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Shawn Michaels On NXT Possibly Moving To Tuesday Nights

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There have been rumors of NXT moving to Tuesday nights after WrestleMania 37 and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels recently commented on the possibility.

The former world champion who has been one of the minds behind the success of the Black and Yellow brand and has mentored a number of NXT talents recently had an interview with Joseph Staszewski of The New York Post.

During the interview, Michaels was asked about the show possibly moving nights and how it might affect them. Replying to it, he said that nothing would change for them and they will still try to put the best show:

“It’s always clearly easier when your sort of destination programming, so to speak, Nothing would change certainly for us. We still try to put the best show out there that we can. Clearly, I know that’s everybody’s goal.

I think it would only be fair to say everyone knows that when you are not competing against another similar show that it makes it a little bit easier.” said Shawn Michaels, “It allows people to enjoy that. And then you think about the follow from Raw the next night. So, clearly, it certainly wouldn’t hurt.”

The former DX member also commented on the possibility of introducing women’s tag team titles for NXT. He said that they certainly have the depth for it.

This interview of Shawn Michaels was published before tonight’s episode of NXT where General Manager William Regal not only confirmed the creation of the new titles but he crowned the inaugural champions as well.

MJF Forms New Faction, Turns On The Inner Circle (Video)

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MJF has formed a new stable of his own featuring stars such as FTR, Wardlow, Shawn Spears, and Tully Blanchard after getting kicked out of the Inner Circle.

Chris Jericho had announced an Inner Circle War Council for this week’s episode of Dynamite after he and the former MLW star failed to capture the tag team titles at the Revolution PPV this past Sunday.

The segment then saw the former world champion teasing some changes to the group and as they were discussing their next move, Sammy Guevera showed a video of MJF. In the video, the AEW star was trying to convince Jake Hager, Santana, and Ortiz to go against Jericho and telling them that it was time to remove Y2J from the leadership. MJF told the guys to get Jericho after the reveal but they sided with the former WWE star instead. However, MJF came prepared and he revealed that he had been building a group of his own this whole time.

MJF Turns on the Inner Circle

The lights then went out and FTR, Wardlow, Shawn Spears, and Tully Blanchard were present when it came back. The new group attacked the Inner Circle.

The new AEW stable dominated the Inner Circle in their first outing and the show ended with the faction power bombing Chris Jericho off the stage:

It appears we will get a feud between these two groups in the coming times and it would be interesting to see if this stable helps MJF in reaching the main event status and capture the world title in future.

You can watch the entire segment here:

AEW Dynamite Results (3/10): TNT Title Match, Inner Circle War Council, Christian Cage

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AEW Dynamite aired live from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. It was the first episode of Dynamite following AEW Revolution. Darby Allin defended the TNT Championship against Scorpio Sky tonight. Sky earned the match by winning the Face of the Revolution Ladder match this past Sunday. Inner Circle also held a War Council to discuss the group’s recent struggles.

Dynamite Results (3/10)

  1. Fenix def. Matt Jackson
  2. Cody def. Seth Gargis via submission
  3. Ethan Page def. Lee Johnson
  4. Hikaru Shida, Thunder Rosa, Ryo Mizunami def. Britt Baker, Maki Itoh, Nyla Rose
  5. Darby Allin def. Scorpio Sky to retain the TNT Championship

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Fenix def. Matt Jackson

Rey Fenix faced Matt Jackson in the first match of the night. PAC and Nick Jackson were ringside for the match. Fenix controlled the action early and sent Matt out of the ring. Fenix set up for a Suicide Dive but opted for a Hurricanrana instead.

The action returned to the ring and Fenix leveled Matt with a shoulder tackle. Fenix then connected with the Suicide Dive and followed it up with another flip onto Matt outside the ring.

Back in the ring, Matt and Fenix battled on the turnbuckle. Fenix went for another Hurricanrana but Matt countered into an awesome Powerbomb for a two count. Fenix battled back but his back gave out during his attack and Matt took back control.

Matt planted Fenix with a Cutter for a near fall. Matt connected with a Destroyer but Fenix tumbled out of the ring. Matt quickly hit another Destroyer outside the ring and followed it up with an Elbow Drop for a two count.

Matt applied a Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring but Fenix was able to reach the ropes to break the hold. PAC looked like he was going to attack Nick Jackson and Matt caught him with a Superkick.

Fenix and Matt traded punches in the middle of the ring. Matt hit a Superkick but Fenix responded with a boot to the side of the head. Matt went for a Piledriver but Fenix escaped and connected with a knee strike to Matt’s head. Fenix followed it up with a Piledriver of his own for the pinfall victory.

Moxley & Kingston Spoke About The Finish To Revolution

Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston discussed the embarrassing finish to the AEW Revolution PPV during tonight’s show. Kingston said he was expecting a big explosion and the reason he stayed down was because it triggered an anxiety attack. Kingston brought up being arrested in the past and how heading to jail brought on his first attack. Moxley made fun of the explosion and claimed that Impact Wrestling must have paid for the bomb. Jon added that be bomb must have had “Acme” written on the side of it. Jon said that Omega was the better man that night, but he is happy to have his old drinking buddy back in Eddie Kingston. Moxley said that “if you’re going to flash a weapon, you better use it” and that he wished there was a bigger explosion.

Pentagon Jr. Confronted Cody Rhodes

Cody def Seth Gargis via submission after quickly applying the Figure Four. After the match, Tony Schiavone interviewed Rhodes about his injured shoulder. Before Cody said a word, Pentagon interrupted and brought Alex Abrahantes as his translator. Penta claimed his 1,000x better than Cody and referred to himself as the Lord of Lucha Libre. Penta added that Rhodes is lucky that he didn’t focus more on Cody’s injured shoulder during the Face of the Revolution Ladder match at the PPV. Penta claimed that if he did, Cody would be able to pick up his newborn baby girl. Cody started swinging but wrestlers pulled them away from each other.

Lance Archer Interrupted Sting

Tony Schiavone interviewed Sting once again tonight on Dynamite. Tony gave Sting props for his effort and victory in the Street Fight at AEW Revolution. Sting noted that Darby Allin is a dangerous man that puts his life on the line every match. Lance Archer interrupted and claimed that he was the face of the company and doesn’t need a ladder match to prove it. Archer said that if he doesn’t get more, he will take more. Tony told Archer that this is Sting’s time right now and Archer stared at them before walking away.

Ethan Page Picked Up A Win

Ethan Page made his Dynamite debut against Lee Johnson. Unfortunately, the match was hampered with audio issues and sounds from the NBA All Star game. Page hit the Ego’s Edge (Razor’s Edge) for the pinfall victory. After the match, Page stomped on Lee Johnson until Dustin Rhodes made the save.

Christian Cage Made His Dynamite Debut

Tony Schiavone was about to interview Christian Cage but AEW Champion Kenny Omega’s music hit. Good Brothers and Don Callis said that they are not going to hear from Christian because they call the shots around here. Callis referred to Kenny Omega as “the King of the Death Match” and suggested that everything went according to plan at the PPV. Omega noted the horrible ending to the PPV and Callis joked that they were happy to take something away that the fans wanted to see.

Omega claimed that it would have been fun vaporizing Jon in the ring but but defeating him is just as good. Kenny joked that it was the cherry on top for Eddie Kingston to protect Moxley and dry hump him as four sparklers went off. Kingston interrupted and made his way to the ring.

Callis noted that he had to fire Kingston from Impact because he found a way to screw it up. Don told Eddie that he can walk away with his pride still intact and gave him ten seconds. Kingston punched Omega and brawled with the Good Brothers before Jon Moxley made the save. Christian Cage then made his way to the ring and traded words with Omega. Kenny looked for a handshake but Christian wanted nothing to do with it. Christian went for the Unprettier but Callis dragged Omega out of the ring.

Britt Baker Attacked Thunder Rosa

Britt Baker, Maki Itho, Nyla Rose faced Thunder Rosa, Ryo Mizunami, Hikaru Shida tonight. The action started out with a brawl and then Shida took control. The action spilled out of the ring and Thunder Rosa hit a Crossbody. Back in the ring, Rosa planted Itoh with a Piledriver for the pinfall victory. After the match, Britt Baker hit Thunder Rosa with a crutch. Britt then applied the Lockjaw to end the segment.

Darby Allin Retained

Darby Allin defended the TNT Championship against Scorpio Sky tonight. Darby sold the injuries sustained during the Street Fight at Revolution throughout this match. Darby connected with some chops to Scorpio’s chest but Sky quickly battled back. Sky locked in an Abdominal Stretch but Darby broke free and connected with a Stunner. Allin followed it up with Code Red for a near fall. Darby went for a Suicide Dive but Scorpio beautifully countered into a Cutter. Scorpio hit a Brainbuster and went for the cover but Allin was able to kick out at two.

Darby went for the Coffin Drop but Scorpio countered into a Powerbomb for a near fall. Allin then rolled up Scopio for the pinfall victory and is still the TNT Champion. After the match, Scorpio Sky got pissed off after Darby gave him a pat on the back. Scorpio attacked Allin and went after his injury by locking in a Heel Hook. Several referees then broke up the hold and Sky looked at his hands and smiled.

MJF Formed A New Faction And Beat Down Inner Circle

Inner Circle came down to the ring to close this week’s episode of Dynamite. Jericho said that they needed to change course and have a War Council. Jericho stated that Inner Circle has been on the decline but it is time for a new outlook, and possibly a new member. MJF said that they do not need a new member and it was time to let someone go.

Sammy Guevara interrupted and rolled footage from the Inner Circle locker room. The footage showed MJF telling Santana, Ortiz, and Hager that it was time for new leadership and for Jericho to take a nice dirt nap. MJF then instructed them to get Jericho but Chris told MJF to shut up.

MJF said that he didn’t want to take over Inner Circle because he was also busy building his own group. FTR, Tully Blanchard, Wardlow, and Shawn Spears then appeared behind Inner Circle after the lights went out. A brawl broke out and Inner Circle got destroyed. MJF hit Jericho with the Dynamite Diamond and Wardlow Powerbombed him off the stage to end the show.

WWE NXT Results (3/10): Balor vs. Cole, Shirai vs. Storm, Two Announcements

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The March 10, 2021 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.

WWE NXT Results 

  • Io Shirai defeated Toni Storm to retain the NXT Women’s Championship
  • Pete Dunne defeated Jake Atlas
  • Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon defeated Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez to become the new NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions
  • Xia Li defeated Kayden Carter via DQ
  • Legado Del Fantasma defeated The Grizzled Young Veterans
  • Finn Balor defeated Adam Cole to retain NXT Title

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Singles Match

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Xia Li vs. Kayden Carter took place in a singles match. WWE had Kacy Catinaro at ringside for the match and on crutches. Li was the one who in storyline injured her. Li worked over the right knee of Carter throughout the match. Catanzaro

The referee rang the bell while Li was attacking Carter and Kacy hit Li with the crutch. Kacy got into the ring after the match and hit her with the crutch several times. Li’s brother got into the ring and Kacy tried to hit him with the crutch, but he blocked it. Carter hit him in the back and he sold it. 

William Regal’s Announcements & Title Change

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William Regal had an announcement that would “change the landscape of NXT’ in addition to another big announcement. So what were the announcements? 

Regal did a promo in the opening segment of the show. The first announcement was NXT TakeOver: Stand And Deliver, which will take place on April 7th during the usual NXT time slot on USA Network while the second night will air on the WWE Network on April 8th. 

The other announcement was the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles, which were given to Women’s Dusty Rhodes Classic Tournament winners Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez. The storyline reason for why they were given the titles was due to the question finish that saw Kai and Raquel losing to WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler last week. 

Kai and Raquel later made their first title defense against Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon. However, WWE ended up doing a title change with Moon and Blackheart winning.

Women’s Title Match 

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Toni Storm vs. WWE NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai took place on this show. This was the first match on the show and it tore the house down. A very good opening contest. 

The finish saw Io lock in her submission hold or the win.

Last month, Shirai retained the NXT Women’s Championship by defeating Storm and Mercedes Martinez in a triple threat match at TakeOver: Vengeance Day . The finish saw Storm go in for a pin on Martinez, but Shirai flew in with a moonsault and pinned Martinez to get the win. A few weeks ago, Storm attacked Shirai during a photoshoot.

There was later a promo segment where Storm claimed that Io was afraid of her and she knows she can’t beat her. She dared Shirai to prove her wrong. Thus, Io asked NXT general manager William Regal to make the match happen. 

Finn Balor vs. Adam Cole

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Finn Balor put the NXT Title on the line in the main event of the show. 

The match featured a very good match with Balor selling his jaw after getting kicked in the face. It wasn’t a technical match, but rather a brawl with the two stars hitting their best moves. 

There was a few near falls such as Cole hitting a running knee and then Cole connecting with the candian destroyer. Near the end, Kyle O’Reilly showed up and stood at ringside. This allowed Balor to get the advantage. Post-match, Cole tried to hit a low blow to Kyle, but Kyle blocked it and a brawl broke out. The show ended up with Karrion Kross standing behind Balor and they had a staredown. 

Ironically, after Karrion Kross vacated the NXT Title due to a shoulder injury last September of last year, Balor won the NXT Championship by defeating Cole. WWE booked a four-way Iron Man match between Balor, Cole, Johnny Gargano, and Tommaso Ciampa to decide the new champion. 

However, that ended in a tie between Balor and Cole. Thus, it set up a singles match where Balor defeated Cole to win the title.

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1369847804206735362

Finn Balor Retains WWE NXT Title Against Adam Cole

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Adam Cole stepped up to the plate to challenge Finn Balor for the NXT Championship but fell short. 

The title match happened in the main event of Wednesday’s episode of NXT TV on the USA Network in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. The match was hard-hitting with them even using the steel steps as a weapon, but it was legal.

Kyle O’Reilly showed up and stood at ringside. Balor won with the double foot stomp off the top rope. After the match, Cole tried to apologize then went for a low blow to Kyle, but O’Reilly blocked it and attacked Cole. The show ended up with Karrion Kross standing behind Balor and they had a staredown. 

Balor made his previous title defense against Pete Dunne at TakeOver: Vengeance Day. Post-match, WWE started a new feud as Balor was beaten down by Oney Lorcan, Danny Burch, and Dunne until Undisputed Era ran out to make the save. This led to Cole taking out Balor with a superkick and turning heel by attacking fellow UE member Kyle O’Reilly. 

Since that time, Cole has laid out Balor two more times. During a segment on last week’s show, Balor announced during a segment with Roderick Strong that he would face Cole on this episode. Later in the show, Balor defeated Strong in the non-title main event. Post-match, Cole and Balor had a staredown. 

Balor actually started his most recent title reign by beating Cole in September of last year after the title was vacated by Karrion Kross due to injury. 

WWE Confirms Two-Night TakeOver Special, NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Crowned

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WWE had been hyping up since last week that NXT General Manager William Regal had an announcement that would “change the landscape of NXT.” A second announcement was also made. 

There was speculation that it could be about an NXT TakeOver special or the big move for NXT TV. Regal confirmed NXT TakeOver: Stand And Deliver would take place over the course of two nights. 

Last week, it was reported that WWE had talked about holding the next special over the course of two nights with the first night being on April 7th while the second night will follow the next night. The reason for doing so is the idea for the Wednesday show to air during the usual NXT time slot on USA Network while the second night will air on the WWE Network. That is true. 

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The second announcement featured the NXT women’s division. He brought in Women’s Dusty Rhodes Classic Tournament winners Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez to award them the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles. 

Kai and Gonzalez lost to WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler last week with the titles on the line. The match featured Kai getting submitted even though she wasn’t the legal person and there was a referee bump. 

Last Man Standing Match Planned For WWE Fastlane

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WWE is just a few weeks away from the Fastlane pay-per-view event and just like with Elimination Chamber last month, not much has been announced in advance for the show. 

This past Monday’s episode of Raw featured Sheamus and Drew McIntyre wrestling each other for the second straight week that saw them go to a no contest in a No DQ Match after both men were unable to get back up to their feet. The previous week saw them work a singles match with McIntyre going over. 

The finish was done to set up a third match, which was expected as it is slated to take place at Fastlane in less than two weeks. Bryan Alvarez noted on Wrestling Observer Live that the plan is for them to wrestle each other in a Last Man Standing match.

There is speculation that WWE will announce the winner of this match will earn the right to challenge Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 37.

As it stands right now, WWE has only announced two matches for Fastlane – Roman Reigns defending the WWE Universal Title against Daniel Bryan and Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler defending the Women’s Tag Team Titles against Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair. More matches are expected to be announced in the coming days. 

XFL Puts Plans For 2022 Season On Hold Amidst Talks With CFL

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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had a short career with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He signed with the team in 1995 and was assigned to its practice squad before being cut 2 months later. Now, the football league he co-owns, the XFL, is exploring possible opportunities to align with the CFL.

Both leagues released statements on their plans today. The XFL announced it is putting plans for its 2022 season on-hold while these discussions takes place.

The XFL and CFL Release Statements

XFL owner Dani Garcia released the following statement:

“Since we first acquired the XFL, we have focused on identifying partners who share our vision and values on and off the field. A vision filled with opportunity, innovation and the highest level of entertainment value for the benefit of our athletes, fans and communities,” Garcia said. “The CFL has expressed that similar sentiment and jointly we recognize a great opportunity to build exciting innovative football experiences that make the most of each league’s unique strengths. I look forward to our continued discussions and we will update the sports community as we have more to share.”

The CFL released a statement regarding the talks between the two sides. They noted

“We ended up having this conversation with the ownership group with the XFL,” said CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie. “Somewhere in all of that we ended up reaching a point where we think there’s a common vision, a lot of common DNA. What we really wanted to do today was not have those discussions in the shadows, we wanted to have a more transparent conversation.”

As for what a possible partnership between the two leagues could mean, only speculation can be made. What is being discussed is significant enough, however, that the XFL is postponing plans for its 2022 season.

Pat McAfee Comments On His Status For WWE WrestleMania 37

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Pat McAfee says professional wrestling and more specifically, WWE’s Attitude Era, made him into the man he is today.

The NFL star turned sports analyst and part-time WWE Superstar was a contestant on this week’s episode of 10 Questions with Kyle Brandt on Spotify.

During the show, McAfee commented on pro wrestling’s impact on his life, as well as whether or not we can expect to see him at WrestleMania 37.

“The Attitude era is where I lived,” McAfee said. “The Monday Night Wars was awesome. If you listen to me on any given day, you can hear inspiration from The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, HHH, a little bit of Flair…that whole era created me into the person I am…Attitude Era is not only my biggest inspiration when it comes to wrestling, but also when it comes to life.”

Pat McAfee got a chance to live his dream by wrestling for WWE last year. He made his in-ring debut last August at NXT Takeover XXX.

Pat McAfee’s Status for WrestleMania

McAfee would go on to make several more appearances for NXT. He received rave reviews for his WWE appearances, leading many to wonder when we will see him lace up the boots again. When asked by Kyle Brandt if he’ll be at WrestleMania in April, McAfee said he’s not sure if he’ll have enough time to train for WWE’s biggest show of the year.

“Now that I’ve gotten the chance to do it, the amount of work and buy-in you have to have to be successful, it’s a lot…I’m not 100% sure I can do what’s needed to allow for a run to WrestleMania.”

You can listen to the full episode on Spotify or in the player embedded below. The wrestling conversation begins around the 43-minute mark.

How Moose Revived The TNA World Heavyweight Championship

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Last night on Impact Wrestling, Scott D’Amore announced that the match between Rich Swann and Moose at Sacrifice will be a title unification bout. This seemingly puts an end to the year-long resurrection of the TNA World Heavyweight Championship by Moose.

Technically, D’Amore only recently officially re-instated the title. Moose first began claiming himself to be the title-holder at last year’s Rebellion PPV, however.

Moose Revives The TNA World Heavyweight Title

The spring of 2020 was an interesting time. Impact Wrestling’s planned Rebellion PPV that April underwent some changes due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was instead turned into a 2-night event on AXS TV with no fans in attendance.

At the time, Tessa Blanchard was the Impact World Champion. Fans didn’t know it yet, but she would not return to the promotion. At Rebellion, she was scheduled to defend the title against Eddie Edwards and Michael Elgin. With her out, some improvising needed to take place.

In the midst of this, Moose recovered the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and began referring to himself as the rightful title-holder. It was then decided he would defend that title against Edwards and Elgin at Rebellion. Edwards missed the tapings too and instead Hernandez was thrown in as a replacement. Moose won the triple threat match and defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time, albeit unofficially.

Blanchard, meanwhile, would officially be stripped of the title before July’s Slammiversary PPV.

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Moose’s Title Defenses

Despite the title not officially being recongnized over the last year, Moose has defended it numerous times. Granted, he usually had to force David Penzer into announcing his matches at title matches, but he won the bouts nonetheless.

Unofficial Title Defences:

  1. Rebellion 2020: defeated Michael Elgin and Hernandez (triple threat rules)
  2. 5/12/20: defeated Suicide
  3. 5/19/20: defeated Suicide
  4. 6/16/20: defeated Hernandez
  5. 6/30/20: defeated Crazzy Steve
  6. Slammiversary: defeated Tommy Dreamer
  7. 7/19/20: defeated Heath
  8. 7/19/20: defeated Fallah Bah
  9. 8/18/20: defeated Trey Miguel
  10. 2/23/21: defeated Jake Something

When Rich Swann won the Impact World Championship, Moose was quick to refer to it as the #2 title in the promotion. Swann will have a chance to prove Moose wrong about this at Sacrifice.

The Former TNA World Heavyweight Championship

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When the company first started, NWA-TNA used the NWA World Heavyweight Championship as its top title. The Impact World Championship wasn’t introduced until 2007. In 2017, with Impact dropping the “TNA” from its name, it was re-branded as the Impact World Championship.

Kurt Angle holds the record for the most reigns with the title (6) and total days spent with the title (608). The longest-single reign with the belt is 256 days by Bobby Roode from 2011-12. Moose’s unofficial reign with the TNA World Heavyweight Championship sits at 333 days as of this writing.

Who Wins Between Moose and Rich Swann?

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The question then becomes if Moose can turn this reign with the TNA World Heavyweight Championship into an undisputed championship run. To do that, he’ll have to defeat Rich Swann at Sacrifice. These two have been building up this match for a long time and likely have a special performance planned out for Saturday. With the dangling carrot of a match against Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship next month, this is the biggest match in the careers of either Swann or Moose.

Impact Wrestling is a far different company than it was when it went under the TNA name. The company that once focussed on bringing in ex-WWE stars now seems to have a focus on talented in-ring performers, creative cinematic scenes, and matches, and proving to fans they are not the same company they used to be. With the prospect of an AEW vs Impact World Title match happening next month, this is an important period for Impact Wrestling. On Saturday, we will find out if it will be Moose or Rich Swann leading the charge for the company moving forward.

Adam Cole Says Britt Baker Is The True Heel Of Their Household

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Adam Cole will battle Finn Balor for the NXT Championship tonight on the USA Network. The former Undisputed Era leader spoke with Steven Muehlhausen to promote the event.

Cole discussed his preference of working as a babyface or heel, Undisputed Era being one of the greatest factions of all time, his rivalry with Finn Balor and much more.

Adam Cole has been a heel for most of his NXT run. He had a brief turn as a babyface/tweener before recently showing his true colors as a villain. Cole enjoys the ‘shades of grey’ in wrestling characters and feels that flexibility keeps things fresh.

“I love the fact that I have little dips and dives in my character,” said Cole. “I think it allows me to explore more things creatively, especially when it comes to interviews and explaining why I did what I did. So I really dig that.”

Adam Cole and Britt Baker

Adam Cole is in a relationship with AEW star Britt Baker. Both of them have portrayed entertaining heel characters on television. When asked which of them is the true heel, Cole says you do not want to mess with his woman.

“Oh god,” he replied. “This may be a two-parter. On the screen, I think it’s debatable. I think it depends. Britt does a heck of a job. At the house, Britt takes the cake. She’s wonderful. I’m sure she would say the exact same thing about me if roles were reversed. I think she takes the cake here. You don’t want to mess with her. Don’t ever want to mess with her. You never want to mess with a good woman.

Visit DAZN to read their full interview with Adam Cole.

NXT Preview: Balor vs. Cole, Shirai vs. Storm, Major Announcements

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WWE returns to the Capitol Wrestling Center tonight with an all new episode of NXT. This is a loaded show with a double main event fit for a Takeover special.

The following items are announced for this week’s NXT on USA broadcast:

  • NXT Champion Finn Balor defends against Adam Cole
  • NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defends against Toni Storm
  • NXT General Manager William Regal is set to make two game-changing announcements. WWE is hyping that these announcements will change the landscape of NXT forever.
  • Xia Li vs. Kayden Carter

Join us here later tonight for our NXT Results and Takeaways feature.

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Molly Holly Announced For WWE Hall Of Fame’s Class Of 2021

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Two classes will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the week leading up to WrestleMania 37.

The 2021 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place Tuesday, April 6th. WWE will induct the Class of 2020 and a new Class of 2021 honorees. Last year’s event was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony will stream live on Peacock. Viewers outside the United States can watch on the WWE Network.

WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2020 inductees include:

  • Batista
  • The nWo (Hollywood Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman
  • The Bella Twins
  • JBL
  • British Bulldog
  • Jushin “Thunder” Liger

Molly Holly Joining WWE Hall of Fame

WWE has announced Molly Holly as the first member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021. They broke the story on Wednesday’s episode of The Bump. Molly Holly was on the show and reunited with her old superhero pal, Hurricane Helms.

Molly Holly first broke into wrestling in late-era WCW during the late 90s. She was often apart of Macho Man’s entourage as “Miss Madness”. Holly would sign with WWE in 2000 and is a former 2x Women’s Champion.

Additional members of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021 will be announced in the weeks ahead.

Fellow WWE Hall of Famers Triple H and Beth Phoenix commented on Molly Holly’s induction. Triple H tweeted, “Many people say WWE Superstars are real-life superheroes and in this case … she truly is! A women’s champion, an inspiration to our current roster, and simply a wonderful person. Congratulations to #MollyHolly on being the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2021!!”

WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix wrote:

https://mobile.twitter.com/TheBethPhoenix/status/1369676101316997120

Impact Results (3/9): Impact vs TNA vs AEW World Title Matches Announced

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Impact Wrestling 3/9 was the go-home show for Saturday’s Sacrifice event. Scott D’Amore made a huge announcement as it concerns the main event of Sacrifice and the main event of next month’s Rebellion PPV on this week’s show.

Impact Wrestling 3/9 Quick Results:

  1. Jazz defeated Tasha Steelz
  2. James Storm & Chris Sabin defeated Rohit Raju & Shera
  3. Trey Miguel defeated Sam Beale
  4. Chris Bey defeated Ace Austin
  5. ODB defeated Susan

Key takeaways from the show are below:

Scott D’Amore Announces Impact vs TNA and Impact/TNA vs AEW World Title For Title Matches

In the final segment of the show this week, Moose called out Scott D’Amore to make the major announcement he had promised. D’Amore came out to the ring and brought out Swann as well. D’Amore announced that the match between Swann vs Moose at Sacrifice will be title for title. Whoever wins that match will be both Impact and TNA World Heavyweight Champion. He then announced that the winner will also move on to Impact Rebellion on April 24th to face the AEW World Champion, Kenny Omega, in another title for title match.

The show closed with Don Callis talking into a phone, presumably to Kenny Omega, saying things are going just as they had planned.

ODB Picks Up Win Over Susan Ahead Of Title Clash With Deonna Purrazzo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW9q-XznGIo

ODB picked up a win this week over Su Yung’s Karen-inspired character of Susan. After Susan decided to pour out OBD’s flask, she took a kick to the gut followed by a Samoan Drop for the win.

After the match, Purrazzo and Kimber Lee attacked ODB, trying to soften her up for Sacrifice. Jordynne Grace and Jazz would make the save, however. This brought out Fire N Flava who will defend against Jazz and Grace at Sacrifice. The segment would close with the heel champions standing tall.

Tony Khan & Tony Schiavone Preview AEW Dynamite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_Dn_Ui-exg

The two Tonys were back this week again. They said they were thrilled with the big buyrate they did with Revolution over the weekend. They promoted Christian’s appearance on Dynamite this week and noted that he is one of the greatest champions in Impact history.

Khan also said Omega is terrible at building exploding rings but that doesn’t take away from Eddie Kingston’s sacrifice. They then ran down the card for tonight’s Dynamite.

Good Brothers and FinJuice Sign Their Title Match Contracts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfVCBixH0Lk

At Sacrifice, we will see The Good Brothers and FinJuice clash with the tag-team titles on the line. This week, we saw the two teams sign their contracts. Scott D’Amore presented both teams with their contracts and left, asking both teams to just return the documents after. The 4 men then drank to celebrate beforehand, however. After downing a couple of shots, the two teams broke out into a wild brawl.

TJP Costs Ace Austin Match Against Chris Bey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD6LZ7w87ck

Ace Austin will challenge TJP for the X-Division Championship this Saturday at Sacrifice. He lost this week to Chris Bey, however. TJP came out to the stage area and provided the distraction, allowing Bey to hit the Art of the Finesse for the win. How will this impact the X-Division title picture? Chris Bey may have just earned a future title shot. Josh Alexander would later confront TJP in the back and state his desire to get a title shot as well.

Sami Callihan Continues To Antagonize Trey Miguel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xZr_2RSX9c

Sami Callihan continues to claim that Trey Miguel has no passion, and that’s why he didn’t end up with his partners in another promotion. This week, it was revealed that Callihan has taken a former Miguel student, Sam Beale, under his wing. Miguel then defeated Beale fairly easily in singles competition. After the match, however, Callihan delivered a piledriver on Beale to close the segment.

Jazz Showcases Submission Skills In Win Over Tasha Steelz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZV7h1mw3Ys

Jazz and Jordynne Grace will challenge Fire N Flava for the Knockouts tag-team titles at Sacrifice. This week, we saw Jazz face Tasha Steelz in singles competition. The legend was able to wrap Steelz up in an STF to gain the submission win. If Jazz breaks out that hold at Sacrifice, we could have new champions.

Chris Sabin and James Storm Pick Up Win Ahead of Sacrifice

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

Chris Sabin and James Storm picked up a win over Rohit Raju & Shera this week. Sabin pinned Raju with the Craddleshock. Later in the show, however, the duo confronted Eric Young in the back. They noted that the 3 of them helped build this company but Young is no longer the same person he was. Sabin and Storm were then booked against Young’s stablemates, Joe Doering and Deaner, at Sacrifice.

Updated Lineup For Sacrifice

  • Impact vs TNA World Heavyweight Championship
    Rich Swann (c) vs Moose
  • Knockouts Championship
    Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs ODB
  • Impact Tag Team Championships
    The Good Brothers (c) vs FinJuice
  • X-Division Championship
    TJP (c) vs Ace Austin
  • Knockouts Tag Team Championships
    Fire N Flava (c) vs Jordynne Grace & Jazz
  • Hold Harmless Match
    Brian Myers vs Eddie Edwards
  • Violent By Design (Joe Doering and Deaner) vs. James Storm and Chris Sabin
  • Reno Scum vs. Decay (Black Taurus and Crazzy Steve)
  • Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb Konley vs. Havok & Nevaeh

AEW Dynamite Preview: Darby Allin vs. Scorpio Sky, Revolution Fallout

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All Elite Wrestling returns with an all-new episode of AEW Dynamite from Jacksonville, FL. This show will feature fallout from Sunday’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view, including Kenny Omega retaining the AEW World Championship and the signing of Christian Cage.

It will be interesting to see how AEW addresses the controversial conclusion of the Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match.

AEW is advertising the following items for this week’s TNT broadcast:

  • TNT Champion Darby Allin will defend against Scorpio Sky. The SCU member won the “Face of the Revolution” ladder match to earn this title shot.
  • Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks vs. Rey Fenix of Death Triangle
  • Hikaru Shida, Thunder Rosa and Ryo Mizunami team up against Dr. Britt Baker, Maki Itoh and Nyla Rose in six-woman tag-team action.
  • Cody Rhodes will be in action
  • Ethan Page vs. Lee Johnson

Plus, we’ll hear from Christian Cage and the Inner Circle will hold their “War Council” to announce some changes to the group.

Join us here later tonight for our AEW Dynamite Results and Takeaways feature.

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WWE Re-Hires John Laurinaitis To Lead Talent Relations Department

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John Laurinaitis is bringing “People Power” back to the WWE Talent Relations office. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, WWE has recently hired him back in a role similar to the one he performed in WWE from 2004 to 2012.

Laurinaitis was originally hired by WWE in 2001 as a road agent. Prior to that, he had been working as an executive with WCW, briefly replacing Vince Russo as head booker in the late stages of the company.

It will be Laurinaitis’ first time back with the company in a full-time role since 2012. His official title will be General Manager, Talent.

WWE is splitting the talent relations department into two separate divisions. Laurinaitis will head the talent management division, while ‘talent branding’ will focus on booking WWE Superstars for appearances in television, movies and other engagements.

Laurinaitis replaced Jim Ross as the Head of Talent Relations in 2004. He would become an on-screen character from 2011-12. His most notable role was as the heel authority figure in a feud against CM Punk. Following his on-screen firing in 2012, Laurinaitis stepped down from his backstage role in the company as well.

Laurinaitis had a 14-year in-ring career from 1986-2000. His most notable run came in All Japan Pro Wrestling from 1988-2000. He won multiple tag-team titles in the promotion with Kenta Kobashi and “Dr. Death” Steve Williams.

In 2015, Laurinaitis married Kathy Colace, mother of the Bella Twins.

CazXL/Big Cass Talks Return To Wrestling and Rehab

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Former WWE Superstar CazXL/Big Cass recently spoke to WrestleTalk. The tag team partner of Enzo Amore discussed a number of topics during the interview, including his time in rehab and return to professional wrestling.

CazXL appeared recently at Doc Gallows’ independent promotion and joined the aforementioned Enzo in-ring.

“It was just a long, long journey man” CazXL began in the interview with Louis Dangoor. “I had been in and out of rehab a few times and it just wasn’t clicking. Then I went back to rehab last January and everything started clicking at that point.”

“!I embraced the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous” the former Big Cass continued. “Which I beforehand thought was silly, and I really, really started focusing on my recovery and myself. Magically when you do that you just start to get happier. It’s as if it’s this thing that millions of people had done successfully all over the world; but for me, I was like, ‘No that’s not for me’, but when I finally embraced the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, everything started going good mentally, I was a happy person for the first time in a really long time.”

CazXL on Wrestling Return

“I wasn’t sure about wrestling” CazXL stated. “I kinda thought maybe that wasn’t for me anymore. About four months ago, I woke up with a clear head and was like, I really love wrestling, it is like my first love and my passion. I was like, ‘I gotta go back’.”

CazXL finished by saying that coming back to professional wrestling was what he ‘really wanted to do,’ and it helped him in his battle with addiction. “I could have let my addiction stop me from doing what I really want to do, I could’ve taken the easy road and done something a lot easier and less fulfilling, but instead I decided I was gonna come back to wrestling.”

Do you want to see Enzo and CazXL appear in a major wrestling promotion? Let us know in the comments

First AEW Dynamite Match Confirmed for Ethan Page

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  • Ethan Page made a surprise debut at AEW Revolution
  • He will compete against a member of Cody’s Nightmare Family on Dynamite

One of the surprise appearances at AEW Revolution saw former IMPACT Wrestling Tag Team Champion ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page make his company debut.

Ethan Page was the secret competitor in the AEW ‘Face of The Revolution’ ladder match. Page joined Cody Rhodes, Scorpio Sky, Penta El Zero Miedo, Lance Archer and Max Caster in the match.

The match was eventually won by Scorpio Sky as he grabbed the ‘brass ring’ that was hanging above the ring.

AEW has now confirmed that Ethan Page will be in action on tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite. The company sent out a tweet noting that the former IMPACT star will be taking on Nightmare Family member Lee Johnson.

QT Marshall will be in Johnson’s corner for tonight’s bout.

Christian On Edge’s Reaction To His Royal Rumble Return

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Christian recently appeared on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast where he opened up about the circumstances leading to his in-ring return and his signing with WWE’s rival promotion.

The AEW signing of the former world champion is a bitter-sweet deal for his fans as he will get to compete against a plethora of exciting talent but it also means that we will probably never get to see him having a proper reunion with Edge.

Though they did get to share a moment at Royal Rumble in January when Christian made his in ring return. During the interview, he revealed Edge’s reaction to his comeback:

“Well, he was one of the very few people who knew. When I told him what I was thinking, he was very supportive,” he noted. “When you get to that point where you think it’s gone, and then it comes back, it’s like what just happened?

“When he came back at Royal Rumble from the year previous, he’s always been good at keeping his nerves in check. I’ve never seen him nervous before. And he was super nervous for that Rumble.” recalled Christian, “I was there to lighten the mood. And he kind of did the same for me. It’s just reverse roles. He’s a great sounding board.”

Apart from this, the former WWE star talked about his AEW signing. He explained that he has no animosity towards his former employers and that joining AEW was just the better choice for him.

Christian also explained how his AEW deal came about. He revealed that he had signed within a week of initiating the talks with AEW president Tony Khan.

First Look At Stephen Amell In Pro Wrestling Drama Series Heels (Photo)

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Starz has shared the first look of Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig in the upcoming pro wrestling drama series dubbed ‘Heels.’

In the photos as seen below, both the stars are seen in their ring gear in a backstage setting and it looks like they are about to go through the curtain:

“Heels” follows the story of two brothers in Jack Spade and Ace Spade. Jack, played by Amell is a heel while Ace played by Ludwig is a babyface.

The wrestling drama series focuses on the two brothers’ struggles to save the Duffy Wrestling League promotion which was left to them by their father.

The show started filming back in August 2020 and it’s currently in post-production. The release schedule for it has not been revealed but it’s expected to have a total of 8 episodes.

A number of known wrestling figures are expected to be featured in the show. Wrestlers such as CM Punk, Doc Gallows, Stevie Richards, Perry Hawx, J Spade and others have filmed content for the program.

WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley is also rumored to be part of the cast for the TV series but his appearance hasn’t been confirmed so far.

Potential Spoilers For NXT’s Two Major Announcements

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WWE has announced that the NXT GM William Regal will be making two ‘game-changing’ announcements during this week’s episode of the show.

Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated has now provided more details on the situation and he reveals the announcements the company is planning to make.

According to him, Regal’s first big announcement will be the creation of the of the NXT women’s tag team championships, which has been speculated recently.

The second big announcement from the general manager will be about the upcoming Takeover event during the WrestleMania 37 weekend.

It was revealed recently that an NXT Takeover event is currently scheduled for WWE Network on Thursday, April 8, two days before night 1 of WrestleMania 37.

Later reports suggested that the company officials have discussed the idea of holding the NXT event in two nights this year. Night 1 of the show is expected to air on the USA Network on its regular timeslot on Wednesday.

Night two of the event would then take place on Thursday and air exclusively on the WWE Network and the latest reports confirm that to be the plan.

There was also speculation about the company announcing NXT’s move to Tuesday nights but it appears that the announcement for that will be made at a later date.

Impact Title Unification Match Announced For Sacrifice, Winner Faces Kenny Omega

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  • Impact & TNA World Championships will unify
  • Unified Champion to face AEW World Champion Kenny Omega

Impact Wrestling has announced a big title unification match for their upcoming Sacrifice PPV event this Saturday, March 13 on tonight’s go-home episode of their weekly show.

Moose brought back the TNA world heavyweight championship at Rebellion last April. He has been defending the title against TNA veterans since then and calling himself a ‘self-proclaimed’ champion.

Rich Swann on the other hand, is the current Impact world champion and he won the title by defeating Eric Young at last October’s Bound for Glory PPV event.

Moose had been targeting Swann for a title shot since the Hard To Kill PPV and a title match between the two had been made official for Sacrifice.

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Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore then announced during tonight’s episode of Impact that Moose will also be defending his championship at the PPV this weekend in a title unification match.

The winner of the match will become the undisputed world champion of the company and they will then go on to face the AEW world champion Kenny Omega at Rebellion on April 24.

This match is interestingly going to be a title vs. title bout as well which likely means that Omega is on his way to becoming the next Impact world champion.

Raw Ratings Increase Slightly For WWE Title Rematch (3/8)

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Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.897 million viewers with a 0.55 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. This is up from last week 1.884 million viewers with a 0.58 rating). 

Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Monday night:

  • The first hour did 2.031 million viewers and a 0.58 rating (A18-49).
  • The second hour did 1.921 million viewers and a 0.55 rating.
  • The final hour of the show had just 1.738 million viewers and a 0.53 rating.

This episode featured The Miz vs. Bobby Lashley for the WWE Title, which was a rematch from last week. When WWE did this match a week ago, WWE kept building it up every hour as it got delayed for various reasons. Thus, with the promise of a likely title change continuously being moved back, the fans who wanted to see the title change stayed tuned in. This week’s show, WWE had it take place early in the show. 

SmackDown Viewership

Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.252 million viewers. This is up from the 2.145 million viewers on FOX that the show did for the previous week.

SmackDown pulled in a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demos, up from the 0.54 rating the previous week’s show. The episode drew an average of 2.166 million viewers in the overnight ratings, up from the previous week that did 2.051 million viewers. 

The first hour saw it pull in 2.153 million viewers while hour two did 2.179 million viewers. The show did 2.090 million viewers in hour one while hour two did 2.012 million viewers two weeks ago.

Cody Rhodes On NXT Possibly Moving To Tuesday Nights

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With it being reported that NXT could be moving to Tuesday nights, some believe the Wednesday Night Wars could be over soon. Cody Rhodes recently commented on that possibility during an interview with Action Sports Jax for ESPN Jacksonville 690AM.

“Not trying to sound braggadocios, we have destroyed them [NXT] for over a year now in that space. Them leaving, perhaps that opens up a different viewership for us on Wednesdays,” Rhodes said on the show.

“I’m not assuming moving to Tuesday nights, is a true white flag. I’ll wait and see.”

Cody Rhodes On NXT Moving To Tuesdays

Cody Rhodes continued to talk about AEW’s attitude toward NXT.

“We’re not reactionary to their booking and won’t change anything we do with what they decide to do on Wednesdays,” Cody continued.

“There are a lot of smart people who work for WWE and perhaps they are planning something else, maybe it’s Wednesday Night Raw for all I know. I’m not assuming their white flag, moving to Tuesday nights, is a true white flag. I’ll wait and see.

“In the interim, we’ll continue to come up with new content, great stories, and make new kings and queens on our roster,” Cody said before stating AEW does not talk about competition backstage.

“If you’re ever backstage at AEW no one is talking about our competition.”

You can listen to this Cody Rhodes interview at Apple Podcasts.

Christian On Getting Medically Cleared, Who He Wants To Work With In AEW

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Christian Cage is Renee Young’s guest on the latest episode of the Oral Sessions podcast. Hot off his AEW debut at Sunday’s Revolution pay-per-view, Christian goes in-depth about his experience getting medically cleared after 7 years away from the ring, his jump to AEW and much more.

renee christian

Returning To WWE, Jumping To AEW

Christian said when he returned at the Royal Rumble in January, he wasn’t nervous at all. However, he was nervous at AEW Revolution. He doesn’t know why, but he suspects the nerves were related to the new environment.

The PPV began at 8pm (Eastern) and he showed up after 7pm. He went straight onto his bus and did not mingle with anybody. He felt like the new kid in class. He really wanted to live up to the hype set by Paul Wight and AEW.

It felt great to appear in front of the AEW crowd. Obviously, these times are not ideal due to the pandemic. However, the people who were in attendance were loud. Wrestling at the ThunderDome was cool, but there’s nothing like a live audience.

When he signed with AEW, he did not know how he’d be introduced. He wasn’t signed when Paul Wight announced a ‘huge huge star’ would be at the PPV.

Christian says he will be a full-time performer. If he didn’t have the confidence to go at 100%, he wouldn’t be in AEW. He’s coming back to show the world he’s one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time.

Getting Medically Cleared

He feels like his body has been preserved for 7 years. He’s in a great place mentally and physically.

Christian visited the University of South Florida Concussion Center in June 2020 in hopes of getting medically cleared. He went there on his own and did not tell anybody about the visit. He figured, if the doctors tell him he needs to stay retired, nothing would really change.

After undergoing rigorous medical examinations, his doctor told him, “You crushed these tests.” He was average or above average on all the scores related to his brain. He didn’t fail any of the tests. The doctor told him, “You’re good to wrestle again.”

At this point, he knew it was time to get the rest of his body in peak physical shape. Edge referred him to Nutrition Solutions, a meal prep company. He built a minimalist gym in his garage and trained hard using basic weights, kettle bells and an assault bike. He’s also doing a lot of planks.

As he was getting into shape, he got a call from WWE around September/October. He spoke with Vince McMahon and told him the news about getting medically cleared. Vince was very happy for him. They had a few good conversations. Christian told Vince he still wanted to get his body into better shape and they left things there. Edge was very supportive about his journey.

Who He Wants To Work With In AEW

Christian says he’s with AEW for the long haul. He’s not here just to wrestle a couple matches. He sees a lot of people in AEW that he wants to work with, including:

Jon Moxley: Moxley has told Christian that he’s learned a lot from working with him in WWE. “At some point, he and I are going to do something together.”

Kenny Omega: Christian has never met Omega, but is familiar with his work. Renee added that Omega is a tough nut to crack. She’s been around him a few times but hasn’t gotten to know him.

Darby Allin: Christian says he’s got the Jeff Hardy “cool” factor.

The Young Bucks: He knows the Young Bucks grew up as fans of the Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian. Renee suggested that we might see The Young Bucks vs. Matt Hardy & Christian.

MJF: Christian says Max is super talented and “gets it.”

Christian added that he still hasn’t wrapped his brain around all the possibilities that await him in AEW. He can’t wait to get started. In addition to wrestling, he’s also excited to contribute behind the scenes. He spoke very highly of Pat Patterson and his role in WWE.