalities and showcase themselves in new ways on Dark,” said White. “It’s no exaggeration when they say that AEW is boundless.”
Big Show Will Wrestle, Commentate & More
“Big Show” Paul White is All Elite
Tony Khan, AEW’s President and Head of Creative, also commented on the news of Big Show’s signing. He touted White’s experience and detailed what his multiple roles will entail.
“Paul Wight is one of the most recognizable and impressive professional athletes in the world,” said Khan. “He wanted to come to AEW because he believes that we’re the best promotion in wrestling, and we believe that he has a lot to offer us, both in the ring as a wrestler, and also outside the ring as a commentator, host and ambassador for AEW.”
“Paul is one of the most experienced stars in all of wrestling, and he’s eager to work with our diverse roster,” added Khan.
Tony Khan added that Big Show joins AEW as a licensed wrestler.
“He can benefit and guide our young talent with his mentorship, and his expert commentary on AEW Dark: Elevation will educate and entertain our fans, and also educate the younger wrestlers on the roster. Furthermore, Paul enters AEW as a licensed wrestler, and he’s very much looking forward to studying our talent firsthand from the commentary desk in preparation for his return to the ring!”
Reactions to Paul White Joining AEW
Here are some reactions to Big Show Paul White signing with All Elite Wrestling:
Impact Wrestling 2/23 featured Moose defending the newly reinstated TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Jake Something. We also got the main event confirmed for Sacrifice.
Impact Wrestling 2/23 Quick Results
Tables Match Jake Something defeated Cody Deaner
Chris Bey, Ace Austin & Black Taurus defeated Trey Miguel, Willie Mack & Josh Alexander
The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) defeated Team XXXL (Larry D & Acey Romero)
Eddie Edwards defeated Hernandez w/ Brian Myers
#1 Contenders For Knockouts Tag Team Championships Jordynne Grace & Jazz def Kimber Lee & Susan w/ Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo
TNA World Heavyweight Championship Moose (c) defeated Jake Something
Key takeaways from the show are below:
Moose vs Rich Swann Confirmed For Sacrifice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dza5Rvv0QCw
In the night’s main event, Moose defeated Jake Something with his Lights Out Spear. After the match, however, Moose wasn’t finished. He continued to attack Jake with a steel chair until Impact World Champion, Rich Swann, made the save. Scott D’Amore then announced that finally Swann and Moose will collide with the title on the line at Sacrifice on March 13th.
FinJuice Takes A Shot At The Good Brothers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TIA0EJb2KQ
Last week on Impact, Juice Robinson and David Finlay made their promotional debut by defeating Reno Scum. The Good Brothers then came out to congratulate them, though Anderson and Gallows appeared to talk down to the team, noting that they were young lions back when they were winning titles in NJPW.
This week, The Good Brothers defeated Team XXXL in non-title action. Later in the show, they ran into FinJuice in the back. Things seem to be getting slightly more contentious between the two teams. Robinson appeared to be complimenting the Good Brothers but then said Anderson is actually just the best at wrestling while hungover.
Broadway Is Closed, But You’ve Got A Front Row Seat At “The Tonys”
Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone opened up their segment this week by saying that even though Broadway is closed, you’ve got a seat at “The Tonys.” Speculation is that somebody feels very proud about that joke.
The two Tonys ran down Impact and then ran down the card for tonight’s AEW Dynamite.
Sami Callihan Has More To Say To Trey Miguel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evJeClZwdGM
Trey Miguel had a chance to get one step closer to an X-Division title shot this week. A 6-man tag match pitted Trey, Willie Mack, and Josh Alexander against Taurus, Chris Bey, and Ace Austin with the winning team facing off next week in a triple threat to determine the next challenger for TJP’s belt. Bey picked up the win for his team by hitting The Art of Finesse on Mack, however. After the match, Miguel ran into Sami Callihan in the back. Callihan continued to tell Trey he doesn’t have what it takes, but this week, Trey answered back by attacking Callihan. Security had to break up the melee.
TNA World Heavyweight Championship Officially Reinstated
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vfgm-w766k
Moose has been the self-proclaimed TNA World Heavyweight Championship for 10 months. Scott D’Amore finally reinstated the title officially on this week’s show. It happened after Moose attacked Jake Something following the night’s opening match.
Something had just defeated his cousin, Cody Deaner in a tables match, when Moose attacked. Moose threatened to hold the show hostage but D’Amore came out, announced the title was reinstated and that Moose would have to defend it in the main event.
JordynneGrace & Jazz Earn Knockouts Title Shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZhaMFquH2c
Jordynne Grace and Jazz earned a shot against Fire N Flava for the Knockouts tag-team titles this week. They defeated Susan and Kimber Lee after Grace hit a Grace Driver on Susan for the win. When they got to the back, however, they found their ally ODB unconscious after having been attacked by as-of-yet-unknown assailants.
Brian Myers Hires Legal Representation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHfyzHtcOZI
Eddie Edwards was supposed to face Brian Myers in singles action this week. Instead, Myers revealed that he has hired Mark Sterling as his legal representation. Sterling announced that Myers can’t compete tonight because of the unsafe conditions at Impact and his eye injury. Instead, Hernandez is chosen to face Edwards. Edwards then defeated Hernandez with a second-rope Boston Knee Party.
Then later in the night, D’Amore pointed out that Myers has actually been cleared to compete. D’Amore then said next week it will be Myers vs Edwards in an eye-for-an-eye match with Matt Cardona as the referee. D’Amore then just said he was joking about the eye for an eye thing, as nobody in their right mind would book such a match.
Tony Khan says AEW fans can expect some new faces to show up on Dynamite soon. Khan was recently a guest on Wrestling Observer Live and spoke about some surprises he has upcoming.
“The ‘forbidden door’ is open. The forbidden door means that anybody from any company can show up anywhere now. The gloves are off and I’m really excited about it,” Khan said. He continued to say the travel restrictions currently limit this, however.
“Hopefully, we can do some exciting things with this forbidden door now that it’s been opened, I think we can and we will,” Khan said. “There’s going to be people showing up, could be people from New Japan, could be people from Impact, could be people from other companies. Could be new faces, old faces, but there’s going to be a lot of changes and I’m really excited about it and that’s important in wrestling, bringing new people in and consistently changing up the card.”
Khan also spent some time talking about people he had to convince to sign with AEW. He noted that he spent a lot of time convincing Trent to sign with him instead of remaining with NJPW.
“Trent was probably the hardest person for me to convince that actually came,” Khan said. “I spent a lot of time on the phone with a few people who really needed the extra convincing, people I believed in and put the full-court press on.”
Khan then said there were some people who didn’t listen to him. He didn’t say “The Good Brothers” by name, but one can make some assumptions.
“There are a couple of other people who didn’t come, who made a huge mistake,” Khan continued. “(They) should have listened to me, and they didn’t.”
Khan also praised Tay Conti during the interview.
“Tay Conti is a great example of somebody who I always thought looked like a star,” Khan said. “I went to a house show, an NXT house show, 4 years ago in Jacksonville and I thought Tay Conti looked like she’d be a great star then.”
The interview with Tony Khan can be viewed in the player below:
Ric Flair had Arn Anderson by his side for some of the most important moments of his career. It turns out the two aren’t close anymore, however. Flair spent some time on the WINCLY podcast recently explaining why that is.
Flair spoke about how upsetting it was to him that many people did not reach out after his son Reid’s death in 2013.
“I can remember the people that called and the people that didn’t. If they couldn’t come, they called or texted me. Those are the people that count, or likewise, when I was sick, you really find out who your friends are,” Flair said. “It took me six months to return them all, but I had over 170 texts on my phone, and Wendy counted each one of them.”
“That’s who you know who your friends are because there’s people that I was very close to that did not show up for his (Reid’s) funeral and did not text me.”
Flair then said he’s not close with Arn Anderson anymore for this reason. He also spoke about other members of the 4 Horsemen as well.
“That’s one of the reasons Arn and I aren’t close,” Flair continued. “How do you not text? We don’t do anything anymore. We don’t talk. When it’s close to his (Reid’s) birthday, I get emotional. Like I said, one of the greatest. It’s got nothing to do with business. You just struggle with the people who you think will be there for you, and the people that you don’t think will be there are. Nothing’s bigger than the love of your children.”
Flair continued to say he didn’t hear from Arn when he was sick either.
“I wasn’t just saying it about Arn. I didn’t hear a word from Tully, didn’t hear a word from Barry. I didn’t hear anything from Ole. He’s mad at the world. Arn just comes to mind because he was so close to the family. Then when I was sick, not a word. You spend 10 years being so close with these people, and you just wonder what really matters at the end of the day. It means nothing apparently.”
The full interview with Ric Flair can be heard in the player below:
Asuka, who competed in a losing match during this week’s Monday Night Raw, also ended up losing a tooth with a swift kick to the face. The reigning Raw Women’s Champion was teaming up with Charlotte Flair to take on the team of Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax in a non-title match.
During the match, Shayna Baszler landed a hard shot to Asuka’s face while The Empress was performing an armbar on Nia Jax. Asuka had no way to block her face from Baszler’s kick. You can check out the brutal shot in the GIF from the match below:
After the match, Asuka pushed Charlotte Flair away, and Flair seemed to have walked out on her. Asuka still had her mouth covered with her hand, selling the injury:
It was later confirmed by Charly Caruso on Raw Talk that Asuka had indeed suffered a broken tooth during the match. According to PW Insider, Asuka was checked by WWE medical when she returned backstage, however it’s not certain if she’s diagnosed with an injury and if it will affect her appearance next week.
The Empress of Tomorrow was set to defend her Raw Women’s Championship initially against Lacey Evans at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event, that match was however nixed due to Evans’ real life pregnancy. The match was not officially called off from the card, however — as Asuka was even advertised to appear in a match for the event — finally being pulled from the event without any notice.
John Cena and The Rock first faced each other in the ring back at WrestleMania 28 which ended with Rock winning over Cena. The 16-time world champion had made comments at the time about part-timers in the industry who would leave WWE for endeavors in Hollywood, which provided as seeds to the feud.
Even though John Cena would lose this match, he would go on to beat Rock a year later at WrestleMania 29. Some interesting behind-the-scene details have emerged thanks to former WWE referee Mike Chioda who has claimed that Cena was exactly happy with putting over The People’s Champ.
“Had this match, you know, Rock wanted me to do it and everything, and I think John Cena had a little bit of a problem doing the job. Here is Cena, carrying the torch for the last ten years I think at that time, and he was busting him a** day in, day out. And here comes The Rock, back after so many years of being in Hollywood, and he’s got to job out to The Rock?” Chioda said on his appearance at the Monday Mailbag.
“Well, of course, the show is in Miami. The Rock is a big Hollywood superstar now, and I think there was a little heat there. I think there was a little dissension. But, you’ve got to go where the money goes. I mean, they put Rock over, and I was happy about that.”
Chioda added that both Rock and John Cena were big moneymakers and already, so it wasn’t like one of them would settle with the outcome just for the money. Chioda suggests that the issue involved ego and pride of both the wrestlers. “Like, ‘I’ve been carrying this business for the last ten years, I should go around him first, then he’ll go around me.’ ‘No, no, Rock’s going to go around you first.’ I’m sure John was pissed at Vince,” Chioda explained.
Interestingly, John Cena would later go back on his words and thank The Rock for “changing the game” for wrestlers in Hollywood. John Cena now believes that since The Rock, Hollywood has been pretty accepting of wrestlers now.
“It definitely has changed, and I think that rests on the already broad shoulders of Dwayne Johnson,” Cena said regarding Hollywood’s attitude to wrestlers in an interview last year. “He just made it acceptable to be something other than your wrestling persona. If you look at the correlation of wrestlers or WWE personalities in movies, they essentially played extensions of their WWE personality. I think Dwayne was one of the first ones to break that mold, and do it on such a grand scale that he couldn’t be ignored.”
Jimmy Uso hasn’t been seen competing in the ring since his last match back at WrestleMania 36 where he participated in the Triple Threat Ladder match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. During that match, he suffered a serious knee injury which put him on the shelf for months. The injured star revealed in later interviews that he suffered the injury early in the bout and tore his ACL while jumping off a ladder during the opening minutes of the match.
Unable to compete, The Usos as a tag team are on hiatus with brother Jey Uso having to perform as a singles competitor.
This would lead to Jey Uso to enter into the title scene and earn the first singles championship opportunity of his career, challenging Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at Clash of Champions. Jey was given another shot at the title at Hell in a Cell in an I Quit match, where Reigns attacked Jimmy Uso to make his brother surrender.
However, it looks like The Usos could be back together in the ring soon as Jey Uso took to Instagram on Monday night to share videos of Jimmy Uso training at the WWE Performance Center. While Jimmy was wearing a knee brace, he appeared pretty agile. You can check out the video below:
Jimmy Uso was expected to make a return in late 2020 after undergoing reconstructive surgery, however it was revealed in a later update that he is slotted to make a return in January/February of this year.
With Jimmy Uso being gone from performing in the ring, his brother Jey Uso had to transition as a singles wrestler. Jey said he was happy with the shift but would be ready to go back to the tag-team scene when his brother is back.
“It’s a dope transition, I think it’s a good transition to make at this point cause I’ll always revert back to the tag-team game, that’s my ish right there. I do like this singles competition, it’s really making me find out something about myself, uce, that I didn’t know that I could do.”
Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.889 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. This is up from last week (1.810 million viewers with a 0.57 rating).
Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Monday night:
The first hour did 1.978 million viewers and a 0.60 rating (A18-49).
The second hour did 1.926 million viewers and a 0.57 rating.
The final hour of the show had just 1.765 million viewers and a 0.53 rating.
This was the second straight week that Raw was up after doing its 2021 low. Last week was the go-home edition of the red brand for the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event.
This episode featured the fallout from the event and likely got more intrigue than most due to The Miz’s shocking Money in the Bank briefcase cash-in, which led to him beating Drew McIntyre for the WWE Title.
SmackDown Viewership
Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.217 million viewers. This is up from the 1.990 million viewers on FS1 that the show did for the previous week.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.59 rating in the 18-49 demos, up from the 0.57 rating the previous week’s show. The episode drew an average of 2.071 million viewers in the overnight ratings, up from the previous week that did 1.883 million viewers.
The first hour saw it pull in 2.038 million viewers while hour two did 2.105 million viewers. The show did 1.905 million viewers in hour one while hour two did 1.862 million viewers two weeks ago.
WWE is partnering with the A&E Network to produce a series of 2-hour biography films focusing on some of the most legendary Superstars in pro wrestling history.
The films air every week starting Sunday, April 18th at 8pm (Eastern). Wrestlers to be featured include:
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Macho Man Randy Savage
The Ultimate Warrior
Rowdy Roddy Piper
Bret Hart
Shawn Michaels
Mick Foley
Booker T
Elaine Frontain Bryant, EVP and Head of Programming, A&E Network, said in a press release, “For more than two decades, ‘Biography’ has been the home for premium non-fiction storytelling and we are excited to expand upon that with this all-encompassing partnership with WWE This one-of-a-kind collaboration gives viewers the ultimate ringside seat as we chronicle the journeys of these cultural icons and the memorabilia that follows.”
More information about each film can is available at Corporate.WWE.com.
WWE is also partnering with A&E on the launch of a new series, “WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures.” Stephanie McMahon and Triple H will lead a hunt for some of WWE’s most iconic missing memorabilia, including Kane’s original mask, Ric Flair’s Butterfly Robe, Andy Kaufman’s neckbrace, Andre The Giant’s passport and more.
In order to locate these priceless pieces of pro wrestling history, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon will join forces with WWE legends including The Undertaker, Ric Flair and more.
WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures will air Sunday nights on A&E following the WWE Biography films.
Stephen P. New is a lawyer MLW fans will be familiar with. He sponsors the weekly episodes of MLW Fusion every Wednesday night. He appeared recently on The Jim Cornette Experience and spoke about Joey Ryan’s lawsuits against his accusers from the #SpeakingOut movement. New mentioned he has been in contact with Pelle Primeau, who currently has a GoFundme account up to help with his legal defense.
“Pelle Primeau had recorded a YouTube video, put it out on social media, it was about 35-40 minutes long, detailing some of the misdeeds of Joseph Meehan, professionally known as Joey Ryan,” New said. “Late in 2020, Mr. Meehan decided to sue not only Pelle Primeau, he sued Impact Wrestling for breach of contract down in Nashville, TN. He sued several young ladies and some others for what had been stated on social media.”
New continued to explain that Ryan has filed a lawsuit for $15 million against each defendant. The lawsuits were filed in California, despite the fact that several defendants don’t live there. Primeau reached out to New because of the wrestling connections they shared. New was able to get the lawsuit moved out of California to Pennsylvania federal court.
“This is a bully attempting to bully in a legal arena and we just don’t like bullies,” New said of Ryan.
Stephen P New Comments On Joey Ryan’s Lawsuits
New was also asked about Ryan being awarded a default judgment against an accuser recently. The defendant failed to reply to the lawsuit in time, leading to the judgment.
“She will probably, most likely, be forced to file bankruptcy, any of these defendants, if they are not able to satisfy a judgement. The interesting thing about that, Jim, is that intentional conduct and punitive damages can’t be bankrupt out.”
New continued to say that they would still be on the hook to pay punitive damages.
“Bankruptcy is only a limited option for these defendants if he wants to pursue that doggedly for a number of years and that’s no fun. The young lady that you mentioned, he got a default judgment against her. Default judgment is when somebody doesn’t respond to a lawsuit. At that point, the matter of did she do it is over.”
