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Kevin Owens On Botched Royal Rumble Spot

Anutosh Bajpai
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The Royal Rumble match between Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns had many interesting spots, though one of them didn’t go as planned.

The handcuff botch during the match became a talking point among fans after the show and the former NXT champion recently discussed the spot during his interview on The Jake Asman Show.

Owens stayed in character during the interview and when asked about the spot, he claimed that he has never been cheated by a referee in this way before:

“I’ve never been cheated by a referee that way before, he [Reigns] brought handcuffs, I handcuffed him to something and I thought I had him, I really did have him. Some screw-ups from the referees and here I am, sitting in my car without the Universal Championship.”

For those who don’t know, the Last Man Standing match between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens at Royal Rumble 2021 featured a spot where Owens handcuffed his opponent to a metal structure.

The Universal Champion couldn’t get out of it in time so he knocked out the referee who had already reached a nine-count. Reigns then called in Paul Heyman for help as a second referee came out and restarted the count.

However, Heyman had some trouble with the cuffs. The second referee stopped the count when it became clear that Paul would not be able to free Roman in time and this botch became a point of discussion among fans after the show.

AEW Announces Signing Of Nightmare Family Member Lee Johnson

Anutosh Bajpai
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AEW has officially announced the signing of indie star Lee Johnson after the high flying star picked up his first victory in the company during this week’s episode of Dynamite.

The announcement was made by President Tony Khan himself, who mentioned how Cody Rhodes was the one who first recommended his name in April and how the indie star has worked hard since then:

Lee Johnson has wrestled a number of matches for AEW in the past year and the former indie star has competed against talents such as Rey Fenix, Colt Cabana, Eddie Kingston and more in recent months.

This week’s episode of Dynamite then saw the Nightmare Family member teaming with his mentor Cody Rhodes to take on the team of “Pretty” Peter Avalon and Cezar Bononi.

Johnson actually picked up the victory for his team in this bout. Lee got the hot tag during the match and he hit a cutter on Avalon as soon as he got in the ring.

His pin attempt was broken up by Cezar Bononi but Bononi got taken out by Cody Rhodes. Johnson then avoided a double knee from Avalon and rolled him up for the win. This was Lee Johnson’s first victory in AEW.

WWE NXT Results (2/10): Dusty Rhodes Classic Bouts, Kushida vs. Theory

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

WWE NXT Results 

  • MSK def. Legado Del Fantasma
  • Xia Li def. Cora Jade.
  • Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon def. Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
  • KUSHIDA def. Austin Theory via DQ
  • Grizzled Young Veterans def. Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher 

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Kushida vs. Austin Theory

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Kushida vs. Austin Theory in a singles match took place. 

This came after Theory had announced on his Twitter account that he would be facing Kushida in a singles match on the show to get revenge on Kushida, who is supposed to challenge Johnny Gargano for the North American Title at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day.  In this same tweet, it was revealed that Gargano was out of the contest. 

Gargano couldn’t walk due to a broken arm. Yes, that was the storyline. He cut a promo about how when Kushida attacked him, he suffered a broken arm last week. He was in a wheelchair and said that he has four fractures in his arm. He said that he’s a power walker so he can’t use his arms to walk. He thinks William Regal should suspend Kushida for doing so. As he was talking, he was using his arm.

Regal came out and said that Gargano has been cleared to work. He told Gargano to stop this act. Regal pointed out how Gargano was using his arm and that it was the wrong x-ray. Regal told him that he could forfeit the title if he can’t wrestle. Kushida appeared and attacked Theory then they had a tug of war over the title, which resulted in Gargano holding onto the title. 

This match was booked later on. It ended in a DQ when Gargano attacked Kushida. Theory was pulled from under the ring by Dexter Lumis. Kushida stood tall in the ring after putting in a submission on Gargano while Lumis locked in his submission on Theory. 

Finn Balor – Pete Dunne Feud

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Finn Balor is slated to make his next title defense as the NXT Champion against Pete Dunne in the main event of Sunday’s NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day special. 

WWE advertised that they would do a face-to-face segment on this show. Instead, a video package aired and they saved the staredown for the last seconds of the show.

This was the go-home edition of NXT for this special so it would’ve been nice to have the main event stars actually do a final build. However, some could make the case that the build to this match has been done quite well.

Cameron Grimes Returns

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Cameron Grimes made his return. He showed up in a fancy car then did a promo while in a suit. He talked about finding video games and walked into GameStop and bought their stock. Thus, he got rich. Then he invested in dog coins. He said now he has power and wrestles when he wants to do so. 

Grimes worked his previous match against Timothy Thatcher on the December 9th episode of NXT. He had taken part in a Strap Match with Dexter Lumis at the NXT TakeOver: WarGames special.

Grimes underwent surgery in December, but at the time, it was not reported as to why he had to undergo the knife. Dave Meltzer later reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the belief was it was for minor arthroscopic knee surgery.

Semi-Final Match 

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Semifinal match in the men’s Dusty Classic featuring Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) took place. 

WWE saved this for the main event spot. Ciampa sold his neck throughout the match. Ciampa eventually came to the rescue by getting the hot tag and cleared house. However, that didn’t last long as he ended up eating the pinfall when the heels hit their finishers. 

As a result of this win, they’ll face MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter)  in the finals of the tournament, which will take place at the NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day special. 

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1359697425087217666

Another Semi-Final Match 

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A semifinal match in the men’s Dusty Classic featuring MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) taking on Legado Del Fantasma’s Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde. This was the opening contest, which was a wise choice. 

They did some near falls before the commercial break, but even after, the pace didn’t stop. Those who hate spot after spot, then you wouldn’t like this match. Instead, it was a blitzing pace. The finish saw MSK hit their finisher on Wilde for the win. 

They’ll face Grizzled Young Veterans in the finals of the tournament, which will take place at the NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day special.

Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell vs. Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon

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Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell will also face Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon in a women’s Dusty Classic semifinal match. 

Somehow, Blackheart had been cut over her left eye and was bleeding pretty good. The heels dominated most of the match. Blackheart pinned Hartwell to pick up the hard-fought victory when Moon hit her finisher to LeRae and Blackheart took out both heels with a backsplash off the top rope. Indie tried to save LeRae from the top rope move, but it backfired. 

Now, these ladies will face Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez in the finals of the tournament, which will take place at the NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day special. Regal announced after the match that the winners of this match will also become the new #1 contenders for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. 

AEW Dynamite Results (2/10): Jon Moxley & Kenta, Sammy Guevara Quits Inner Circle

Robert Lentini
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AEW Dynamite aired from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. It was announced that the Young Bucks will defend their AEW Tag Team Championships against Santana & Ortiz next week.

Dynamite Results (2/11)

  1. Darby Allin def. Joey Janela to retain the TNT Championship
  2. Cody & Lee Johnson def. Cezar Bononi & Peter Avalon
  3. Pac def. Ryan Nemeth via submission
  4. Jericho & MJF def. The Acclaimed
  5. Thunder Rosa eliminated Leyla Hirsch from the women’s tournament
  6. Kenta & Kenny Omega def. Jon Moxley & Lance Archer

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Darby Allin Retained

Darby Allin defended the TNT Championship against Joey Janela in the first match of the night. Allin and Janela started off the match by trading submission holds. Janela caught Darby with an elbow to the face but the TNT Champion responded with a Dropkick that knocked Joey to the ring apron.

Janela lifted Allin up for a Suplex but just dropped him face first on the apron. Joey followed it up with a Suicide Dive and then a cover for a near fall back inside the ring. Janela bounced Darby’s face off the top rope but Allin battled back with another Dropkick. Darby went for a submission hold but Joey was able to reach the ropes right away.

Allin booted the bottom rope into Joey’s face but Janela shrugged it off and connected with a German Suplex. Joey followed it up with a kick to the face and then an awesome Piledriver for a near fall. Allin slammed Joey to the canvas and made his way to the top rope. Allin connected with the Coffin Drop for the pinfall victory and retained the TNT Championship.

Cody & Lee Johnson Picked Up A Win

Cody and Lee Johnson faced Peter Avalon and Cezar Bononi tonight on Dynamite. Arn Anderson was ringside for the match. Cody beat Peter down to start off the match and then tagged in Lee Johnson. Peter Avalon worked his way to the corner and tagged in Cezar. He leveled Lee with a shoulder tackle before tagging Avalon back in. Lee leveled Peter with a Dropkick and Avalon cowardly retreated to the corner. Cezar tagged in and went for a Powerbomb but Lee countered into a Jawbreaker.

When Dynamite returned from a break, Lee leaped over the top rope and landed on Bononi outside the ring. Back in the ring, Lee Johnson hit a Neckbreaker and went for the cover but Cezar kicked out at two. Cody brawled with Cezar as Lee Johnson rolled up Avalon for the win. It was the first victory in AEW for Lee Johnson. Tony Schiavone interviewed Lee Johnson after the match and got emotional about ending his 0-29. Lee thanked Cody, Arn, Dustin, Brandi, and his other trainers after the win.

Matt Hardy Got Hangman Page To Sign A Contract

Dasha interviewed Hangman Page during tonight’s show. Matt Hardy immediately interrupted and said that they were special together. Hardy told Hangman that he rented out a bar and that the tab is on him. Hangman said he was going to get ready and stumbled upon Dark Order. John Silver told Hangman “maybe I will catch you on the flip” and was embarrassed after saying that. Matt Hardy offered a deal to Hangman Page while he was hammered and he signed it.

PAC Tapped Out Ryan Nemeth

Pac squared off against Ryan Nemeth tonight on Dynamite. Rey Fenix was ringside for the match. Pac started off the match in control and connected with a Suplex. Pac made his way to the top rope and leveled Nemeth with a Dropkick. Nemeth planted Pac with a DDT but could not got for the cover because Pac was able to roll out of the ring. Pac beat Ryan down int he corner of the ring and then made his way to the top rope. Pac hit the Black Arrow and transitioned into the Brutalizer for the submission victory.

Sammy Guevara Quit Inner Circle

MJF and Sammy Guevara argued backstage during tonight’s Dynamite. MJF accused Sammy of wanting to be the leader of Inner Circle. Sammy thought MJF was filming him with his phone and whipped it off the wall. Sammy then punched MJF in the ribs and MJF came down to the ring with them comically taped for the tag team match against The Acclaimed.

MJF rolled out of the ring to sell the rib injury and Jericho tagged in. Max Caster leveled Jericho with a shoulder tackle and tagged in Anthony Bowens. Jericho retreated to the corner and tagged in MJF. Bowens slammed MJF on his ribs and went for the cover but MJF was able to kick out at two.

When Dynamite returned from a break, MJF and Jericho had Caster isolated in the corner. Caster connected with an Arm Drag and crawled across the ring to tag in Bowens. Jericho tagged in and Bowens greeted him with a Dropkick. Caster tagged back in and Jericho connected with the Judas Effect for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Sammy Guevara came down to the ring and Jericho asked what the problem was. Sammy said that he told Jericho on December 9th that if one more thing happens with MJF, he is done. Sammy told Jericho that he was done with Inner Circle and dropped the microphone. Alex Marvez then caught up with Sammy as he was leaving Daily’s Place and he said “I need a break from this place”.

Team Taz Kidnapped Darby Allin

Tony Schiavone interviewed Sting once again tonight. Team Taz immediately interrupted from the jumbotron and revealed they had essentially kidnapped Darby Allin. The TNT Champion was in a body bag and was dragged from the back of their truck. Sting stormed off as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

Thunder Rosa Eliminated Leyla Hirsch

Leyla Hirsch faced Thunder Rosa in the first round of the Women’s World Championship Eliminator tournament. Thunder Rosa connected with a Senton and went for the cover but Hirsch was able to kick out at two. Hirsch showed off her power and trapped Thunder Rosa in a waist lock. Thunder Rosa escaped but Leyla sent her out of the ring with a Headscissors takedown. Leyla connected with a Suicide Dive and then applied an Armbar in the ring.

When Dynamite returned from a commercial break, Thunder Rosa was back in control and hit a Dropkick for a near fall. Hirsch planted Thunder Rosa wth a German Suplex and went for another one but Thunder Rosa sent her into the turnbuckle. Leyla hopped up to the middle rope and hit a Crossbody for a two count. Thunder Rosa hit a running knee to the face and went for the cover but Leyla powered out at two. Thunder Rosa went for a Piledriver but Leyla escaped and locked in an Armbreaker. Thunder Rosa planted Leyla with an Atomic Drop and then a slam for the pinfall victory.

Omega & Kenta def. Moxley & Archer

Kenny Omega & Kenta faced Jon Moxley & Lance Archer in a Falls Count Anywhere tag team match in this week’s main event.

Kenta bashed Moxley in the face with the IWGP briefcase to start the action off. Kenta launched the briefcase into Lance Archer’s face and then Omega slammed him to the canvas. Kenta and Kenny Omega then battled over who gets to stomp the hell out of Jon Moxley. They came to a mutual agreement and both took turns beating him down in the corner.

Archer exploded out of the corner and leveled Omega with a shoulder tackle as Moxley dropped Kenta with a Clothesline. Archer lifted Omega up for a Powerbomb but the AEW Champion escaped and sent Lance tumbling out of the ring. Moxley and Kenta then got in each other’s face and traded punches.

Moxley set up for a Paradigm Shift but Kenny broke it up by bashing Jon over the head with a trash can. Omega then hit a Moonsault with the trash can off the top rope. Omega held up the trash can and Kenta Dropkicked it into Moxley’s face for a two count.

Lance Archer brought a ladder into the ring and bash Omega & Kenta with it. Archer set up the ladder against the turnbuckle in the corner as the crowd in Daily’s Place chanted “this is awesome!”. Archer slammed Omega on top of the ladder as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, the action had spilled into the crowd and Kenta hit Peter Avalon with the GTS. Lance Archer then Chokeslammed Kenny Omega through a table for a near fall. Moxley slammed Kenta into the barricade and followed it up with boot to the face for a two count.

Kenta and Moxley then battled into the catering area/ kitchen in Daily’s Place. Kenta locked in a submission on top of a steel table but Archer broke it up. Moxley started throwing around potatoes and then action returned to the ringside area. Moxley beat Omega down with a kendo stick but Omega was able to connect with a V-Trigger that knocked Jon out of the ring.

https://twitter.com/AEWonTNT/status/1359697458821963778?s=20

Archer and Kenta battled on the entrance ramp as Omega hit Jon with another V-Trigger. Archer told the commentators to leave and tried to Powerbomb Kenta through the announce table. Kenta escaped and hit a massive Double Stomp on Moxley on a table below. Lance Archer started walking towards Omega and the AEW Champion grabbed a kendo stick.

Omega swung but Archer ripped away the kendo stick and broke it in half. Lance planted Omega with a big Chokeslam and followed it up with a springboard Moonsault for a two count. Archer went for Blackout but Impact Tag Team Champions Good Brothers came down to the ring. Archer booted Kenta in the face but Karl Anderson attacked him from behind.

Omega was about to hit Jake Roberts with a V-Trigger but Moxley broke it up with a barbed wire bat. Kenta hit Moxley with the GTS and then a low blow to Archer. Good Brothers planted Archer with the Magic Killer and Omega followed it up with the V-Trigger. Good Brothers then helped Omega hit Archer with the One Winged Angel for the pinfall victory. Jon Moxley will defend the IWGP US Title against Kenta on February 26 at New Beginning USA 2021.

NXT TakeOver Vengeance Day: Updated Card For Sunday (2/14)

Andrew Ravens
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The card is set for WWE’s next NXT Takeover special, Vengeance Day. Following this week’s episode of NXT on USA, we now know who will compete in the finals of the Men’s and Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournaments.

On NXT, three matches part of the tournaments took place. First up, is the women’s tournament, which will see Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon face Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez in the finals. The babyface went over Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell in the semifinals. 

The men’s tournament will see The Grizzled Young Veterans face MSK in the finals as on this show, Zack Gibson and James Drake beat Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher to advance. 

NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day Card

WWE presents NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day this Sunday, February 14th from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. The event airs live on the WWE Network.

  • NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Pete Dunne
  • NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Mercedes Martinez vs. Toni Storm – Triple Threat Match
  • NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano vs. Kushida
  • Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals: MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake)
  • Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals: Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon vs. Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez

What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.

Impact Launching ‘Before The Impact’ Kickoff Show On AXS TV

Michael Reichlin
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A new one-hour weekly TV show from IMPACT Wrestling – BEFORE THE IMPACT – will debut next Tuesday, February 16, on AXS TV, it was announced last night.

‘BTI’ will air at 7pm ET/4pm PT every Tuesday night on AXS TV® as a lead-in to the action-packed flagship IMPACT! show which airs at 8pm ET/5pm PT.

Nashville-based sportscaster Jon Burton will be BTI’s host. The NewsChannel5 anchor will be joined by reporters Gia Miller and Josh Mathews.

Mathews, who also serves as BTI’s senior producer, said: “BTI will feature in-depth previews of the biggest matches, exclusive interviews with IMPACT Wrestling stars, behind-the-scenes access you won’t see anywhere else and an exclusive match each week.”

BTI will feature exclusive news on the pro-wrestling industry from insider George Iceman – the “Iceman’s Intel” segment is expected to be a highlight of BTI.  

“BEFORE THE IMPACT will be IMPACT Wrestling’s version of a pregame show,” said IMPACT Executive Vice-President Scott D’Amore. “Fans have been asking for more IMPACT action on AXS TV and we’re excited to debut a new show and format with BTI.”

The premiere installment of BEFORE THE IMPACT will feature a collision between Team XXXL and the recently reformed, new-look Decay.

Ryan Nemeth On What Led To His AEW Debut

Chris Stephens
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“Hollywood Hunk” Ryan Nemeth picked up a win over Marko Stunt on AEW Dark last night. He is scheduled to take on PAC on tonight’s show. Nemeth recently spoke to Chris Van Vliet about how he ended up working in Jacksonville. He noted that he has a lot of friends from his time in NXT that are now in AEW including the Huber family.

“Being there is kind of like a huge reunion,” Nemeth said about AEW. “I have so many friends from NXT or other parts of wrestling. Walking in the locker room felt like home. I went to AEW to see Amanda Huber (the late Jon Huber/Brodie Lee’s wife) because I knew there was going to be a birthday for Brodie Jr, I thought I would surprise her and say happy birthday, I used to babysit him in Tampa.”

“I wanted to say hi to her, I also secretly had my gear with me. They asked me “since you’re here do you want to wrestle?” And I said sure. I think it went well, I blacked out but I think I won (laughs). I was honored to debut on Dynamite. It felt great to be back in the ring. During shutdown I have been doing a lot of wrestling but not in front of a live crowd. It’s been a lot of stunt work or coordinating for TV shows. AEW are super into promoting creativity, very motivational and positive environment.”

Ryan Nemeth On His Older Brother, Dolph Ziggler

Nemeth’s older brother, Dolph Ziggler, has been jokingly ribbing him online about his time in AEW. He spoke about his relationship with Dolph during the interview as well.

“We grew up wrestling for the same school together. But I will say I’ve spent my entire wrestling career looking and dressing the exact opposite of him. He had blond hair, I dyed mine black. He wore pants, I wore shorts. No matter what I do, for a decade, any time I’m in a match, the Internet says I’m a carbon copy of him. But we’ve had pretty different lives.”

Ryan Nemeth On Sexual Assault In Wrestling

https://twitter.com/HotYoungBriley/status/1355627734479773698

Nemeth has been a vocal supporter of the #MeToo movement. His upcoming movie “Heel” deals with sexual assault in pro-wrestling.

“The plot of the film deals with sexual assault in the world of indie wrestling. It comes from a very real place. I was ambushed with stories about assault. That’s why I took a break from wrestling. It was really close to home for me. I can’t speak on behalf of these people. Legally, imagine the trouble I would be in if I did speak on behalf of victims. But I can use art to encourage conversations about these things. I love wrestling and the people in it but there are some bad eggs that do bad things and get away with it. There is not one solution to it, but it’s one that I can try to help with. I would love it to expand to a feature or a series.”

You can view the full interview in the player below:

John Cena Responds To The Undertaker’s “Soft” Comments

Chris Stephens
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The Undertaker recently ruffled some feathers when he appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience and referred to today’s pro wrestlers as “soft” compared to his generation. During a recent interview with Forbes, John Cena weighed in on the controversy.

John Cena’s WWE career spanned nearly two decades, so he also saw the industry change dramatically during that time. Cena tells Alfred Konuwa that today’s product isn’t soft, but it’s certainly different than previous eras. “I may have a bit of disagreement with Undertaker’s word choice because I don’t think it’s soft, I think it’s different.”

Cena came up during the Ruthless Aggression era. This era was toned down from the Attitude Era, but far edgier than what we see today. He recalls “Stone Cold” Steve Austin making an appearance after WWE went PG and having a difficult time adapting.

“I remember one of the first time Steve Austin came back during the height of the PG era, and he was just befuddled,” said Cena. “Because Steve Austin goes out there and runs it. And if he gets stuck, he can curse, he can throw up some middle fingers, he can ask for a beer…but we took away three of the biggest clubs that he can hit with and told him to go out there and be himself. And he came back shaking his head and said ‘I don’t know how you do this!’ But if he had enough time, he’s a great performer, he could get used to it.”

Ever the company, man, Cena gave a glowing review of today’s WWE product. “What do I think of the WWE product right now? I love it!” Cena continued. “I think it’s bold, it’s forcing people to take chances.”

John Cena On WWE’s Current Marquee Stars

Cena would continue to talk about how Sasha Banks, Roman Reigns, and Drew McIntyre are 3 marquee names in the company right now.

“Now you have Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns, Sasha Banks can be in that conversation, but it’s not what I said it was in 2020. It’s not a scattered fragment of Super Friends. WWE has just refocused, re-shifted and now is consolidating on marquee stars. They have their marquee stars, and going forward they will have their big names. As far as those names being larger than life, the enormity of their impact is up to the individuals themselves.” 

John Cena has two inspirational books coming out in April. You can pre-order them both on Amazon:

AEW Rankings Report 2/10: Chris Jericho & MJF Now #1 Ranked Tag Team

Chris Stephens
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AEW has released new top-5 rankings for its men’s, women’s, and tag-team divisions. There was movement in all 3 divisions this week. Red Velvet moved into the top spot in her division and Jericho and MJF are now the top-ranked tag-team contenders.

AEW Men’s Singles Rankings

AEW World Champion: Kenny Omega (1-0) 
TNT Champion: Darby Allin (1-0)

  1. Jon Moxley (1-0) 
  2. Cody Rhodes (2-0)
  3. PAC (2-0) (+2)
  4. Rey Fenix (3-1) (-1)
  5. Miro (2-0) (-1)

#3 PAC moved up 2 spots in the rankings this week. That drops #4 Fenix and #5 Miro down one spot each. In addition to picking up a singles win on Dark last week, PAC was in the main event of Dynamite last week where his team with #4 Fenix and #1 Moxley was defeated by AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and the Impact tag-team champions, The Good Brothers.

Tonight on Dynamite, #2 Cody Rhodes will team with Lee Johnson against Peter Avalon and Cezar Bononi. World Champion Kenny Omega will team with KENTA against #1 Jon Moxley and unranked Lance Archer.

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AEW Women’s Singles Rankings

AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (1-0) 

  1. Red Velvet (4-0) (+1)
  2. Britt Baker (3-0) (+1)
  3. Serena Deeb (2-0) (-2)
  4. Tay Conti (4-1) (+1)
  5. Thunder Rosa (2-1) (-1)

There has been a lot of movement in the women’s rankings the last two weeks. This week #3 Serena Deeb dropped 3 spots due to Baker and Red Velvet each moving up. #1 Red Velvet was victorious on Dark last week and is gearing up for her feud with Jade Cargill.

#2 Britt Baker moved up one spot after her victory over #5 Thunder Rosa on Dynamite. The two had been in the #3 and #4 spots respectively last week.

The title-eliminator tournament kicks off on Dynamite tonight as we get closer to determining Hikaru Shida’s next challenger.

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AEW Tag Team Rankings

AEW Tag Team Champions: The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) (0-0)

  1. Chris Jericho & Maxwell Jacob Friedman (2-0) (+2)
  2. FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) (1-0) (-1)
  3. Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) (2-0) (-1)
  4. The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) (3-0) 
  5. Santana & Ortiz (3-1)

After winning last week’s battle royal, Jericho and MJF are now the #1 contenders to the Young Bucks titles. That drops #2 FTR and #3 Jurassic Express down one spot each.

Tonight on Dynamite, #1 MJF and Jericho will face #4 the Acclaimed.

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Britt Baker Wants To Lead AEW’s Women’s Division To More TV Time

Chris Stephens
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Britt Baker was the first female athlete signed by AEW. She will also be participating in the women’s title-eliminator tournament upcoming on Dynamite. Baker spoke to the Bleacher Report recently about wanting to be the one to lead AEW’s women’s divisions to more TV time and potential main event matches.

“I just want to help lead the women’s division to more TV time and the main event eventually,” Baker said.  “We’re getting there, but this is a business, and we need to stay strong. For a long time, the women’s segments weren’t doing well, but now we are getting to a point where the fans want more women’s matches.”

Recently, Baker has been hosting “The Waiting Room” segments on Dark and Dynamite. She also talked about those segments during the interview.

“That was Cody [Rhodes] who came up with the idea for the show,” Baker said. “Him and Tony [Khan] developed the whole concept of it, what we will talk about, and the opening monologue. Reba is ridiculously funny, and we just flow together. It’s a lot of fun because we have a lot of freedom with it while we advance storylines.”

Baker continued to talk about Rebel’s involvement in the segments.

“When we did a vignette in my office, they [AEW] were trying to limit the travel as much as possible. She was a makeup artist for AEW, and we are really good friends. It was Cody’s idea to use her as the makeup artist who gets bullied, and it was just so good that we had to keep Reba around. I don’t want to share the spotlight with anybody. It’s all about me, but Reba is there to have my back.”

Baker addresses several other subjects during the interview including her upcoming action figure, working with Tony Schiavone and more.

Christian Talks What Led To His Return At The Royal Rumble

Chris Stephens
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After returning to WWE at the Royal Rumble on Sunday, Christian appeared as a guest today on WWE’s The Bump. He spoke about how Edge’s return motivated him to see if he could as well.

“It’s been a long process actually to get to the point where I could get myself in physical condition to step in the ring again,” Christian said on the show. “Everybody knows I retired because of injuries 7 years ago and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that Edge returning at the Royal Rumble made me think a little bit.”

“I started thinking that maybe this is a possibility,” Christian continued. He continued to say that at the time he was living the retired life and not making great decisions diet-wise.

“The way that my career ended before never sat well with me as it was,” he continued. “I need to get back in there, I need to finish this on my terms.”

“If it was just that one match at the Royal Rumble then so be it.”

He continued to say that he hired a nutritionist company and built a gym in his garage to get ready. Christian also noted that he didn’t find out he’d be in the Rumble match until Friday night. Edge was one of the only ones who knew he’d be in the match.

Christian’s comments can be heard in the player below:

Bianca Belair On Her WrestleMania Opponent: Asuka, Sasha Banks or Io Shirai

Jake Skudder
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WWE Women’s Royal Rumble 2021 winner Bianca Belair recently spoke to Peter Rosenburg. The ‘EST’ of WWE discussed a number of topics during the interview, including her Rumble win, choosing her WrestleMania opponent and working alongside her husband Montez Ford of the Street Profits.

Discussing her WrestleMania opponent, Rosenburg would bring up how culturally important it would be for a match against Sasha Banks to happen. This would be the first time that two black female Superstars appear in a main event title match at ‘Mania, and whilst Belair agreed, she also wanted to state how important a match against Asuka would be to her on a personal level.

Bianca Belair’s WrestleMania Opponent

“Asuka is an amazing champion on RAW,” said Belair. “She had an undefeated streak when I was in NXT. So that’s another thing that’s like really close to my heart as well. I was in NXT with Asuka, I got to watch the undefeated streak, I got to watch all these Championship matches that she had.”

“I actually had a match with Asuka, when I was very, very, very new” Belair continued. “It was my very first Championship match, maybe in front of 150 people? And I remember coming back through the curtain, my husband was there, and having this moment with him that I felt like, ‘well I’m new and I just hung with the NXT Women’s Champion who’s undefeated.’ So having that in my mind too? That could be like this huge accomplishment, of everything like just coming together and full circle with Asuka as well.”

Bianca Belair finished by stating how important the choice is before he heads to WrestleMania; even alluding to a potential match with NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai. “So it’s just, it’s a really big decision, and I’m still trying to get my emotions together from the Royal Rumble match and winning. There’s just so much in play, also in NXT like Io Shirai? I never got to be NXT Women’s Champion.”

Who would you like to see Bianca Belair face at WrestleMania? Let us know in the comments

Impact Wrestling No Surrender: Final Card For Saturday (2/13)

Michael Reichlin
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Impact Wrestling presents No Surrender this Saturday night on the Impact Plus streaming service.

The following is an updated match lineup coming out of this week’s Imapct on AXS broadcast:

  • Impact World Champion Rich Swann defends against Tommy Dreamer
  • World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers vs. Private Party vs. James Storm & Chris Sabin
  • Texas Tornado No Disqualification: Knockouts Tag Team Champions Fire N’ Flava vs. Havok & Neveah
  • X-Division Champion TJP defends against. Rohit Raju
  • Decay (Rosemary, Crazzy Steve & Black Taurus) vs. XXXL (Acey Romero & Larry D) & Tenille Dashwood
  • Matt Cardona & Eddie Edwards vs. Brian Myers & Hernandez
  • X-Division #1 Contender Triple Threat Revolver Match: Daivari vs. Suicide vs. Willie Mack vs. Ace Austin vs. Trey Miguel vs. Chris Bey vs. Josh Alexander vs. Blake Christian
  • Jordynne Grace, Jazz & ODB vs. Deonna Purrazzo, Kimber Lee & Susan
  • Cody Deaner vs. Jake Something

Ahead of No Surrender, check out our recap from Tuesday night’s “go home” edition of Impact on AXS:

Et1SNcVXUAMPn5l?format=jpg&name=small

AEW Women’s Tournament Brackets Released, News On Japanese Matches

Jake Skudder
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AEW will be holding their Women’s Title Eliminator Tournament over the next few episodes of Dynamite. The tournament begins this week with a match between Leyla Hirsch and Thunder Rosa. That bout will kick off the US side of the bracket, with the Japanese side being produced by AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, the Japanese brackets of the tournament was already taped at the Ice Ribbon Dojo in Japan. These tapings took with no audience on a closed set. Ice Ribbon was founded in 2006 by AEW star Emi Sakura; AEW Champion Hikaru Shida started her career with the promotion back in 2008.

It has not been confirmed how the tournament matches from Japan will be featured. Hikaru Shida is currently over in Japan helping to produce the content.

Meltzer stated that he was told by AEW President and CEO Tony Khan that “he is working on something cool.” Beyond that we have no details on how the rest of the tournament will be shown.

AEW Women’s Eliminator Tournament Brackets

AEW Womens Tournament

The competitors for the Japanese bracket of the AEW Women’s Title Eliminator are as follows:

  • Emi Sakura
  • Aja Kong
  • Yuka Sakazaki
  • Veny
  • Ryo Mizunami
  • Mei Suruga
  • Rin Kadokura
  • Maki Itoh

Here’s the field for the US side of the bracket:

  • Serena Deeb
  • Riho
  • Nyla Rose
  • Britt Baker
  • Tay Conti
  • Thunder Rosa
  • Anna Jay
  • Leyla Hirsch

Impact Results (2/9): Go-Home Show For No Surrender

Chris Stephens
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Impact Wrestling 2/9 was the go-home show for No Surrender this Saturday on Impact Plus.

Impact Wrestling 2/9 Quick Results:

  1. Trey Miguel, Josh Alexander, Willie Mack & Suicide defeated Chris Bey, Ace Austin, Daivari & Blake Christian
  2. Kimber Lee defeated ODB
  3. Neveah defeated Kiera Hogan via DQ
  4. Black Taurus defeated Kaleb (with a K)
  5. Impact Tag Team Championships
  6. Chris Sabin & James Storm defeated The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) (c) via DQ – Good Brothers retain titles.

Moose Interrupts Tommy Dreamer & Rich Swann Contract Signing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL1Rs8ieI1s

Moose is upset that Tommy Dreamer is getting the title shot at No Surrender. Swann chose Dreamer as his opponent as the event takes place on Dreamer’s 50th Birthday. He came out to confront Swann and Dreamer but D’Amore told him he’ll be suspended if he interferes at No Surrender. Moose said he’s the real world champion, but Swann disagreed. Dreamer then cut a passionate promo about how he doesn’t wrestle for money, he wrestles because he loves this business and there is a locker room full of “Dreamers” in the back and he wants to use his platform for good.

“Being the Impact Champion gives me a larger platform,” Dreamer said.

“I want to spread good throughout this world. For 3 hours, I want people to forget about all the crap in this world. Rich, it’s going to be an honor to tear it up with you.”

Dreamer then signed the contract to bring the segment to a close.

Matt Hardy & Private Party Ruin Tag Title Match, Storm & Sabin Added To No Surrender Tag Title Match

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEYe55n2uOI

Matt Hardy and Private Party appeared on the stage during the tag title match this week. Just as Sabin and Storm seemed to have the advantage in the match, Private Party attacked. Upset that Sabin and Storm were getting a tag title shot before theirs at No Surrender, the idea was to get the match thrown out.

After the match, Hardy told Private Party he was proud of them. He said he’ll give them a bonus if they win the tag titles on Saturday as well. Scott D’Amore then confronted the 3 of them. He said to keep Storm and Sabin from interfering in the match at No Surrender, he’ll put them in the match. So it will be Private Party vs The Good Brothers vs James Storm & Chris Sabin on Saturday.

Tony Khan Talks About Opening Wrestling’s “Forbidden Door”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxBvL88SkR4

Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone were back this week. Khan talked about how he is actually the forbidden door and he realized that when he came to Impact Wrestling.

“I just had to open myself, and that comes from being here with you IMPACT Wrestling! Doing these paid ads, I’ve learned so much about myself. I’ve opened myself up to new experiences, and look at all the great things that have happened. We did a great rating for Dynamite this week with IMPACT people there. We had people from New Japan, who knows who is going to be there next week?”

Sami Callihan Sends A Message To Trey Miguel

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

Trey Miguel picked up the win for his team in 8-man tag-team action to kick off the show this week. He debuted a new submission move and got the tapout from Blake Christian in the match. After the match, the lights flicked off and Sami Callihan appeared on the big screen. Last week, Callihan said that Miguel has no loyalty and that’s why the other Rascalz aren’t with him anymore. This week, he said that while Miguel seems to have momentum, he will eventually flake out again. It seems we are building to a big singles match between the two.

Kimber Lee Picks Up Win Over ODB Thanks To Susan & Deonna Purrazzo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veHc9MGM1a4

Despite being heavily outmatched in some areas of this match, Kimber Lee picked up the win over ODB this week. The finish of the match came not long after Susan attempted to distract the referee, perhaps to point out some perceived offense that took place. This brought out Jordynne Grace and Jazz from the back who then got into a melee with Purrazzo and Susan. ODB came off the top and took out both the Knockouts Champ and the woman who frequently wants to see a manager. When ODB came back into the ring, however, Kimber Lee rolled her up and got the 3-count.

After the match, Susan said that “someone needs to talk to their manager” about this, and so she went to Scott D’Amore to organize a 6-person match between the two sides.

Jake Something Turns Down Violent By Design

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKtJLql_8vo

Eric Young’s Violent By Design stable offered Cody Deaner’s Cousin Jake a spot in the faction. Jake turned down the group this week, however. This led to VOD attacking Jake and wrapping a chair around his neck. Deaner told Young that he wants to fight Jake and so instead of attacking him now, Young announced that Deaner will face Jake at No Surrender on Saturday.

Neveah Picks Up Win Over Kiera Hogan Via DQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wys1fAif7I

A fine example of refereeing was exhibited by Brandon Tolle during this match. Tolle was briefly distracted by Havok on the outside and this led Tasha Steelz to feel it was a safe time to interfere. She was wrong. Tolle turned around in time to see her attacking Neveah and called for the disqualification.

Later, Steelz and Hogan complained to Scott D’Amore about Tolle’s officiating. D’Amore said he would take care of things. He then announced that Tolle won’t be the referee when Havok & Neveah challenged Fire N Flava for the tag belts at No Surrender. As this match had not yet been scheduled, Hogan and Steelz were a little upset with D’Amore’s announcement. He also announced the match would be no disqualification.

Black Taurus Joins Decay

Last week on Impact, Team XXXL recruited Tenille Dashwood to help in their feud with Decay. Dashwood, Acey Romero and Larry D will team against Rosemary, Crazzy Steve and a mystery partner this weekend at No Surrender. This week, the members of Decay announced AAA’s Black Taurus as their 3rd member. He then defeated Kaleb with a K in singles action.

Lineup For Impact No Surrender

  • Impact World Championships
    Rich Swann (c) vs Tommy Dreamer
  • Impact Tag Team Championships
    The Good Brothers (c) vs Private Party vs Chris Sabin & James Storm
  • Knockouts Tag Team Championships
    Texas Tornado/No DQ
    Fire N Flava (Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz) (c) vs Havok & Neveah
  • X-Division Championship
    TJP (c) vs Rohit Raju
  • Team XXXL & Tenille Dashwood vs Crazzy Steve, Rosemary, & TBD
  • Hernandez & Brian Myers vs Eddie Edwards & Matt Cardona
  • Triple Threat Revolver Match
    Trey Miguel vs Chris Bey vs Josh Alexander vs Blake Christian vs Ace Austin vs Willie Mack vs Suicide vs Daivari
  • Jordynne Grace, Jazz & ODB vs. Deonna Purrazzo, Kimber Lee & Susan
  • Cody Deaner vs. Jake Something

Bully Ray – “Nia Jax Has Some Holes In Her Game, No Pun Intended”

Jake Skudder
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WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the tag team of Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax. This week’s episode of RAW saw both women lose in their respective matches; with Nia Jax saying the now infamous ‘MY HOLE’ line that started trending Monday night.

“I think both of them need help with their in-ring work” Bully Ray began on Busted Open. “Nia looks like she doesn’t like to get touched, when you swing…now when you go for a punch at Nia? Her head is down and her hands are up. I think she needs to work on some of that stuff. When I say she needs to work on it? I’m saying it in a way where I’m trying to help not hurt or bash somebody.”

Bully Ray on Nia Jax

Bully Ray then discussed the rumors that Vince McMahon has already sent talent back ‘down’ to the Performance Center over the past few months to polish their game. One of the bigger names rumored to be sent back to the PC was Keith Lee, so Bully Ray uses this as a precedent to get more main roster Superstars to get help with their skillset.

“The reason I think this is because we heard reports of Vince McMahon sending certain talent down to the PC for a little bit of extra help” Ray stated. “There’s nothing wrong with that, especially when you have a place like the PC around. So if it’s there. Hey girls, Nia? There’s a couple of holes in your game, no pun intended!”

Ray finished by praising Nia Jax for her work with Lana in the Tables match on Monday night. “Go work on some of this stuff, because the regression is significant to me especially when I see them (Nia and Shayna) together. I like the job that Nia did last night with Lana. I thought that was a decently booked table match with the right outcome, the right payoff, they did it the right way.”

AEW Dynamite Preview: Omega & Kenta vs. Moxley & Archer

Michael Reichlin
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All Elite Wrestling returns to Jacksonville, FL tonight with an all-new episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.

This week’s show will feature the in-ring debut of NJPW star KENTA, the first match in the Women’s World Title Eliminator tournament, a TNT Championship defense by Darby Allin, Chris Jericho teaming with MJF and much more.

The following items are advertised for AEW Dynamite:

  • AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and KENTA vs. IWGP United States Champion Jon Moxley and Lance Archer
  • TNT Champion Darby Allin vs. Joey Janela
  • Chris Jericho & MJF vs. The Acclaimed
  • Thunder Rosa vs. Leyla Hirsch (Women’s World Title Eliminator Tournament)
  • Cody Rhodes & Lee Johnson vs. Cezar Benoni and “Pretty” Peter Avalon
  • PAC vs. “Hollywood Hunk” Ryan Nemeth

Plus, we’ll also hear from Sting and “Hangman” Adam Page.

Check back here later tonight for our AEW Dynamite Results and Takeaways feature.

Bidet Company Reaches Out To Nia Jax

Chris Stephens
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This week on WWE RAW, Nia Jax garnered a lot of attention for how she sold a missed leg drop in her match against Lana. Nia missed the move on the ring apron and yelled “my hole!” to the delight of many before then being tossed into a table by Lana. Bidet company, Tushy, has reached out to Nia Jax about the incident. Perhaps a sponsorship between the two parties is in the works.

Nia has yet to respond to the company. She has been responding to all the attention she has been getting online through Twitter, however.

“I’ve been receiving a HOLE lotta love, much obliged #myhole,” she Tweeted.

Nia also responded to Naomi’s comments online.

https://twitter.com/NiaJaxWWE/status/1359179574098206728

She also responded to concerns from the Bella Twins as well:

https://twitter.com/NiaJaxWWE/status/1359180423553822722

Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler recently regained the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships from Asuka and Charlotte Flair at the Royal Rumble. They had dropped the titles a little over a month before the Rumble at TLC. Prior to that, Jax and Baszler had held the titles for 4 months between the Payback PPV in August and the TLC PPV in December. They are the 3rd team to win the titles a second time. Sasha Banks & Bayley and Nikkie Cross & Alexa Bliss were the first teams to do so.

Tony Khan: “I Am The Forbidden Door!” Between AEW & NJPW

Jake Skudder
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The “Forbidden Door” is the phrase used to describe the metaphoric barrier between All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. According to AEW President Tony Khan, he’s the forbidden door and that door is now wide open. Fans should expect a lot more crossover in the months ahead.

Khan and Tony Schiavone returned to Impact Wrestling this week with their latest ‘paid advertisement’ on the program. Khan says that everywhere he goes, people have been asking when he’s going to open the forbidden door. People want to know, when is New Japan going to come to AEW?

He’s been telling people that he doesn’t know where or what the forbidden door is. “And then I figured it out. The Forbidden door is me! I am the forbidden door!” Khan emphatically stated.

“I just had to open myself, and that comes from being here with you IMPACT Wrestling! Doing these paid ads, I’ve learned so much about myself. I’ve opened myself up to new experiences, and look at all the great things that have happened. We did a great rating for Dynamite this week with IMPACT people there. We had people from New Japan, who knows who is going to be there next week?”

Tony Khan: “Let’s Do This Every Week”

Khan continued, “One thing I do know? The Forbidden Door has been opened. I can’t wait for this week’s main event tomorrow night on AEW Dynamite. One of the biggest matches ever on Dynamite, Falls Count Anywhere, anything goes.”

He then made a huge statement regarding the future of AEW Dynamite allowing talent to ‘cross borders.’

“I just have to say, thank you Kenny [Omega]. Thank you Don Callis, nobody ever expected me to say that. But thanks to you two and everything you’ve done in AEW? You’ve opened me up, you’ve changed me, and you’ve opened the Forbidden Door. I love it, I want to do more big ratings, I wanna have more people show up! Let’s do this EVERY WEEK.”

Tony Khan finished by confirming that the Forbidden Door swings both ways; with IMPACT Wrestling set to see more of the AEW President inside the IMPACT Zone with All Elite talent. You can see this week’s “paid ad” in the player embedded below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxBvL88SkR4

AEW & NJPW

Tony Khan has been outspoken about his desire to work with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen the groundwork of a full-blown inter-promotional war coming into focus.

The conclusion of last week’s AEW Dynamite saw the surprise appearance of KENTA, who is feuding with AEW star (and IWGP United States Champion) Jon Moxley. They will square off later this month (2/26) at NJPW’s New Beginning USA event.

This heated feud is just one element of the AEW-NJPW storyline that’s unfolding. Also in play – Bullet Club in AEW and NJPW, AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and IWGP World Champion Kota Ibushi teasing a program.

The main event of Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite will see Jon Moxley and Lance Archer teaming up against AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and KENTA. AEW has billed Moxley as the reigning IWGP United States Champion, another example of relations improving between the two promotions.

The possibilities for the coming together of these promotions is almost limitless. Thus far, we have seen Tony Khan bring AAA, the NWA, Impact Wrestling and now NJPW to AEW programming. Originally it was rumored that the NJPW/AEW ‘deal’ was purely for New Japan to get use of Jon Moxley. As mentioned, the former WWE Superstar is the current IWGP United States Champion, and with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic New Japan wanted to still have use of one of their prized assets. This meant that Moxley would have to work in the United States under the NJPW banner; something that would involve striking a deal with All Elite as he is contracted to only appear on major promotions for them in the US, much like Chris Jericho.

It appears as though the deal has now been completed, with a huge shift in the momentum for the 2nd and 3rd biggest pro wrestling promotions in the world coming together. Once again AEW have managed to make Dynamite, IMPACT and even NJPW Strong appointment viewing.

Bad Bunny Selling A Ton Of Merchandise At WWE Shop

Jon Fuentes
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Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny has reportedly hauled in some big numbers on WWE Shop. In fact, per a report from Fightful, his merchandise sales have exceeded $500,000 so far this year. At one point last week, Bunny’s merchandise held four of the top five selling spots on the site. It placed number one for the men’s t-shirt, three for the women’s, and came in fourth for the youth size. His pullover hoodie ranked second. At that time, the only other WWE Superstar in the top five was Universal Champion Roman Reigns at five. Bunny’s initial merchandise, which released around the time of the Royal Rumble last month, sold out fast. Now, WWE has released new limited edition merchandise for the music star.

Bad Bunny at WrestleMania

As we’ve noted, Bunny is expected to be teaming up with Damian Priest against the team of John Morrison and The Miz at this year’s WrestleMania. The rapper began a feud with the duo at the Royal Rumble when he attacked The Miz in retaliation for destroying his DJ booth. This was followed up by Bunny and Priest aligning themselves together against Miz and Morrison on Monday Night Raw during a Miz TV segment.

Now, the stage is set for Bunny and Priest to take on the former WWE Tag Team Champions at “The Showcase of the Immortals.”

What do you think about Bunny having a match at this year’s WrestleMania? And how do you feel about him being the top seller on WWE Shop so far this year? Let us know in the comments!

WWE Raw Ratings Fall To 2021 Low (2/8)

Andrew Ravens
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Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.715 million viewers with a 0.49 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic.

This is down from last week (1.892 million viewers with a 0.58 rating) and is now the least-watched episode of Raw this year. The all-time low in the history of the show was at 1.527 million viewers in December.

Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Monday night:

  • The first hour did 1.821 million viewers and a 0.54 rating (A18-49).
  • The second hour did 1.735 million viewers and a 0.48 rating.
  • The final hour of the show had just 1.589 million viewers and a 0.44 rating.

Next week will be interesting to see what numbers Raw does as it will be the go-home edition of the red brand for the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event.

SmackDown Viewership

Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.257 million viewers. This is down from the 2.304 million viewers on FS1 that the show did for the previous week.

SmackDown pulled in a 0.65 rating in the 18-49 demos, down from the 0.62 rating the previous week’s show. The episode drew an average of 2.126 million viewers in the overnight ratings, down from the previous week that did 2.228 million viewers. 

The first hour saw it pull in 2.144 million viewers while hour two did 2.108 million viewers. The show did 2.294 million viewers in hour one while hour two did 2.161 million viewers two weeks ago.

AEW Releasing Two Music Albums Next Month: 8-Bit & Women’s Themes

Michael Reichlin
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All Elite Wrestling is set to release two new music albums next month.

Producer Mikey Rukus announced that a “Double AEW Album Release” is scheduled for Friday, March 5th.

One of the albums will feature theme music from AEW’s top women’s competitors. These are the songs we’ve heard on AEW programming.

The other album will be comprised of “8-bit” remixes of popular AEW theme songs. What exactly does an 8-bit theme song sound like? Unrelated to these official AEW releases, producer J.D. Spears has composed a bunch of 8-bit entrance themes on his YouTube channel. Listen here to get an idea of what the official Cody Rhodes 8-bit theme might sound like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7tGTJuFG6A

Below you can find the announced tracks for each album. Mikey Rukus noted on Twitter that these track lists are incomplete, so expect a few more songs to be added to each album by release day.

AEW Women’s Themes: “We Got This” Album

  • AEW Heels
  • Tay Conte
  • Diamante
  • Red Velvet
  • Reba Giggle
  • Leva
  • Allysin Kay
  • KiLynn King
  • Leyla Hirsch
  • Metal Vickie

AEW: “8-Bit Mayhem” Album

  • Cody Rhodes
  • Ricky Starks
  • Kip Sabian
  • Kenny Omega
  • Dark Order
  • Nyla Rose
  • Penelope Ford
  • Best Friends
  • PAC
  • Joey Janela
  • Miro
  • Thunder Rosa
  • Britt Baker
  • TH2
  • Brodie Lee

Sasha Banks Broken Skull Sessions Episode Premieres 2/21

Chris Stephens
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WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks will be the next guest to appear on Steve Austin’s “Broken Skull Sessions.” The episode premieres on Sunday, February 21st immediately following the WWE Elimination Chamber PPV.

Banks recently took to Instagram to express her enthusiasm for the upcoming episode.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLE4ajThfQK/?igshid=11t0h3hfiqqcn

Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions

Previous episodes of Broken Skull Session with Steve Austin have featured The Undertaker (2x), Goldberg, Kane, Big Show, Bret Hart, Ric Flair, Mark Henry, Jerry Lawler, Kurt Angle, Drew McIntyre, and Banks’ longtime tag partner and rival, Bayley.

Banks also recently appeared on the Normal Not Normal podcast. During that interview, she spoke about how the reduced WWE travel schedule has been helpful to her and her career.

“I’m not just talking about in one state,” Banks says of the usual WWE travel schedule. “I’m driving five or six hours to different states every single day. But we’re not just talking about driving, I’m talking about flying as well – early in the morning – and I’m talking about wrestling too. I’m beating my body, jumping into a car, and driving five hours and getting to the hotel at maybe four in the morning. Sleep in until 12, work out, get your food, and doing the exact same thing. That will beat up your body.”

Lars Sullivan Posts Images Of Proposed “Brilliant Behemoth” Gimmick

Chris Stephens
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Lars Sullivan was released by WWE last month. He took to Instagram recently and posted a picture of what many are taking as images of a canceled gimmick he was to have in WWE.

Feast your eyes on The Brilliant Behemoth, Lawrence Sulivan.

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

Reason For Lars Sullivan Release

Sullivan’s release from WWE was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.

“He was going to get a push, a real big push as a matter of fact, and he could not handle the pressure. He had an anxiety attack, he was suffering even before. Then he stopped coming, kept not coming, and at that point, this has happened before,” said Dave Meltzer on the show.

“He was supposed to beat John Cena at the 2019 WrestleMania and he no-showed the angle where he was going to layout Cena to set up the angle,” Meltzer continued. 

“They brought him back a second time with a big push, he got the knee injury. They brought him back a 3rd time with a big push, he stopped coming. At that point, I think it was inevitable how it was going to end up.”

Sullivan signed with WWE and reported to the Performance Center in 2014. His last official match was a win over Shorty G on Smackdown back in October.

Top WWE Executive: We Want Cardi B

Jake Skudder
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WWE wants to work with pop music superstar Cardi B.

Nick Khan, WWE’s President and Chief Revenue Officer, recently spoke to Forbes about the business side of the company.

During the discussion, Khan addressed WWE utilizing celebrities to generate additional interest in the product. In recent weeks, we’ve seen rap star Bad Bunny involved in storylines.

There’s also been some buzz about WWE working with Cardi B. Khan confirmed WWE wants to work with the “WAP” singer in the near future. “Obviously, there is no touring right now,” he said. “The ability to get Bad Bunny for however long this run is going to be, and you’re going to see a lot of him; I don’t believe that would have existed in a world where Bad Bunny was on tour.”

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced WWE to adapt the way it does business in many ways. The silver lining is that it has also created the opportunity to work with big names from the entertainment industry, since they’re less busy and not on tour.

“We’re always going to want Bad Bunny, Cardi B to get involved,” Khan continued. “It made it a touch easier to get a deal done this time because they weren’t, over the course of however long the deal is, is not in 25 different cities during that time. The bulk of concert money is made in the summertime. It doesn’t appear as if there are going to be big tours during the summer. Even we’re all hopeful, so we’ll see what folks we’re talking to and who you’ll see in the mix.”

Cardi B was recently name dropped during the RAW Legends Night episode. This lead to several back and forth exchanges between Cardi B and several WWE Superstars, including Trish Stratus and Lacey Evans.

Whether WWE will be able to bring the hip-hop megastar into the fold remains to be seen; although she would be a major name to bring in for a WrestleMania appearance. Bad Bunny will already be performing at WrestleMania, and it is rumored that he will be teaming with Booker T or Damian Priest to take on The Miz and John Morrison in a tag team bout.

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