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Chris Jericho on Stadium Stampede – “We Filmed a Hollywood Production in 8 Hours”

Jake Skudder
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AEW star and ‘Le Champion’ Chris Jericho recently had AEW President Tony Khan on his Talk Is Jericho podcast. The main premise of this week’s episode was discussing the last few months of AEW Dynamite and PPV tapings.

The last couple of months have seen AEW have to shift gear and produce content whilst under the COVID-19 situation and the restrictions that entails. Tony Khan was quick to say how the production, planning and creative output from the performers really helped to elevate the show.

Chris Jericho on Stadium Stampede

“Stadium Stampede, that was your [Tony Khan’s] initial idea” Chris Jericho began on the podcast. “‘Let’s do something in the stadium, we have this stadium at our beck and call. We were forced to be creative, in spite of the pandemic.”

The Stadium Stampede match took place on May 23rd back at AEW’s Double or Nothing PPV event. The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Santana and Ortiz) took on Matt Hardy and The Elite (Adam Page, Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) inside of the TIAA Bank Field stadium in Jacksonville, Florida.

Chris Jericho also discussed the logistical aspects of creating the Stadium Stampede match back in 2020. “Once again the Stadium Stampede is still one of my favourite matches I’ve ever had, I don’t care what anybody says” Jericho stated. “It was everything that wrestling is to me, and we did it all in 12 hours.”

Jericho finished by praising how AEW managed to turn around such a big production in a short space of time. “That’s like a major Hollywood production that we filmed in like eight hours” Jericho stated. “But my point is, we really came together to put on these great shows and try something different.”

Do you think that we’ll get another Stadium Stampede match this year? Do you want to see Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle back in the bout? Let us know in the comments

NJPW Launching On Roku Channel 2/11: New Weekly Show, On-Demand Content

Michael Reichlin
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New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced the launch of new programming on the Roku Channel. It will be available starting next Thursday, February 11th and will be available in the United States, Canada and the UK.

“New Japan Pro-Wrestling” is a new one-hour weekly show that premieres Thursdays at 5pm (Eastern). Additional NJPW content from 2020 will also be available on-demand.

A press release at the NJPW website includes quotes from NJPW and Roku executives.

“Our fans in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom are among our most loyal, and they have been very clear that they want NJPW’s content made available to them,” said Takami Ohbari, President of NJPW. “NJPW is unlike any other pro-wrestling in the world. It is the most athletic, sports-oriented pro-wrestling on the planet, and we are excited to bring our athletes and matches to these markets in such a major way. Thank you to The Roku Channel, and we look forward to a successful partnership that brings NJPW to millions of new fans around the world.”

“Expanding the breadth and quality of our programming has fueled The Roku Channel to one of the largest and fastest growing channels on our platform,” said Ashley Hovey, Director of AVOD Growth, Roku. “Sports programming continues to be an important category for our users, and we are very excited to partner with NJPW to put the world of professional wrestling at the fingertips of millions of engaged users on The Roku Channel.”

In the fourth quarter of 2020, The Roku Channel reached United States households with an estimated 61.8 million people.

MLW Fusion (2/3): Baklei Brawl Headlines, Azteca Underground Mystery Continues

Chris Stephens
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MLW this week featured a Baklei Brawl between Alexander Hammerstone and Mads Krugger in the main event. Los Parks also defended their tag-team titles against TJP and Bu Ko Dao. Jordan Oliver and Gino Medina were also featured in singles action.

The full show can be viewed in the player below:

MLW Fusion 2/3 Quick Results:

  1. Jordan Oliver defeated Sentai Death Squad Member
  2. MLW Tag Team Championships
    Los Parks (c) defeated TJP & Bu Ko Dao
  3. Gino Medina defeated Gringo Loco
  4. Baklei Brawl
    Alexander Hammerstone vs Mads Krugger

Injustice and Contra Unit Rivalry Continues

Last week, Jordan Oliver and Myron Reed from Injustice dressed up as Sentai Death Squad members in order to attack Contra Unit. This week, Oliver would take on one masked member of the squad. Myron Reed also challenged Contra Unit to a tag match for next week, which was later made official.

Oliver got a quick win here but he may have been injured. He came up favoring his leg after a running kick. Oliver hit a springboard cutter shortly after for the win. He’s wrestled a bunch since these tapings so I’m assuming his leg is fine.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1357199706267475969

After the match, Oliver cut a promo saying he now weighs 220lbs and is a heavyweight. He’s coming after Jacob Fatu and the MLW World Heavyweight Championship.

Is Azteca Underground Going To Purchase IWA Puerto Rico???

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1357119679148474369

Salina de la Renta cut a promo this week where she spoke about the mysterious owner of Azteca Underground having deep pockets. Salina revealed that this mysterious person has put in an offer to purchase a percentage of IWA Puerto Rico, the promotion that Savio Vega is currently the owner of.

Update On The MLW Referee Scandal and Tim Donaghy

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1357120434102284289

Last week, the referee had the heart of the 2007 NBA Betting scandal cost Savio Vega the Caribbean Championship in a strap match against Richard Holiday. There were a few updates this week, including the fact that several late bets came in on the match between Holiday and Vega. Alicia Atout confirmed that MLW is looking into the matter. She’ll interview Richard Holliday about it next week.

Los Parks Defend Tag Titles Using Underhanded Tactics

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1357123957330038784

TJP and Bu Ko Dao qualified for this tag title match by picking up a win last week. Things wouldn’t go as smoothly for them this week, however.

Salina de la Renta brought out her Los Parks tag-team but was accompanied by an unnamed man who was described as being a representative for El Jefe (a moniker often used for Dario Cueto in Lucha Underground).

The finish of the match came when El Jefe’s representative lifted up the ring apron and allowed a LA Park Jr., who was not in the match, to replace El Hijo de LA Park. Salina had the referee distracted and when they returned to the match, they did not notice that the Park sons had swapped spots. This allowed LA Park Jr. to hit a shoulder-breaker on Bu Ko Dao for the win.

After the match, TJP seemed upset with his protege and walked out on him.

Lio Rush vs Laredo Kid Next Week

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1357150633309196288

Lio Rush is the new MLW World Middleweight Champion. He defeated Myron Reed for the belt at Kings of the Colosseum last month. Laredo Kid is the AAA Cruiserweight Champion. Next week, the two will clash in what will be a fairly epic main event match.

This week, Lio Rush cut a promo saying he wants to be a two title champion in MLW and AAA and wants to challenge Laredo Kid.

Concerns Piling Up Regarding “Filthy Island”

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1357303389747507207

Sponsors have been turning away from Tom Lawlor’s “Filthy Island” in droves. This is mainly due to Lawlor being suspected to have been behind the recent attack on ACH. With no money backing the island festival, it seems things are turning into a bit of a Fyre Festival type situation. The Filthy Island event will air on February 17th and it might turn out to be a fairly infamous show. King Mo vs Low-Ki has been booked for it.

Gino Medina Defeats Gringo Loco

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1357128990876598272

Before this match, we saw clips of Richard Holliday and Gino Medina arguing over if Medina was fired from the Dynasty or if he quit. This week, we saw Gino Medina in singles action against Gringo Loco. Medina was able to pick up the win by reversing a pinning combination into his own pinning move. After the match, however, Medina was cutting a promo and Gringo Loco came flying in from above with an attack. It appears things aren’t over between these two.

Contra Unit Has “Big Plans” For Alexander Hammerstone

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1357130500469620736

Alexander Hammerstone met Mads Krugger this week in an undisclosed location for a Baklei Brawl. In storyline, the match is a no-holds-barred type fight that Krugger is believed to have taken part in frequently in South Africa.

Camera operators were nervous and could be heard lobbying for leaving the location throughout the match. There were concerns about the presence of liquid nitrogen and other dangerous items as well.

Hammerstone appeared to have gotten the advantage on Krugger and pinned him but things weren’t exactly as they seemed. Hammerstone then noticed that Krugger didn’t have the same tattoos and the glove was on the wrong hand. This wasn’t Mads Krugger! The real Krugger then came out and attacked Hammerstone. The show closed with Krugger standing tall over Hammerstone and saying Contra Unit has “big plans” for him.

MLW.com has since updated Hammerstone’s condition:

“Hammerstone, who had his bell rung, has refused medical treatment despite a huge knot swelling on the side of his head from a crushing blow to his skull in the closing moments of the Baklei Brawl.”

“Fleeing the scene as several cars arrived carrying MLW security and staff, Mads Krùgger and CONTRA soldiers were spotted the referee and camera man in the Baklei Brawl leaving a note near a still downed Hammerstone.”

Chris Jericho Responds To Vitor Belfort’s Callout

Chris Stephens
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With ONE Championship signing a deal with TNT, Vitor Belfort has called out Chris Jericho for an inter-promotional match. Belfort challenged Jericho during an interview to promote ONE’s debut event on TNT on April 7th.

“With myself being with ONE, and on the same network, I think it’s time for [AEW CEO] Tony Khan to give me Jericho, and I can whip Jericho’s butt. We can really make that fight happen,” Belfort said to SCMP MMA.

Chris Jericho responded by pretending to not know who Belfort is.

This led to Belfort saying that Jericho had “made the list.”

Jericho then challenged Belfort to meet him in Jacksonville.

The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion has appeared on Dynamite previously. Belfort was a member of Mike Tyson’s entourage that confronted Jericho on an episode of Dynamite last spring.

“I think this is what the audience wants, we can draw a lot of audience for AEW and ONE. It’s time to cross-promote and bring these two together. ONE has a lot of top athletes, including myself, and we can make some big fights in both,” Belfort said.

“It’s gonna be phenomenal. Think about me and Chris Jericho doing a ONE fight and going over there, imagine how many fans wanna see that – him making his debut in ONE, and me making my debut in AEW.”

Paige VanZant Confirms WWE Talks, Visit To Performance Center

Chris Stephens
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Paige VanZant recently confirmed that she has visited the WWE Performance Center in Florida. She spoke with Chris Van Vliet recently about her future ambitions with the company.

“Yes, I have visited their campus, the Performance Center in Orlando. I was able to go visit and look around and kind of get a sense for what it’s all about,” PVZ said on the show.

She was also asked if she’s had much communication with WWE.

“Communication is actually there sometimes so we’re able to communicate and show our interest with each other and once there’s a little bit more free time in my schedule I think that’s something that I would like to really pursue.”

VanZant is currently signed to the Bare Knuckled Fighting Championships. She is scheduled to make her debut for the promotion this weekend at BKFC16. VanZant is scheduled to fight Britain Hart in the main event of the show.

Paige VanZant was also asked if she has interest working with WWE in the future.

“I get asked about WWE a lot and I do feel like it’s something I would be very good at because I kind of have the best of both worlds; I was a dancer where I was used to the entertainment and the showmanship side of it and the combat sports side obviously goes into the WWE. You know, I don’t think that it’s something that I could do both (Bare Knuckle FC and pro wrestling) at the same time. I feel like I would want to do that 100%, so maybe it’s something that after I’m done fighting in a cage and in a ring that maybe I’ll go over to there but the door is definitely open.”

The full interview can be viewed in the player below:

Backstage News On Lars Sullivan’s Release From WWE

Chris Stephens
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It was reported earlier this week that Lars Sullivan has been released from WWE. The 32-year-old was a controversial figure in wrestling due to online statements he had made in the past but he was someone that WWE wanted to push. According to comments made on Wrestling Observer Radio, his release was due to several incidents of no-showing events. These no-shows are being attributed to anxiety attacks.

“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.”

The previous event being referred to took place in early 2019. Lars Sullivan is reported to have left the January 14th, 2019 RAW due to suffering an anxiety attack. He was scheduled to work a program with John Cena at the time.

“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.”

Update On AEW & NJPW Working Relationship: “The Deal Is Done”

Chris Stephens
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The forbidden door is open and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) have formally established a working relationship.

“The deal is done and the sides have a working relationship,” said Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. “The pandemic probably sped it up but it also holds it back at the same time. The only way to get Moxley was to make a deal.”

It has been a long road for AEW and New Japan to find common ground and join forces. Dave Meltzer explains that NJPW has not taken AEW seriously up until now.

AEW & NJPW

“When AEW first started, I think New Japan had no clue as to how successful they would be,” said Meltzer. It was essentially that they wanted Tony Khan to come and see them and he didn’t. Even though they sent Chris Harrington and even though the Young Bucks were office and they were ready to make the deal, New Japan thought that they were just fly by nighters and it’s not going to mean anything. They kind of just big-leagued them and they were wrong. They went their separate ways but then they needed Jon Moxley.”

The 2020 departure of NJPW President Harold Meij also played a role in relations being smoothed over.

Moxley vs. KENTA

Jon Moxley made a surprise appearance for NJPW last week by attacking KENTA. KENTA returned the favor at the conclusion of this week’s AEW Dynamite. The two will face off for the IWGP United States Championship at the New Beginning in USA show on February 26th, 2021.

NJPW tweeting about KENTA’s appearance on AEW Dynamite is the latest indication that the two organizations are collaborating in a significant way.

Next week on AEW Dynamite, KENTA will team with AEW World Champion Kenny Omega against Jon Moxley and Lance Archer. Since KENTA is not under contract with AEW, this will be an unsanctioned “Lights Out” street fight.

Bully Ray: Paul Heyman Would’ve Been a ‘Mental Mess’ During Royal Rumble Botch

Jake Skudder
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WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the Royal Rumble show from this past Sunday. During the event, Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens had a hellacious Last Men Standing match; with the ending of the bout unfortunately coming under scrutiny for an unexpected issue.

Roman Reigns was handcuffed to one of the lighting rigs and Paul Heyman had to unlock the cuffs whilst the referee counted Roman out. Unfortunately the referee had to stop the count at 5; as Roman was still stuck with the handcuffs just not playing ball. Bully Ray discussed how much he enjoyed the Last Man Standing match, and how the ending shouldn’t detract from the bout itself.

“One of the most enjoyable Last Man Standing matches I’ve ever seen” Bully Ray began on Busted Open. “Great, great car crash. And I’ve been in a few Last Man Standing matches that I’m very, very proud of; because of the psychology I was able to attach to the match, and how things made sense. It wasn’t just gratuitous violence for the sake of it.”

Bully Ray on The Last Man Standing Match

“The Rumble was very entertaining” Bully continued. “Kevin Owens…no matter when KO gets handed the ball? He finds a way to score with it. This is tailor made for him, he loves this stuff. Roman stepped up to the plate, whether you get Roman in a regular wrestling match or these Last Man Standing matches? He is shining through.”

Bully Ray then discussed the unfortunate botch at the end of the match. “Every once in a while, something goes wrong” Bully stated. “Something that you try to make sure won’t go wrong, but it just happens, it’s a broken play. And in that moment in time either something was wrong with the key or the lock. And I know people are harping on the second referee coming in and starting to count.”

“Actually, that’s what the referee HAD to do, he has to start counting. The problem is that he STOPPED counting. He got to five and realised, ‘Paul still doesn’t have the cuffs off.’ So, in that moment in time. What do you do? How do you cover it up? It is an absolute split second decision. So what the WWE did, they panned out. They got the referee out of the shot, and they focused on the handcuffs.”

Roman Reigns and Corey Graves ‘Covering’

“Roman was able to squat and get on his feet and Corey graves did a phenomenal job of covering it up” Bully continued. “Saying, ‘well, Roman is in a seated standing position.’ People took to social media so hard about that it’s almost like they were looking for the WWE to fail. And they found that moment in time to go ‘there, you see! That ruined it all! The booking, the creative, the psychology! It was all ruined, all ruined.’ How in the hell can you take that performance of those guys busting their asses and throwing their bodies around, this that and the other, and then harp on a mistake that is extremely difficult to cover up?”

Bully Ray then finished by discussing how Paul Heyman would’ve felt in the situation, with Ray having known Paul for many years since their days in ECW. “Nobody’s anticipating the key not working. And those guys are trying to stay cool, calm and collected. You have no idea the panic that runs through your mind when that happens. Paul was most likely, from what I know of Paul Heyman, a mental mess when those cuffs wouldn’t come undone. And you have to stay in the moment, not freak out.”

Do you think that the handcuff botch distracted too much from the finish of the Last Man Standing match? Do you agree with Bully Ray that it didn’t? Let us know in the comments

Omega & Kenta vs. Moxley & Archer Set For Next Week’s AEW Dynamite

Anutosh Bajpai
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Kenta made his AEW debut after the main event match during this week’s episode of Dynamite which saw Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers defeat Jon Moxley, Rey Fenix and Pac in a 6 men tag team match.

Lance Archer came out to clear the ring of the Good Brothers following their win. Kenta then showed up to respond to Mox’s attack on last week’s NJPW Strong.

Kenny Omega caught Kenta outside of the Daily’s Place after the show. Omega tried to welcome him to ‘The American Club’, to which he responded “Shut the f**k up, I’m not your friend. I’m here to beat Jon Moxley'” and walked away.

Though the response did not stop the AEW chamion and he issued a challenge and asked Tony Khan to book a match for next week’s episode of Dynamite.

Kenny Omega said that after he ‘smoothes things over’ with his new friend Kenta, he would like the AEW president to let them fight Mox and Lance Archer in a bout. He mentioned that since the NJPW star is not under contract with the company, the fight will have to be unsanctioned.

None of the other stars have responded to this challenge issued by Omega yet. You can check out his post-show interview in the video below:

Edge On Potential Reunion With Christian – “It Needs To Happen”

Anutosh Bajpai
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The small reunion between Edge and Christian during Royal Rumble was one of the most emotional moments of the whole PPV and it created a lot of buzz.

While Captain Charisma has not revealed his cards about his future after his in ring return, people have already started wondering about a tag team run for him with the Rated R Superstar.

During his recent interview with Metro.co.uk, Edge was asked about his thoughts on a possible tag team run with his partner. Replying to it, he said that it needs to happen at some point:

“I would love it! I think at some point that would need to happen -just because there’s so many opportunities there.

Between Edge and Christian against The Usos – I mean, man! Edge and Christian against The New Day, Edge and Christian against Ziggler and Roode, Edge and Christian versus the Street Profits!”

Edge On His Royal Rumble Moment With Christian

The former world champion then explained that wrestling works at its best when you have real emotions involved and said that the look on his face during their moment at Royal Rumble was real:

“So the look you saw on my face as Christian was coming down the ramp, that was real. That was me being part dumbfounded that we were both in the Royal Rumble in 2021 after being told we could both never do this again.

Proud – there was pride because I know how hard he worked to get back to the point where he could be cleared – which was evident by looking at him.”

After his Royal Rumble victory, Edge appeared on both Raw and NXT this week and he is also scheduled to make an appearance on SmackDown to confront the brand’s top champion Roman Reigns.

Which matches would you wanna see if Edge does have one final run with Christian? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

Kenta Debuts For AEW, Attacks Jon Moxley (Video)

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former WWE and current NJPW star Kenta made his AEW debut during this week’s episode of Dynamite and attacked the IWGP US Champion Jon Moxley.

The main event of this week’s episode of Dynamite: Beach Break saw Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers defeat the team of Moxley, Pac and Rey Fenix in a six-man tag team match.

The two sides continued the brawl after the match before Lance Archer ran to the ring. Archer cleared out the Impact stars which left Moxley and Omega in the ring but Jon was then attacked from behind by a masked man.

The masked man then revealed himself to be Mox’s upcoming opponent Kenta. The NJPW star picked up his rival and delivered Go To Sleep. He then left the ring, leaving Omega celebrating to end the show.

KENTA in AEW

Kenta won the New Japan Cup USA tournament in August 2020 to become the #1 contender for Jon Moxley’s IWGP US Championship and he had been calling the champion out since then.

Jon Moxley responded to the taunts during NJPW strong last week where he attacked his challenger. After that the company announced that Kenta will finally be getting his title shot at The New Beginning USA 2021 on February 26.

Kenta will make his AEW debut next week on Dynamite. He will team with AEW World Champion Kenny Omega against Jon Moxley in Lance Archer. This will be a non-sanctioned Lights Out match.

AEW Dynamite Beach Break Results: Kenta Attacks Jon Moxley, Tag Team Battle Royal

Robert Lentini
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AEW Dynamite Beach Break aired live from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. In addition to the takeaways below, FTR sent in a video as they were suspended for a week for their actions last week. FTR shouted that they want a tag team title match and revealed that they have Marko Stunt tied up with them. It was also announced that Shaq & Jade Cargill will face Cody & Red Velvet on the March 3rd edition of Dynamite and not at Revolution.

AEW Beach Break Results

  1. Jericho & MJF won the Battle Royal to become #1 contenders
  2. Britt Baker def. Thunder Rosa
  3. Hangman Page & Matt Hardy def. Chaos Project
  4. Lance Archer def. Eddie Kingston in a Lumberjack match
  5. Kenny Omega & Good Brothers def. Jon Moxley, PAC, Fenix

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Jericho & MJF Earned A Title Shot At Revolution

Jurassic Express, The Acclaimed, Jericho & MJF, Young Bucks, Dark Order, Private Party, Top Flight, Santana & Ortiz, Hager & Guevara battled in a Battle Royal to determine the #1 contenders for the AEW Tag Team Championships. If Young Bucks win the match, they will choose who they defend the titles against at AEW Revolution.

Alex Reynolds and Dante from Top Flight were eliminated first. Grayston tried to eliminate Hager but Jake blocked it. John Silver came out of nowhere and knocked Hager to the floor for the elimination. Matt Jackson and Bowens were eliminated by Inner Circle. Luchasaurus slammed Darius to the mat and delivered a Chokeslam to Nick Jackson.

Silver and Uno eliminated Luchasaurus but Jungle Boy remained so Jurassic Express was still alive. MJF launched Evil Uno over the top rope for the elimination. Darius eliminated Marq Quen as John Silver Suplexed both Santana and Ortiz. Santana and Ortiz launched John Silver over the top rope.

Nick Jackson eliminated Ortiz and then eliminated Santana with a Superkick. Gallows and Anderson showed up and eliminated Private Party and then MJF launched Nick Jackson to eliminate Young Bucks. MJF launched Jungle Boy out but was quickly launched over the top by Max Caster. Darius eliminated Max and it was down to Darius, Jericho, and Sammy. Jericho accidentally eliminated Sammy and then eliminated Darius with the Judas Effect. Jericho and MJF will battle Young Bucks for the AEW Tag Team Championships at Revolution.

After the match, Jericho and MJF tried to celebrate with the rest of the group. Sammy wondered why they were always collateral damage and it doesn’t seem like everyone is in this together. MJF said it was time for a conversation after Jericho and Sammy left the room. Wardlow then shut the door in the camera man’s face to end the segment.

Opinion: I wasn’t a fan of this and thought AEW missed an opportunity to build up and establish an actual tag team. There were so many great teams in this match and a team that was just thrown together wins it. I understand Jericho has a big name and maybe this will help MJF in the long run. However, Santana and Ortiz and other teams really don’t have much to do besides Inner Circle skits every week.

Team Taz Interrupted Darby & Sting

Tony Schiavone interviewed Darby Allin and Sting tonight. Team Taz interrupted from outside Daily’s Place and said that Tony Khan won’t allow them inside. Taz noted that Darby is defending the TNT Championship against Joey Janela next week and Team Taz will be in attendance for that one. Ricky Starks said he doesn’t see “The Icon” anymore when he looks into Sting’s eyes and wished Darby luck next week and said he is definitely going to need it. Sting grabbed the microphone and said he will be in attendance next week as well to make sure it stays a one on one match. Sting added that Starks needs to take a closer look if he doesn’t see The Icon anymore.

Britt Baker def. Thunder Rosa

Britt Baker faced Thunder Rosa tonight. Britt went right after Thunder Rosa but she battled back and connected with a Dropkick. Baker knocked Thunder Rosa out of the ring and slammed her into the barricade. Thunder Rosa hit Britt with a shoulder tackle and followed it up with an uppercut as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, Thunder Rosa planted Baker with a Death Valley Driver on the entrance ramp. The action returned to the ring and Thunder Rosa went for a Piledriver but Britt countered into the Air Raid Crash. Thunder Rosa connected with a slam and went for the cover but Baker was able to kick out at two.

Rebel ripped off the turnbuckle pad while the referee wasn’t paying attention. Britt sent Thunder Rosa face first into the expoded turnbuckle and then applied the Lockjaw for the victory as Thunder Rosa was passed out.

Hangman Page & Matt Hardy Picked Up A Win

Hangman Page teamed up with Matt Hardy to face Chaos Project. Matt Hardy dominated the action early and beat down Serpentico. Hangman planted Serpentico with a Suplex and tagged Matt back in. Hangman hit Luther with a Crossbody and followed it up with a Spinebuster. and a forearm to the Serpentico’s face. Page hit the Buckshot Lariat and Matt tagged himself in. Matt then pinned Serpentico and celebrated as Hangman looked pissed off.

Orange Cassidy Interrupted The Wedding

Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford got marrid on tonight’s episode. Chuck Taylor, serving as Miro’s butler was in the ring with them. Father James Mitchell moderated the ceremony. Kip joked that the moment that Penelope’s eyes met his eyes meeting her chest was the moment he fell in love. Kip added that Penelope is beautiful on the inside and very hot on the outside. Penelope was about to make a penis joke but Kip stopped her and they skipped ahead. Kip said “I do” and put the ring on Penelope’s finger. Penelope said the same and put a ring on Sabian’s finger. Miro said he has been here a few times and they are not asking if anyone has any objections. Kip and Penelope then kissed to seal the deal.

Miro then offered a toast and told Chuck Taylor to bring everyone champagne. Miro told Kip that it is all about love and his power, and knowledge is his wedding present. Miro pointed at a large gift and Chuck said it was from him. He attacked the present and revealed that it was empty. Chuck handcuffed Miro and beat Kip Sabian down as Penelope fell into the wedding cake. Orange Cassidy popped out of the cake and hit Sabian with the Beach Break to end the segment.

Opinion: James Mitchell and the fans chanting “baby don’t hurt me” after Miro asked “what is love?” is about all I enjoyed from this segment. They advertised this wedding a lot and I thought something ridiculous or interesting was going to happen. Instead, absolutely nothing of note happened and I found it incredibly boring. Congratulations to the happy couple but I don’t understand why that had to be on the show or why Miro has been wrapped up in this horrific storyline for months. The way AEW has used Miro so far is astoundingly bad and can only get better by default moving forward.

Lance Archer def. Eddie Kingston

Lance Archer battled Eddie Kingston in a Lumberjack match tonight at Beach Break. Lance Archer controlled the match early as Dynamite went to a commercial break. When Dynamite returned, Kingston threw Archer out of the ring and Butcher & Blade hit him with some cheap shots. Blade brought a table into the ring and Bear Country sent him through it. Archer then hit Kingston with the Blackout for the pinfall victory.

Kenta Attacked Jon Moxley

AEW Champion Kenny Omega & Good Brothers faced Pac, Fenix, and Jon Moxley in the main event. Pac leveled Anderson with a shoulder tackle and followed it up with a headscissors takedown to begin the action. Gallows tagged in and Moxley asked for tag. Pac obliged and Moxley circled Gallows in the ring. Moxley beat Gallows down and then Anderson tagged in. Pac made his way to the top rope but Gallows shoved him to the canvas.

Moxley hit Anderson with a couple Clotheslines and some stomps in the corner of the ring. Moxley ducked under a Clothesline and planted Karl with a Suplex for a near fall as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Moxley avoided the Magic Killer and sent Gallows out of the ring.

Omega and Fenix tagged in and Rey hit the AEW Champion with a Hurricanrana. Fenix Dropkicked Gallows and hit Anderson with a diving headbutt. Omega went for a Powerbomb but Rey escaped and hit a Superkick. Pac leveled Omega with a Dropkick and then Moonsaulted onto the Good Brothers with Fenix.

Back in the ring, Fenix hit Kenny with a Cutter and went for the cover but Omega was able to kick out at two. Good Brothers sent Fenix and Moxley to the outside as Omega connected with a Powerbomb on Fenix for a near fall. Kenny hit Pac with a V-Trigger and set up for the One Winged Angel but Pac escaped.

Moxley hit Omega with a Clothesline and followed it up with a German Suplex. Pac delivered a German Suplex of his own and went for the cover but the AEW Champion was somehow able to kick out at two. Omega slammed Moxley to the mat and went for the cover but Pac broke it up with a beautiful 450 Splash. Moxley hit Anderson with a Cutter and tagged Fenix in. Rey Moonsaulted onto Anderson for a two count. Anderson planted Fenix with a Spinebuster and Gallows tagged in. Good Brothers hit the Magic Killer on Fenix for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Good Brothers attacked Moxley but Lance Archer made the save. Archer sent Gallows and Anderson to the outside and exited the ring. Moxley crawled towards Moxley. Kenta hopped into the ring and hit Jon Moxley with the GTS to close the show.

Opinion: Kenta showing up was awesome and the main event was the best match of the show. Britt Baker versus Thunder Rosa was solid as well and hopefully the finish means they will have a rematch at Revolution. There has to be somebody there that takes a gander at that wedding segment on paper and says we can’t do this because it sucks and doesn’t belong on television. Until that happens, there will be enough segments on the show that simply do not work and continue to hold the product back a bit. Overall, Beach Break had it’s moments and ended on a high note. If AEW has some kind of partnership now with NJPW as well then that is massive news and I don’t know how a wrestling fan couldn’t be excited about the possible matchups.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1357162388861177857?s=20

WWE NXT Results (2/3): Edge Appears, Title Match, Dusty Classic Bouts

Andrew Ravens
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0

The February 3, 2021 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

WWE NXT Results 

  • Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez def. Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro.
  • Austin Theory def. Leon Ruff.
  • Legado del Fantasma def. Lucha House Party
  • NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar def. Curt Stallion
  • Timothy Thatcher & Tommaso Ciampa def. The Undisputed Era

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Edge Appearance 

pjimage 2021 02 03T202409.814

WWE announced in advance that WWE Hall of Famer Edge would be making an appearance on this show. However, they didn’t mention what he would exactly be doing. 

Fast forward to the show, the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion interrupted a promo segment between NXT Champion Finn Balor and Pete Dunne. The two NXT stars traded words as Dunne said that he would beat Balor to win the title. Balor threw out the match announcement between them for the title at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day.

Edge came out and said that he has watched NXT for years as a fan. He said that he saw hunger in the eyes of the wrestlers and this show helped him find his passion to get his career back. He brought up winning the Royal Rumble allows him to challenge for any title he wants. He put Dunne and Balor over for being two of the best in the company. He said that he sees a younger version of himself in Dunne.

He sees Balor as someone in the zone like no one else. He said that he will be watching their match at TakeOver because he’s never had the NXT Title. He said that no matter who wins at TakeOver, the fight may make him decide his choice. 

The Undisputed Era vs. Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher

pjimage 2021 02 03T131852.020

The Undisputed Era (Roderick Strong, Adam Cole) vs. Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic quarterfinal match was booked.

This served as the main event of the show and what a match it was. Throughout the match, Ciampa sold his neck, which was surgically repaired in 2019. They did some near falls towards the end of the match. 

The babyfaces did some tag team moves before Ciampa hit his finisher for the win. 

As a result of this win, they will move onto face The Grizzled Young Veterans in the men’s Dusty Classic semifinals.

Lucha House Party vs. Legado Del Fantasma 

pjimage 2021 02 03T131849.679

Lucha House Party (Lince Dorado, Gran Metalik) vs. Legado del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza, Joaquin Wilde) in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic quarterfinal match was booked.

WWE saved this as the third match of the night. The heels got the early advantage. They did some near fall spots with the babyfaces as they made their comeback until the heels hit their finisher for the win. 

Post-match, MSK came out for a promo where they bragged about their fast rise in NXT and how next week they’ll win to advance in the tournament. 

As a result of this win, they will move onto face MSK in the men’s Dusty Classic semifinals.

Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez vs. Team Ninja 

pjimage 2021 02 03T131846.229

Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinals: Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez vs. Team Ninja (Kayden Carter, Kacy Catanzaro) in a Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic quarterfinal match was booked. 

This was the opening match on the show and a really fun way to start things off as they had a quick pace style throughout it. At one point, Kacy did a dive off the barricade onto the heels. 

Raquel hit her finisher to Kacy for the win. 

As a result of this win, they will move on to the finals, which will be at the NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day special where they’ll face the winners of Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon vs Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell.

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1357136248574533634

Title Match

NXT Cruiserweight Champion El Hijo Del Fantasma is now Santos Escobar
NXT Cruiserweight Champion El Hijo Del Fantasma is now Santos Escobar

NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar defended the title against Curt Stallion.

The story of the match was Escobar dominating and cutting off Stallion over and over. Scarlett was watching the match from the grandstands after Escobar was warned that Karrion Kross would be watching. Escobar won with his finisher. 

Post-match, Kross took out Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde before having a staredown with Escobar. Kross said that they have some problems so he’s going to give him some time until the unenviable. 

Leading up to this match, Stallion had been in line for a title shot once he won a number one contender’s fatal five-way match on 205 Live in November. Escobar successfully defended his Cruiserweight title on NXT New Year’s Evil against Gran Metalik. Last week’s show saw Escobar cut an in-ring promo Escobar cut an in-ring promo 

Metalik & Dorado then ran out and brawled with Mendoza & Wilde. Once the heels had the numbers advantage, Stallion got involved and helped fight off group. Later on, in the show, Legado Del Fantasma interrupted an interview with the babyfaces and  Escobar said he’ll embarrass Stallion. 

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1357154627364544513

Finn Balor vs. Pete Dunne Set For NXT TakeOver, Edge Teases Wrestling Winner

Andrew Ravens
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0

As advertised, Edge made an appearance on Wednesday’s episode of WWE NXT. 

He did so to interrupt a promo segment at the top of the second hour involving WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor and Pete Dunne. This is where it was revealed that Balor will defend the title against the top contender at the next TakeOver special. 

Edge did a promo about how he watched NXT as a fan for years and by doing so it helped him find the passion to make a return. This is where he teased challenging for the NXT Title at WrestleMania 37 as he won the Men’s Royal Rumble Match, which allows him to challenge for any title that he wants. It should be noted that WWE reportedly already has their plans lined up for him at Mania. 

Also confirmed on this show was a new title match for TakeOver, which will see Johnny Gargano put the NXT North American Title on the line when he defends against Kushida as the two stars have been feuding over the past few weeks. 

WWE presents the NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day event on Sunday, February 14, 2021 in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center and will air on the WWE Network.

Bad Bunny Training For In-Ring Debut At WWE Performance Center

Andrew Ravens
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0

Rapper Bad Bunny is preparing to work his first pro wrestling match. 

On Tuesday, the Grammy-winning music star was training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Pwinsider.com reports that his training is for him to get ready for a proposed match against The Miz and/or John Morrison later this year at a WWE pay-per-view event. 

While the expectation is that Bunny will be making his in-ring debut for WWE, it won’t come immediately. Bunny noted during an appearance on Monday’s episode of Raw during a MizTV segment that wrestling for WWE has been one of his life-long dreams.

It’s been previously reported that WWE had plans for Bunny to make more appearances and there was even an idea pitched about him being involved at WrestleMania 37 where he could potentially wrestle. 

Up to this point, he’s been aligned with WWE Hall of Famer Booker T and Damian Priest in the storylines. At Sunday’s Royal Rumble, he performed his “Booker T” single before doing an angle with The Miz and John Morrison after they were eliminated by Priest in the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match. 

Also on Monday’s Raw, Priest then defeated The Miz in singles action. During it, the rapper dropped Morrison with a microphone shot.

WWE Revives Classic PPV Name For Next NXT TakeOver Special (2/14)

Andrew Ravens
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WWE has revealed the new name for the next NXT TakeOver special and longtime fans may remember it. 

On Wednesday, the company confirmed the name, NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day. As seen below, WWE is also bringing back one of the original logos from the old WWE Vengeance pay-per-views.

The first Vengeance event took place back in 2001 and was later changed to Vengeance: Night of Champions in 2007 before it was retired only to be brought back in 2011 for a one-off. This will be the first time WWE has used the name since then.

NXT Takeover: Vengeance Day

WWE presents the NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day event on Sunday, February 14, 2021 in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center and will air on the WWE Network. 

Only one match has been announced for the show right now, which is WWE NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Mercedes Martinez vs. Toni Storm in a Triple Threat Match. There is speculation that the finals of the Men’s and Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classics will also take place at Takeover.

WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming days.

Rey Mysterio Reveals He Recently Signed A New Deal With WWE

Chris Stephens
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Rey Mysterio spoke to Sports Illustrated this week and revealed he recently re-signed with WWE:

“We never made the signing of my new deal public, but there is definitely going to be more time to see Rey Mysterio in WWE.”

After losing his eye in storyline at the Extreme Rules PPV, it wasn’t clear if Mysterio would be returning to WWE. Later that summer it was reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Mysterio had all but signed a new multi-year contract.

The future Hall of Famer has no plans on leaving the ring. “I’m going to keep wrestling, at least until Father Time catches up and says, ‘It’s time to go.’”

Rey Mysterio in WWE

Mysterio also spoke about leaving WWE in 2015 and his decision to return in 2018. He took the time to evaluate what he wanted his figure to look like. He and his wife and children decided WWE was his best move. He is grateful that Dominik is getting an opportunity as well.

“WWE has treated me like I had never left, and I am so grateful and truly blessed for that. I’m under WWE’s wings once again, and they’ve seen such potential in Dominik and such a bright future for him.”

Finally, Rey Mysterio wanted to change his look during his latest run. He explains why he adopted the eye-popping mohawk.

“I changed up my look a little bit, and I really wanted to include the mohawk. That was big for me growing up as a wrestling fan. The mohawk makes this mask stand out even more.”

The full article featuring more quotes from Rey Mysterio at SI.com.

AEW Rankings Report (2/3): Fenix, Miro, & Red Velvet Make Big Gains

Chris Stephens
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0

AEW has released new top-5 rankings for each of its divisions. Fenix and Red Velvet made the biggest gains this week, with each moving into top-ranked spots.

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. Rey Fenix (3-1) (Previously Unranked)
  4. Miro (2-0) (Previously Unranked)
  5. PAC (1-0)

Both Ricky Starks and Maxwell Jacob Friedman fall out of the rankings this week. MJF is still ranked in the tag-team division, however. Tonight, 3 of the top-5 contenders will team together. #1 Jon Moxley will team with #5 PAC and #3 Fenix to take on AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and the Impact tag-team champions, The Good Brothers. #4 Miro is now in the top-5. He’ll be busy with Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford’s wedding this week. #2 Cody Rhodes has a budding rivalry with Shaquille O’Neal and Jade Cargill in the works.

Screen Shot 2021 02 03 at 12.51.25 PM

AEW Women’s Singles Rankings

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

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

The women’s division rankings were thrown for a complete loop this week. Big Swole had been ranked #2 but is now out of the top-5. Former champion Nyla Rose was ranked #3 last week but she’s now out of the top-5 as well. Penelope Ford was ranked #4 last week but is now out of the top-5. #5 Tay Conti is in the rankings this week, she is replacing her friend from the Dark Order, Anna Jay, who was ranked #5 last week.

#3 Britt Baker will face #4 Thunder Rosa tonight.

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AEW Tag Team Rankings

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

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

The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) were ranked #4 last week but have now fallen outside the top-5.

After defeating the Varsity Blondes last week, MJF and Chris Jericho move up 2 spots to the #3 spot. Their Inner Circle stablemates, Santana and Ortiz, are back in the #5 position after spending one week outside the top-5. #4 the Acclaimed move down one spot as a result of MJF and Jericho moving up 2 spots.

It doesn’t really matter what the teams are ranked, however, as tonight almost the entire division will be in a battle royal with the winning team earning a shot at the Young Bucks at Revolution.

Screen Shot 2021 02 03 at 12.51.44 PM

Drew McIntyre Autobiography To Be Released This Spring

Chris Stephens
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0

WWE Champion Drew McIntyre’s memoir, “A Chosen Destiny: My Story” will be released in the UK on April 22nd, 2021, and in the United States on May 4th, 2021.

Pre-Order from Amazon: Drew McIntyre: “A Chosen Destiny: My Story”

The book will tell McIntyre’s story of dreaming of WWE greatness and then watching it all slip from his fingers when he was released by WWE in 2014. Over the course of the 7 years since he was released, he’s embarked on a journey that has led to him now being the WWE Champion.

The official synopsis reads:

“From a young age, Drew dreamed of becoming WWE Champion and following in the footsteps of heroes ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and Undertaker. With his parents’ support, he trained and paid his dues, proving himself to tiny crowds in the Butlin’s circuit. At age twenty-two, McIntyre made his WWE debut and was touted by none other than WWE Chairman Vince McMahon as ‘The Chosen One,’ who would lead WWE into the future. With his destiny in the palm of his hands, Drew watched it all slip through his fingers.”

Drew McIntyre took to Twitter to announce that his book will be released this spring:

FTR Removed From Battle Royal On AEW Dynamite

Chris Stephens
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0

If you were hoping that Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood would win tonight’s AEW tag-team battle royal and go on to rematch the Young Bucks at Revolution, you are out of luck. AEW has announced that FTR has been removed from tonight’s battle royal. AEW is stating that the former tag-team champions have been removed from the match due to their conduct during Harwood’s singles match against Jungle Boy last week.

The Dark Order’s John Silver & Alex Reynolds will replace them in the match.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1356783212954058752

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, FTR’s removal is purely for storyline purposes and is not related to an injury or COVID-19 protocols.

AEW also announced a new match for tonight during last night’s Impact Wrestling broadcast. Matt Hardy will team with Hangman Page to take on Luther & Serpentico, Chaos Project.

The updated lineup for the show is below:

  • Thunder Rosa vs. Dr. Britt Baker DMD (w/Rebel)
  • Lumberjack Match
    Eddie Kingston vs. Lance Archer (w/Jake Roberts)
  • AEW World Tag Team Title #1 Contendership Battle Royal
    The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. Top Flight (Darius Martin & Daunte Martin) vs. John Silver & Alex Reynolds vs. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen) vs. The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) vs. Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) vs. The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho & MJF) vs. The Inner Circle (Jake Hager & Sammy Guevara) vs. The Inner Circle(Ortiz & Santana) vs. The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson)
  • The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) & Kenny Omega (w/Don Callis) vs. Death Triangle (PAC & Rey Fenix) & Jon Moxley
  • Matt Hardy & Hangman Page vs CHAOS Project (Luther & Serpentico)

Impact Results (2/2): Moose Pins World Champion Rich Swann

Chris Stephens
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0

Impact Wrestling is building towards No Surrender on February 13th, 2021. The event will stream on Impact Plus and feature The Good Brothers defending their titles against Private Party and Rich Swann defending his title against Tommy Dreamer.

Impact Wrestling results 2/2:

  1. Havok defeated Tasha Steelz
  2. Josh Alexander defeated Madman Fulton
  3. Larry D defeated Crazzy Steve
  4. Jordynne Grace defeated Susan
  5. Moose & Chris Bey defeated Rich Swann & Tommy Dreamer

Below are 10 key takeaways from the show and the lineup for next week and No Surrender:

Moose Pins Rich Swann In Main Event

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd2fYfEgRmk

The self-proclaimed TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Moose, has been gunning for Impact World Champion Rich Swann for several months now. At Genesis, Moose beat Swann’s longtime tag partner and friend, Willie Mack. This led to Swann telling Moose he’d give him a title shot. At No Surrender, however, Swann will be facing Tommy Dreamer on Dreamer’s 50th birthday. Moose feels he should be getting that shot. Moose scored a pinfall over the champion this week, when he pinned Swann after a spear. It might be Swann vs Dreamer at No Surrender, but Moose will be waiting in the wings for the winner.

ODB Returns To Impact Wrestling

Jodrynne Grace defeated Su Yung’s alter-ego “Susan” in singles competition this week. Kimber Lee and Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo were on the outside and attempted to interfere and give Susan the advantage. Grace had Jazz on the outside, however, and she got into it with Purrazzo on the outside. After the match, the heels had a 3-on-2 advantage but ODB returned to Impact Wrestling and made the save.

“Big Money” Matt Hardy Explains The Financials of Being Tag Team Champions

Matt Hardy and Private Party were back on Impact this week. Private Party is preparing to have a tag-team title shot against the Good Brothers at No Surrender but they will also be in the tag-team battle royal on Dynamite this week. If they win the battle royal, they will go on to Revolution to face the Young Bucks. Hardy explained that the team could have both sets of tag belts soon and that means more money for all 3 of them.

Tony Khan Purchases More Advertisement Time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghLXz20W990

The two Tonys from AEW were in rare form this week. While dressed out in their best beach vacation attire, the pair ran down the card for Dynamite this week. Khan also mentioned that he’s been emotionally impacted by the Impact invasion on Dynamite and this has led to him making emotional decisions, such as allowing Jon Moxley to wrestle on New Japan Strong.

Ken Shamrock Indefinitely Suspended

Footage was shown this week of what happened after Impact went off the air last week. Shamrock continued to attack everyone in sight and even Sami Callihan was not able to control him. Shamrock assaulted referees and security guards. It was then revealed that Impact has suspended Shamrock indefinitely.

Mahabali Shera Returns To Help Rohit Raju

Manik won the X-Division championship from Rohit Raju but many have assumed it was TJP under the mask since he was not permitted to challenge Raju for the belt again. Nobody could prove this, however. Now, it seems, TJP has been revealed as the X-Division Champion and there was seemingly nothing Raju can do about it.

This week, Raju and TJP faced off in singles competition with the stipulation that if Raju wins, he’ll face TJP for the title. The finish of this match came when TJP escaped to the outside but Mahabali Shera was under the ring, grabbed TJP, choke slammed him, and then Raju followed that up with a running knee for the win.

Brian Myers Brings In Hernandez For Feud With Eddie Edwards, Matt Cardona Makes The Save

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVgDXve9zLg

Brian Myers came out to cut a promo while wearing an eye patch this week. Myers was poked in the eye by Fallah Bah in a match recently and then last week, Eddie Edwards got disqualified when he snapped and started biting Myers’ face. Myers cut a promo this week about Edwards being unprofessional. This brought out Edwards but he was then attacked by Hernandez, who Myers appears to have enlisted for the feud. Matt Cardona then came out and made the save.

Later in the show, Edwards and Cardona were seen agreeing to ask management for a match against Hernandez and Myers at No Surrender.

Team XXXL Brings In Tenille Dashwood For Feud Against Decay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdVb2vvgrhQ

Team XXXL’s Larry D took on Decay’s Crazzy Steve in singles action this week. Larry and Acey Romero are upset with Decay for the role they played in Larry being wrongfully accused of shooting John E Bravo. Larry would pick up a measure of revenge this week when he defeated Crazzy Steve after a brutal punch to the face.

Later in the back, Team XXXL said the only reason they didn’t attack Rosemary as well is that she is a girl. This brought in Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb with a K and they said Tenille would gladly hit Rosemary. A match for No Surrender was made but Decay will have to find a 3rd member of their team.

Havok Picks Up Singles Victory Over Tasha Steelz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRdQbR7pzBc

Havok & Neveah interrupted the title victory celebration for Fire N Flava recently and have made no secret that they are gunning for the tag belts. This week, Havok took on Tasha Steelz in singles competition. Steelz attempted to chop down her much larger opponent and Hogan also attempted to interfere from the outside. Hogan attempted to grab at Havok’s foot from the outside but then as Steelz was thrown to the ropes shortly after, Neveah grabbed her foot from the outside. This allowed Havok to hit a tombstone pile driver for the win.

At some point, Fire N Flava are going to have to defend their tag titles against Havok & Neveah, though that match has yet to be officially announced.

Josh Alexander Defeats Madman Fulton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XZIfOfOfs8

Alexander teamed with Matt Cardona last week to defeat Madman Fulton and Ace Austin. This week, Alexander faced Fulton in singles action. Alexander’s power was on full display as he was able to hit big moves on his much larger opponent. The finish of the match came when Fulton missed a corner attacked and Alexander hit a powerbomb followed by a Jay Driller for the win.

Coming Up In Impact Wrestling

Next Week:

  • Impact Tag Team Championships
    The Good Brothers (c) vs James Storm & Chris Sabin
  • ODB vs Kimber Lee
  • Neveah vs Kiera Hogan
  • Rich Swann & Tommy Dreamer contract signing.
  • Cousin Jake answers Violent By Design’s Invitation.

No Surrender
February 13th, 2021

  • Impact World Championships
    Rich Swann (c) vs Tommy Dreamer
  • Impact Tag Team Championships
    The Good Brothers (c) vs Private Party
  • X-Division Championship
    TJP (c) vs Rohit Raju
  • Team XXXL & Tenille Dashwood vs Crazzy Steve, Rosemary, & TBD

Kurt Angle Praises Paul Heyman As a Creative Mind

Jake Skudder
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The Kurt Angle show has now joined the AdFreeShows family and will be airing every week for free on all major podcasting providers. The debut episode of the show was released early on AdFreeShow’s Patreon page, with Angle discussing his WrestleMania 19 main event match against Brock Lesnar.

During the show, Angle also discussed former SmackDown Head Writer Paul Heyman. The former owner of ECW was instrumental in changing the perception of SmackDown back in the mid-2000s, with many fans dubbing the era the ‘SmackDown Six.’ The Superstars part of the famous, but ‘unofficial’ group were Angle, Edge, Rey Mysterio, Chris Benoit, Eddie and Chavo Guerrero.

“I think Paul is very talented” Kurt Angle began on the show, describing Heyman as a creative mind. “I think that he comes up with excellent ideas and concepts. You know him coming in [to SmackDown] definitely helped us out. It seemed, like I’ve said before, the writing was more geared towards RAW.

Kurt Angle on Paul Heyman

“When Paul came in we were safe” Angle continued. “Smackdown was taken care of, because he has a great mind for wrestling, for the business. He comes up with some crazy things, but most of the time, they all they work…almost all the time.”

Kurt Angle then finished by saying that his ‘Wrestling Machine’ gimmick from around that time was a Heyman’s brainchild. “Paul is the one that wanted me to change gears and become the ‘wrestling machine.’ And that’s what I did, I backed it up.”

Do you think that we’ll see Paul Heyman in an official creative capacity again? Do you think that Kurt Angle could become an onscreen character again? Let us know in the comments

Edge Appearing On Tonight’s WWE NXT

Michael Reichlin
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Edge is headed to the Capitol Wrestling Center for this week’s episode of NXT on USA. The Rated R Superstar won the Men’s Royal Rumble this past Sunday.

He tweeted that he is currently in Orlando with his wife, NXT announcer and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix. Since he would be in the same city that hosts NXT, why not pay them a visit Wednesday night.

Edge’s WrestleMania Opponent

Winning the Royal Rumble earned Edge a WrestleMania 37 title match against the champion of his choosing. He can face WWE Champion Drew McIntyre or Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Edge could also challenge NXT Champion Finn Balor, similar to last year’s Women’s Rumble winner Charlotte facing NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania last uyear.

Catch up on the Top 10 Moments from last week’s NXT broadcast:

Lars Sullivan Released by WWE

Michael Reichlin
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0

Lars Sullivan is no longer with WWE, as first reported by PWInsider. The news has since been confirmed by WWE.

Sullivan was with the company since 2013. He spent several years training in developmental before debuting for NXT in 2017. Sullivan had some success in NXT and was pushed as a monster heel. He made his main roster debut in April 2019, the night after WrestleMania 36 when he attacked Kurt Angle, who had just retired. For the next several months, he attacked several top babyface acts on Raw.

He was abruptly sidelined later that year when he was at the center of a scandal. Prior to joining WWE, Sullivan was very outspoken on certain Internet message boards. A series of posts were unearthed that included some remarks that were racist and homophobic. Many fans on social media knew about this flagrant activity for years, but apparently WWE became aware of them in 2019.

WWE announced that he was fined $100,000 and required to undergo sensitivity training. A company statement read, “WWE supports a culture of inclusion regardless of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation, and we are committed to embracing all individuals as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide. Dylan Miley (aka Lars Sullivan) will be fined $100,000 and required to complete sensitivity training for offensive commentary uncovered from his past. WWE will also facilitate meetings for Dylan with community organizations to foster further discussion around the power of social media and the impact of your words.”

Sullivan issued a statement apologizing for those who were offended. Soon after this incident, he blew out his knee and was off television for over a year. He made one final appearance on WWE SmackDown back in October 2020 before disappearing once again.

WWE Raw Ratings Stay Steady For Post-Royal Rumble Edition (2/1)

Andrew Ravens
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Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.892 million viewers with a 0.58 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. Last week’s show did 1.819 million viewers with a 0.52 rating.

Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Monday night:

  • The first hour did 1.981 million viewers and a 0.61 rating (A18-49).
  • The second hour did 1.885 million viewers and a 0.57 rating.
  • The final hour of the show had just 1.811 million viewers and a 0.55 rating.

This was the post-show edition of Raw for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event, which is traditionally the second or third highest rated Raw of the year.  Next week will be more interesting to follow as there will not be the same intrigue like this. 

This same episode last year did 2.402 million viewers while the 2019 edition did 2.703 million viewers.

SmackDown Viewership

Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.304 million viewers. This is down from the 2.383 million viewers on FS1 that the show did for the previous week.

SmackDown pulled in a 0.62 rating in the 18-49 demos, down from the 0.63 rating the previous week’s show. The episode drew an average of 2.228 million viewers in the overnight ratings, down from the previous week that did 2.282 million viewers. 

The first hour saw it pull in 2.294 million viewers while hour two did 2.161 million viewers. The show did 2.284 million viewers in hour one while hour two did 2.280 million viewers two weeks ago.

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