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The Miz Removes Himself From Elimination Chamber Match, Replacement Revealed

Anutosh Bajpai
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The current Mr Money In The Bank The Miz has removed himself from the upcoming Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship this Sunday.

The A Lister was originally announced as a contestant for the match last week. However, he met with Adam Pearce in a backstage segment on this week’s Raw and said that he wanted to give up his spot ‘for a younger talent.’

The Miz then suggested the name of John Morrison for the spot but Kofi Kingston also wanted an opportunity for the same and Pearce ended up booking a match between the two to determine who gets the chance.

The New Day member ended up winning this bout after hitting a Trouble In Paradise and earned the spot for himself at the PPV event this Sunday. After the latest changes, here is the updated Elimination Chamber match card:

Updated Elimination Chamber Match Card:

  • Elimination Chamber Match for WWE Championship: Kofi Kingston vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus vs. AJ Styles vs. Drew McIntyre (c)
  • Elimination Chamber Match for shot at Universal Championship: Kevin Owens vs. Jey Uso vs. King Baron Corbin vs. Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro vs. Daniel Bryan
  • WWE Universal Championship Match: Winner of the SmackDown Elimination Chamber vs. Roman Reigns (c)
  • RAW Women’s Championship Match: Lacey Evans vs. Asuka (c)
  • WWE United States Championship Triple Threat Match: Riddle vs. Keith Lee vs. Bobby Lashley (c)

WWE Elimination Chamber Card: Updated Card For Sunday

Andrew Ravens
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There have been some changes made to the card for Sunday’s Elimination Chamber.

On Monday’s episode of Raw, the show opened with The Miz welcoming Drew McIntyre to Miz TV. After Miz kept interrupting the WWE Champion, McIntyre headbutted him and tossed his Money in the Bank briefcase out of the ring towards the stage.

This led to McIntyre leaving and Miz recovering to the point where he did a promo where he announced that he was removing himself from the WWE Title Elimination Chamber Match. He then teased cashhing in the Money in the Bank briefcase on either McIntyre or even Universal Champion Roman Reigns. 

WWE named his replacement later in the show as a Gauntlet Match took place featuring the newest member, Kofi Kingston, as well as McIntyre, Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, and Sheamus with Sheamus winning to earn the right to enter the chamber match last. 

Kingston earned the spot after beating The Miz in a singles match earlier in the night. 

Also, Lacey Evans was supposed to challenge Asuka for the Raw Women’s Title at this show, but she is pregnant and WWE will have to announce her replacement.

WWE Elimination Chamber: Updated Card

  • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Sheamus – Elimination Chamber Match
  • WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. TBA 
  • Kevin Owens vs. Jey Uso vs. King Corbin vs. Sami Zayn vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro – #1 Contender Elimination Chamber Match
  • WWE Raw Women’s Champion Asuka vs. TBA
  • WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Matt Riddle vs. Keith Lee – Triple Threat Match

Bobby Lashley Wants Keith Lee in The Hurt Business

Rayan Sayyed
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Bobby Lashley says he wants Keith Lee in his Hurt Business faction. Lashley thinks Lee is a star who is ready to breakout and the Hurt Business would propel him to the next level.

While speaking to TV Insider, WWE’s reigning United States Champion was asked if he sees any similarities between himself and Keith Lee.

“Now that you say that, I kind of do,” Lashley said about seeing some of his own characteristics in Keith Lee. “When I first came in, I was a major player. Then I hovered. At certain times I faced John Cena, Booker T. and JBL, but I never broke through to get that world title. Keith has earned respect from a lot of people.”

Lashley added, “He has been going out there and doing everything he has to do. I think he’s the kind of person who might need a little Hurt Business in his life to take him to that next level. He is ready to breakout, as are others.”

Keith Lee was added to the main roster in 2020 after a great stint in NXT, where he won the NXT Championship and also the North American Championship.

Since The Hurt Business has seen some tension amongst the members, Bobby Lashley was asked if there is a possibility the group might disband.

“No. Sometimes when we disagree, it’s just being brothers — you have little spats. There’s no chance we’re breaking up.”

Meanwhile, Bobby Lashley will defend his United States title against Keith Lee himself and Matt Riddle in a triple-threat match at the Elimination Chamber event this Sunday. He defeated Apollo Crews at Payback last year to win the title for the second time in his career.

Lacey Evans Is Legitimately Pregnant

Andrew Ravens
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Lacey Evans shared some exciting news on Monday’s episode of Raw. 

Asuka and Charlotte Flair fought Peyton Royce and Evans in a tag team match on this show, but Evans didn’t take a bump as she refused to tag in. Instead, she walked out from ringside before announcing she is pregnant. 

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair implied that he is the father because he could be heard saying, “call me daddy.” Clearly, Flair is not the father but Evans is legitimately pregnant.

Evans informed WWE about her pregnancy on Monday. Thus, they had to change the direction of her storyline with Flair.

This means that she will be taking time off from WWE. The company could always pick up the storyline where it left off when she returns late this year or in early 2022. This will be the second child for Lacey and her husband Alfonso as their first child is named Summer.

WWE will also have to announce her replacement in a planned title match as Evans was supposed to challenge Asuka for the Raw Women’s Title at this Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Bad Bunny Wins WWE 24/7 Title

Andrew Ravens
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Bad Bunny is the new WWE 24/7 Champion for now. 

During Monday’s episode of Raw, Akira Tozawa won the title from R-Truth. Moments later, Akira walked into Damian Priest, who was with Bad Bunny, and the Raw star sent him into a stack of production crates. Bunny pinned him to win the title.

Bad Bunny is slated to be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Thus, this could’ve been done so he could hold on to the title for a while and be able to show it off on SNL.

Triple H commented on the moment by writing the following on Twitter: 

“A #RoyalRumble moment, an upcoming #SNL appearance and now @WWE #247Champion… @sanbenito has been a busy man. #ThePoint #WWERaw.”

After appearing at the Royal Rumble and getting physical with The Miz and John Morrison, the following night on Raw, it was reported that the singer is training at the Performance Center to get ready for his WWE in-ring debut. 

Bad Bunny made a chunk of change via recent WWEShop sales. A few weeks ago, he held all four of the top merch selling spots thanks to his t-shirt. This drove over $500,000 in sales to WWE and Bad Bunny as a result.

WWE Issuing Violations To Talent For Social Media Posts Naming Third Parties

Andrew Ravens
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WWE has decided to issue “violations” to talent if they send out messages on Twitter and Instagram while naming any third party business, person, brand, or charity. 

Wrestling Inc reported the news today. Per the report, the violations start with a warning, then a fine, and finally suspension. WWE claims ownership of talent Twitter and Instagram accounts because of a clause in their contract, which grants the company the exclusive use of their likeness.

WWE made it clear to wrestlers who have complained that the current “flexibility” allowed in social media could be retracted by them. 

Last September, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon sent out a memo stating wrestlers can no longer use platforms like Cameo and Twitch. A month later, WWE decided to release Zelina Vega due to fallout from her continuing to use platforms like Twitch and OnlyFans.

It was clarified that talent will be able to maintain both YouTube and Twitch accounts but has to use their real names. 

LoveUX came out with a study about how lucrative these social media posts can be to celebrities and wrestlers. Lana earned an estimated $625,922 off 59 sponsored posts last year, which turned out to be $10,608 per post. Mandy Rose got $490,104 off 71 sponsored posts ($6,902 per post).

Cody Rhodes Says An AEW-WWE Crossover Could Happen

Andrew Ravens
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Cody Rhodes has made it known that it’s entirely possible for AEW and WWE to work together, even though the chances of that happening are slim. 

All Elite Wrestling has established a working relationship with not only Impact Wrestling, but also NJPW. 

This is something the AEW Executive talked about while doing an interview with The New York Post. He made the comments on a potential AEW – WWE crossover when asked about having wrestlers from the likes of NWA, NJPW, and Impact on Dynamite. 

He thinks the All In show showed that the business can let go of various old rules. All In was an independent wrestling show with production help from ROH that was started off a bet that he couldn’t hold a show with 10,000 fans in attendance. He noted that there is no reason why AEW couldn’t work with NJPW and thus the same with WWE. 

“There’s no reason that there couldn’t be a potential WWE crossover one day,” Rhodes said. “And I don’t mean that’s a thing that’s been discussed or happening, but none of those rules that exist for other places exist for us. Wrestling is really this universal industry. The territory reference that you made, that’s fairly accurate, but the part of it that’s most accurate was there was a genuine trust.”

He brought up how Eddie Graham and Vince McMahon Sr. traded talent all of the time. The reason for this was to keep wrestlers fresh. 

“Wednesday Night War or not the main thing we have to do for fans for the rest of this run – and I want this company to be around forever — is keep it fresh. It can’t ever get stale. Our doors are open if the business is right, if the moment is right, if the time is right. Our bridges are down. I’ll be the one curmudgeon AEW guy to make sure it’s all good.”

WWE moved NXT to the USA Network in the same time slot as Dynamite when AEW reached a television deal with TNT. Since that time, AEW has won the majority of the ratings war in both total viewership and nearly all demos except for +50.

WWE Signs Blake Christian & Harlem Bravado

Chris Stephens
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WWE has signed two new talents recently, one of whom has been in appearing in Impact Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling as of late.

As first reported by Fightful, WWE has signed Blake Christian to a developmental deal. Christian has appeared recently on episodes of New Japan Strong taped from NJPW’s Los Angeles dojo. He also appeared in Impact Wrestling as recently as this weekend’s No Surrender event.

Christian had also performed regularly with Game Changer Wrestling. At Impact Wrestling’s Genesis event last month, Christian made it to the finals of the Super X Cup. He also made it to the semi-finals of NJPW’s Super J Cup tournament before losing to El Phantasmo.

According to a report from PWInsider, WWE has also signed former Ring of Honor talent, Harlem Bravado. The 31-year-old was trained by Delrious at the ROH dojo. He had also performed with EVOLVE before the promotion shut down. According to match records, Bravado has not performed since the start of the pandemic and EVOLVE’s final shows.

The signing of Christian and Bravado comes at a time when Taya Valkyrie and blue-chip prospect Parker Bordeaux have also signed with the company. Additionally, the members of MSK also signed with the company earlier this year.

Rapper Bow Wow Says He Will Train At Rikishi’s School

Chris Stephens
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Rapper Bow Wow has said that he plans to get into pro-wrestling as he winds his music career to a close. Today, he took to Twitter to announce that he has chosen to train with Rikishi.

Rikishi helps run the KnokX Pro Entertainment promotion and academy in Los Angeles, CA.

Bow Wow then sent a message to Damian Priest that he’s got John Morrison’s back and he’s coming for him and Bad Bunny.

“Ha! Not impressed huh? Every Monday we’re living what you’re chasing homie. But by all means, keep shooting blanks on Twitter,” Priest responded.

“Don’t have to chase whats in place. See you soon my friend,” Bow Wow quipped back.

“A lot of the wrestlers who are coming for me on twitter should be happy im going back and forth. Most have like 70k followers. Im actually helping you become a bigger name (million dollar man laugh) how you on RAW with 50k followers. Something not adding up,” Bow Wow also Tweeted.

When asked who he’d like to face in WWE, Bow Wow had the following to say:

“I want bad bunny. But retribution jumped out on me first. Id love to bring them down 1 by 1”

Pat McAfee Responds To Adam Cole’s Heel Turn

Chris Stephens
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Pat McAfee was not surprised that Adam Cole turned on Kyle O’Reilly and Finn Balor last night. The former NFL player has been trying to tell everyone that Cole is no good. McAfee took to Twitter last night to give his thoughts on the breakup of the Undisputed Era.

He then used a Ric Flair GIF to express how he was feeling:

“Pretty easy answer here right? He’s a scumbag. That’s why. I’ve been saying it ALL ALONG. You stooges wouldn’t listen. Say it with me you dum dums..” he also Tweeted.

McAfee also recently commented on his future in NXT.

“I was talked about in the wrestling community yesterday by Triple H, actually, about my future plans. It was interesting,” McAfee began on the Pat McAfee Show. “I mean, all very nice things he said there, but me learning about being written off TV did happen live on the air. He’s a very nice man, Mr. H, for everything he said. He did say, basically, like, ‘Pat has been very busy. Kind of a fat a– right now. He’s going to have to get back into shape,’ basically is what he said. And then maybe we’ll think about something.”

Adam Cole super kicked Finn Balor in the face following the conclusion of the Vengeance Day main event. This seemingly breaks up, or at least splits up, the long-running NXT faction.

Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish, formerly known as ReDragon in ROH/NJPW and elsewhere, debuted in NXT at TakeOver: Brooklyn III in the summer of 2017. They then aligned with Adam Cole. Roderick Strong joined the group after turning on his partner, Pete Dunne, in the 2018 Dusty Rhodes Classic.

Update On How Much NXT Talent Are Paid

Chris Stephens
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With NXT now on a major cable network as opposed to just the WWE Network, many fans have wondered how much wrestlers from the brand are paid. The range that NXT wrestlers are paid was recently addressed on an episode of Wrestling Observer Radio.

“They are above that,” Meltzer said when asked if top stars in NXT are making in the $50-75 grand a year range. “They are not getting $250-300K or anything like that. Balor I’m sure is but I don’t think anyone else is.”

“They’re probably in the low-1s ($100K),” Meltzer continued to say about top NXT talent.

“I know of one of the top people in NXT who has been there for a long time who should be making a tonne, and he’s making $130K. So they’re making $130-150K. Adam Cole, maybe he’s making a little more, he should be. That’s the range.”

How much newly signed talent to NXT are paid was also addressed.

“NXT usually to start is maybe $60k maybe $50k depending who you are. If you are a guy who was like a football player, you’ll get more and you’ll get raises up to a certain point. There might be guys (getting) more than that, but not much more. It’s not like they are paying $250K to guys in NXT other than Balor.”

Victim In 1980s Ring Boy Scandal Passes Away, Family Blames WWE

Chris Stephens
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Tom Cole, the victim at the center of the 1980s “ring boy scandal” in WWE has passed away. The death has been ruled a suicide. Our sincerest condolences go out to the Cole family and Tom’s brother Lee.

Lee Cole put out a statement on Twitter over the weekend. He addresses WWE directly in his post.

“My brother Tom Committed suicide a couple of hours ago. Vince Mc Mahon and his wife Linda let child molesters into their companies years ago and did everything possible to cover up what they did to my brother. I hope you can sleep good at night Vince. Our family suffers. Thank U,” he Tweeted.

Wresting journalist, David Bixenspan, has been Tweeting about this.

https://twitter.com/davidbix/status/1360412279762800640
https://twitter.com/davidbix/status/1360421481155600385

In keeping with ethical guidelines on the reporting of suicide, further details regarding the cause of death have not been posted. Suicide prevention lifeline: 1-800-273-8255. More information on warning signs as well as additional helpful information can be found here.

Lee Cole’s YouTube video talking about the 1980s ring boy scandal and his brother Tom is below:

The ring boy scandal was covered on an episode of the Donahue show in 1992.

An anonymous source spoke to Business Insider about what happened with the ring boy scandal in the 1980s.

“The boys that the company hired to put up the ring and so forth, were being … had by some of the folks who were in the wrestling ops side of things. And it was just generally known, by everybody, that it was going on.”

They also note that the McMahons “clearly knew what was going on, but really did nothing to stop it…. There was not a damn thing we could do about it.”

NXT TakeOver Vengeance Day Results: Finn Balor vs. Pete Dunne, Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic

Robert Lentini
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NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day aired from the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando. Finn Balor defended the NXT Championship against Pete Dunne in the main event. Eli Drake (LA Knight) showed up during the Kickoff Show before the PPV. The finals of the men’s and women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament took place during NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day as well.

NXT TakeOver Vengeance Day Results

  1. Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai def. Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon to win the women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
  2. Johnny Gargano def. Kushida to retain the NXT North American Championship
  3. MSK def. Grizzled Young Veterans to win the men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
  4. Io Shirai def. Toni Storm & Mercedez Martinez to retain the NXT Women’s Championship
  5. Finn Balor def. Pete Dunne to retain the NXT Championship

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Kai & Gonzalez Won The Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic

Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez faced Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon in the finals of the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Shotzi went for a Sleeper Hold but Raquel threw her to the canvas. Ember tagged in and went for a Waist Lock but Gonzalez shoved her away. Gonzalez connected with a Sidewalk Slam and Blackheard tagged herself back in.

Raquel launched Moon out of the ring and slammed Shotzi to the canvas for a near fall. Kai tagged in and Shotzi trapped her in a Texas Cloverleaf in the middle of the ring. Dakota battled through the pain and was able to reach the bottom rope to break the hold. Ember tagged in and hit a Splash for a two count.

Blackheart tagged in and locked in a Half Crab in the middle of the ring. Ember tagged in and continued to work on Dakota’s knee by applying a submission hold in the middle of the ring. Gonzalez tagged back in and sent Ember Moon flying across the ring with a Fallaway Slam.

Dakota Kai connected with a Flying Clothesline off the top rope and went for the cover but Shotzi broke it up at two. Gonzalez brought Shotzi out of the ring and Powerbombed her into the barricade. Gonzalez went for a Clothesline but Moon ducked and Raquel leveled Dakota Kai.

Ember made her way to the top rope and hit Gonzalez with the Eclipse and went for the cover but Dakota distracted the referee. Moon leveled Raquel with a Dropkick and tagged in Blackheart. Kai tagged in as well and Shotzi hit a Gutbuster for a two count. Raquel tagged back and walked into an Enziguri from Shotzi. Gonzalez and Blackheart then battled on the top turnbuckle. Shotzi connected with Sliced Bread and went for the cover but Kai broke it up.

Blackheart took out Kai with a Suicide Dive and tagged in Ember Moon. Moon hit a Codebreaker for a near fall and then went back to the top rope. Shotzi lifted Dakota up in the Electric Chair and Moon hit a Crossbody. Ember Dropkicked Gonzalez into the steel steps and rolled her back into the ring. Kai booted Ember in the face and tagged back in.

Kai hit Shotzi with the Chiropractor for another near fall. Raquel launched Ember Moon onto the entrance ramp and then off the stage. Back in the ring, Shotzi hit a knee to the face and went for the cover but Gonzalez kicked out at two. Shotzi sent Gonzalez out of the ring and then sent Dakota on top of her with a Back Body Drop. Raquel tossed Dakota onto Shotzi for a Splash and then planted Shotzi with a Powerbomb for the pinfall victory. Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai are the winners of the first women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

Gargano Retained In A Great Match With Kushida

Johnny Gargano defended the NXT North American CHampionship against Kushida tonight at Vengeance Day. Kushida brought Gargano down to the canvas and applied a Heel Hook in the middle of the ring. Gargano escaped and but Kushida quickly took him back down with a Headlock. Gargano sent Kushida out of the ring and threw him into the steel steps.

Kushida connected with a Suplex on the floor and then rolled Gargano inside the ring. Kushida hit Gargano with a Dropkick to the left arm and then slammed it on the mat several times. Gargano battled back and planted Kushida with a Neckbreaker. Johnny regrouped and then applied another Headlock to Kushida in the middle of the ring.

Kushida escaped the Headlock and applied an Octopus stretch. Gargano and Kushida traded roll-ups before hitting each other with a Clothesline at the same time. Kushida connected with a German Suplex and went for the cover but Gargano was able to kick out at the last moment.

Gargano climbed to the top rope but Kushida caught him with a boot to the face. Kushida joined Gargano on the turnbuckle and went for a Superplex but Johnny countered into a Suplex of his own. Gargano followed it up with a DDT for another two count. Kushida and Gargano traded punches and both superstars fell to the canvas.

Kushida applied the Hoverboard Lock but Gargano was able to escape. Kushida Suplexed Johnny into the turnbuckle and then locked in an Armbar in the middle of the ring. Gargano was able to get his boot on the bottom rope to break the hold. Gargano brought Kushida out of the ring and threw him into the barricade.

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1361116825585651712?s=20

Kushida hit Gargano in the left arm but Johnny responded by slamming Kushida’s neck into the top rope. Gargano planted Kushida with the One Final Beat DDT on the entrance ramp and rolled the challenger back inside the ring. Gargano hit the One Final Beat for a 2nd time for the pinfall victory. Johnny Gargano is still the NXT North American Champion.

MSK Won The Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic

MSK (Nash Carter & Wes Lee) faced Grizzled Young Veterans (Zach Gibson & James Drake) in the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Nash Carter sent James Drake into the turnbuckle and hit him with an elbow to the face. Wes lee tagged in and hit Drake with a Bronco Buster in the corner of the ring. Gibson tagged in and walked into a Hurricanrana from Wes Lee.

Lee flipped onto the Grizzled Young Veterans outside the ring. Nash Carter followed it up with a Crossbody onto James Drake but turned around into a Clothesline from Gibson. Back in the ring, Zach planted Carter with a Neckbreaker and tagged in Drake. James applied a Headlock to Carter in the middle of the ring.

Nash escaped but Drake caught him with an elbow to the face for a near fall. Wes Lee tagged in and planted James Drake with a Suplex. Drake battled back and trapped Wes Lee in a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Grizzled Young Veterans went for Doomsday Device but Wes Lee countered into a roll-up for a two count.

Nash Carter tagged in and hit a Swanton on Drake. Wes Lee flipped onto Drake as well but James kicked out at two. Gibson lifted Wes Lee up in the Electric Chair and then Carter hit him with a Suicide Dive. MSK hit Grizzled Young Veterans with double Superkicks and then Wes Lee flipped onto Carter for the pinfall victory. MSK won the men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

Io Shirai Retained The NXT Women’s Championship

Io Shirai defended the NXT Women’s Championship against Mercedes Martinez & Toni Storm in a Triple Threat match. Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez started off back and forth before the NXT Women’s Champion hit them both with a Dropkick. Io applied a Headlock to Storm and then Martinez got Io in a Sleeper Hold at the same time.

Mercedes launched Io across the ring and then went for a boot to the face but the NXT Women’s Champion got out of the way. Shirai hit the 619 and then the action spilled out of the ring. Martinez planted Toni with a DDT on the floor as Io Shirai climbed up part of the stage. Io leaped and took out Martinez and Storm outside the ring.

Back in the ring, Martinez planted Toni with a Fisherman’s Suplex for a near fall. Toni hit a headbutt and followed it up with Storm Zero but somehow Mercedes kicked out at two. Storm made her way to the top rope and hit a Flying Headbutt. Toni went for the cover but Io came out of nowhere with a Moonsault to break up the cover. Shirai then pinned Martinez for the victory and retained the NXT Women’s Championship.

Finn Balor Retained, Adam Cole Betrayed Kyle O’Reilly

Finn Balor defended the NXT Championship against Pete Dunne in the main event of TakeOver: Vengeance Day. Dunne and Balor locked up in the middle of the ring to start off the action. Finn locked in an Armbar but Dunne battled to his feet. Pete escaped and the two superstars circled each other before locking up again.

Dunne hit Balor with a headbutt to his recently broken jaw and started bending back Finn’s fingers. Balor battled back and wrestled Dunne down to the canvas. Pete got the NXT Champion in an Armbar and bent Balor’s fingers back while maintaining the hold. Dunne connected with an Enziguri but Balor responded with a massive Clothesline for a near fall.

Finn unloaded several strikes to the back of Dunne’s head and applied a Crossface in the middle of the ring. Dunne escaped the hold but the NXT Champion beat him down in the corner of the ring. Balor and Dunne traded chops to the chest and then kicks to the face.

Pete Dunne caught Balor and stomped on his face a few times. Dunne followed it up with a Powerbomb and went for the cover but Balor was able to kick out at the last moment. Dunne stomped on Balor’s fingers but Finn responded with a boot to Pete’s injured knee. Balor connected with a Backstabber and then a Dropkick.

Balor made his way to the top rope and went for the Coup de Grace but Dunne countered into a Triangle submission in the middle of the ring. Finn was able to get to the bottom rope to break the hold but the NXT Champion also passed out in the process. Pete tried to drag Balor to his feet but he collapsed against the ropes.

Dunne shrugged his shoulders and stomped on Balor’s face. Dunne went for the Bitter End but Balor escaped. Finn went for the 1916 but Dunne blocked it. Balor applied an Abdominal Stretch but Pete broke the hold by snapping back Finn’s fingers. Dunne then hit the Bitter End and went for the cover but Balor kicked out at two.

Pete went for a Powerbomb but Balor was able to counter into a DDT. Balor went for a Dropkick but Dunne was ready and hit an Enziguri. Balor escaped the Bitter End again and hit a reverse DDT for a two count. Dunne once again grabbed onto Finn’s fingers and snapped them back. Balor responded with a stomp on Dunne’s back and ripped out Pete’s mouth guard. Finn hit a Dropkick to the face and then hit the Coup de Grace. Balor didn’t go for the cover and planted Dunne with the 1916 for the pinfall victory. Finn Balor is still the NXT Champion.

After the match, Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan attacked Balor on the entrance ramp. Burch and Lorcan threw Balor into the ring and Dunne joined in on the attack. Undisputed Era rushed the ring and made the save as Lorcan, Burch, and Dunne retreated. Adam Cole then hit Finn Balor with a Superkick out of nowhere and Kyle O’Reilly started arguing with him. Cole leveled Kyle O’Reilly with a Superkick as well and then left the ring. Roderick Strong looked at Finn and Kyle laying on the canvas and then back at Adam Cole on the entrance ramp as TakeOver went off the air.

Opinion: Every single match tonight delivered in my opinion. My only complaint is that I wish the NXT Women’s Championship Triple Threat match was given about ten more minutes. Overall, NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day was a terrific professional wrestling show. There weren’t any gimmick matches or superstars shooting fireballs. It was simply 2.5 hours of everyone giving it their all and beating the hell out of each other.

Finn Balor Retains NXT Title, Adam Cole Turns On Kyle O’Reilly

Andrew Ravens
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After a tough battle, Finn Balor has walked out of the latest special for the black and yellow brand as the top champion. 

Balor made his latest title defense against Pete Dunne at the WWE NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day event The match had a slow build with a lot of grappling and selling by Balor. Things picked up and they traded moves and near falls.  

In the end, Balor connected with a double foot stomp off the top rope then hit 1916 to successfully retain the NXT Title. Post-match, Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan attacked Balor until Undisputed Era ran down to make the save. Kyle O’Reilly offered his hand to Balor, who answered and they shook hands. Adam Cole took out Balor with a superkick then one to Kyle O’Reilly. 

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1361136164472840192

On the February 3rd edition of NXT, Balor and Dunne took part in a segment that was interrupted by men’s Royal Rumble winner Edge, which led to him doing a promo about how he’s allowed to challenge any champion in the company. He put them over for being two of the best and said he’d be watching their match at TakeOver.

He noted that if he hasn’t decided which title he’ll be challenging for at WrestleMania then he would be watching this match closely and the outcome may make him decide his choice. 

WrestleVotes reported last week that WWE officials have talked about the title being defended on one of the nights of WrestleMania 37. Those talks have not been finalized and there’s no word yet on the competitors in the match.

Io Shirai Retains Women’s Title At WWE NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day

Andrew Ravens
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Io Shirai was successful in her latest title defense of the NXT Women’s Title. 

She did so at Sunday’s WWE NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day event when she beat Mercedes Martinez and Toni Storm in a Triple Threat Match. 

The match saw a brawling style with everyone trying to get their spots in. A typical three-way. At one point, Storm was going to do a spot with the announce table, but it broke by itself as she was clearing it. After Storm hit a headbutt off the top rope to Martinez, Io hit a moonsault onto them and pinned Martinez for the win. 

https://twitter.com/JJWilliamsWON/status/1361130466691194891

On the January 27th edition of NXT, Shirai, Storm, and Martinez took part in a three-way brawl with it ending seeing  Storm standing tall and holding up the title. Last month, Martinez made her return to NXT by attacking Shirai, who had been challenged by Storm and went to the ring to call her out. However, Martinez took her out by throwing her into the announce table.

Although Storm & Martinez teamed together in the women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, they were quickly eliminated by Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter in the first round. This was done thanks to Shirai attacking Martinez during the match.

What are your thoughts on Io Shirai retaining the NXT Women’s Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

MSK Crowned 2021 Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Winners

Andrew Ravens
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The 2021 men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is in the books as the final two teams battled it out for the trophy. 

At NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day, The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) took on MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) in the finals of the tournament.

The match saw a chaotic style with the babyfaces selling throughout it until they made their comeback. The match broke down into a spot fest until MSK hit their finisher to Gibson for the victory. 

As a result, they’ve received the Dusty Cup and a shot at Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch’s NXT Tag Team titles.

The semi-finals were held last week on NXT, which saw The Grizzled Young Veterans defeat Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher while MSK advanced to the finals by defeating Legado Del Fantasma’s Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde 

The Grizzled Young Veterans had defeated Ever-Rise (Chase Parker & Matt Martel) in the first round of the tournament then Kushida & Leon Ruff in the quarterfinals. On the flip side, MSK defeated Isaiah “Swerve” Scott & Jake Atlas in the first round before they beat Drake Maverick & Killian Dain in the quarterfinals.

MSK Wins 2021 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic

MSK, who are former Rascalz members Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz, made their promotional debut in this year’s tournament while this marked the second straight year The Grizzled Young Veterans worked the Dusty Rhodes Classic. Last year, they lost to Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne in the finals of the tournament.

Past winners include:

  • 2015: Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
  • 2016: The Authors of Pain
  • 2018: The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly)
  • 2019: Aleister Black and Ricochet
  • 2020: The BroserWeights (Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne)

Johnny Gargano Keeps North American Title At WWE NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day

Andrew Ravens
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The first title match Johnny Gargano vs. Kushida was a memorable one. 

As seen at Sunday’s (February 14, 2021) WWE NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day event in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the WWE Network, Gargano defended the North American Title against Kushida. 

The match saw them work a slow grappling pace as Gargano was working over the left arm of his opponent. They would do a submission spot then into a flurry of spots then slow things down again. They both worked over each other’s left arm and tried to make the other submit. Gargano hit his finisher for the win. 

On the February 3rd edition of NXT, Gargano was informed of this match, but at first, he didn’t believe the news and went to question NXT General Manager William Regal about it. When he walked in, Kushida was in Regal’s office, and this led to Gargano attacking him. However, Kushida got the better of their brawl before it was broken up.

WWE holds the fallout episode from this show of NXT on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see if WWE continues this feud or goes in a different direction. Either way, they put on one heck of a match that delivered. 

Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez Win First-Ever Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic

Andrew Ravens
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Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez are the winners of the first-ever Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

It happened when they took on Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon at Sunday’s NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day special. The match, which opened the show, saw both teams have moments where they dominated until the other team made a hot tag and comeback.

The finish was Gonzalez tossing Blackheart off the top rope and hitting her finisher for the win. 

Blackheart and Moon advanced to the finals by scoring a win over Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell last week on NXT. Before that, they beat Marina Shafir and Zoey Stark in the first round of the women’s Dusty Classic. 

On the flip side, Kai and Gonzalez defeated Aliyah and Jessi Kamea in the first round of the tournament and Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter in the semifinals.

As a result of this win, they got the Dusty Cup and a shot at the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles, which are currently held by  Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler. The titles can be defended on WWE’s main roster brands and in NXT.

The Dusty Rhodes tag team classic tournament was established in 2015 as a tribute to the legendary pro wrestler. 

Eli Drake Debuts At NXT Takeover, Now Known As ‘LA Knight’

Andrew Ravens
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Eli Drake is headed to WWE. The former Impact Wrestling and NWA star signed over the weekend and is joining the NXT brand.

The man formerly known as Eli Drake is now going by the name LA Knight. He was introduced to the WWE Universe at Sunday’s NXT Takeover: Vengeance pay-per-view.

Following his debut on WWE programming, LA Knight is rumored to be part of the next class of WWE Performance Center recruits. They begin training on February 23rd. 

He had originally been under contract with WWE several years ago as he worked under the NXT banner from October 2013 through May 2014. He was released by the company and later signed with Impact Wrestling in February 2015.

During his run with Impact, he held the World Heavyweight and Tag Team Titles. He was positioned as an upper card talent throughout his run. Impact announced in April 2019 that they had terminated Drake from his contract two months before it was slated to expire.

He moved on and signed with the NWA. In 2019, he would become the first person announced as signing an exclusive deal with the NWA, which went on hiatus last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Taya Valkyrie Signs With WWE, Headed To NXT (Report)

Chris Stephens
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The NXT Women’s division is about to get a major player. According to a report from PW Insider, Taya Valkyrie has signed with WWE and will be headed to the NXT brand. Taya had been with Impact Wrestling from 2017 to the end of 2020. She was a focal point in the promotion throughout her entire run.

Prior to ending up in Impact Wrestling, Taya Valkyrie was a big star in Mexico with AAA. She is a multi-time Reina de Reinas Champion (a title she still holds) and was part of the Perros del Mal faction. She also performed in Lucha Underground from 2016-18.

Valkyrie trained with Lance Storm at the Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She is originally from Victoria, BC, Canada.

Taya had the longest single-reign in Impact Knockouts Championship history during her run with the company. She was voted Knockout of the year in the promotion in 2019. In storyline, her run with the promotion came to an end when she was arrested for the shooting and attempted murder of John E. Bravo.

Taya recently spoke to HighSpots about possible future match-ups in either AEW or WWE.

“Well, I really enjoy both products” Taya Valkyrie began. “Obviously, I’m a wrestling fan, always have been. There’s a lot of people that get into wrestling [that] are wrestling fans, surprise, and honestly, I don’t know what’s gonna happen next for me because as a lot of people don’t realize is that I have been signed for about eight-and-a-half years from AAA into Lucha Underground into IMPACT.” 

PROGRESS World Title Match Airing on WWE Network This Weekend

Jake Skudder
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It was recently revealed that PROGRESS Wrestling will be returning as of next weekend. WWE recently confirmed via Twitter that Chapter 104: Natural Progression will be airing on the WWE Network Saturday 20th February at 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. GMT.

The main theme of the show surrounds the Natural Progression Series tournament; however there are other bouts that will be featured on the night as well. One of the bigger matches now confirmed involve the PROGRESS Unified World Champion, Cara Noir.

PROGRESS World Championship

PROGRESS confirmed that the ‘Black Swan’ Cara Noir will be defending his Championship against Dan Moloney. The company confirmed the following via Twitter: “after NPS6 @drillamoloney has unfinished business with PROGRESS World Champion @Cara_Noir. Will Dan destroy the dream return of the Black Swan? Chapter 104: Natural Progression airs 20th February 3pm ET / 8pm GMT on Demand PROGRESS & WWE network.”

Dan Moloney was previously a competitor in the NXT UK promotion, although he was quietly released after a short run in the company. Moloney was one of the standout stars of the United Kingdom scene in 2019, and he looks to bring back that momentum when he returns to in-ring action next weekend.

PROGRESS Champion Cara Noir was also one of the huge success stories prior to the pandemic. This included a major bout against AEW star PAC, which you can check out here.

The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that the company have been unable to run shows for almost a year. The last Chapter event 103: Beer Snake City took place on 23rd February 2020.

Pat McAfee Responds To Triple H, Addresses WWE Future

Jake Skudder
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Former NFL kicker and one time NXT performer Pat McAfee recently addressed his future with WWE. Speaking on his Pat McAfee Show podcast, the man who looked extremely impressive in his debut against Adam Cole last year discussed where he goes from here with the company.

NXT head Triple H recently addressed Pat McAfee’s status in WWE during a recent media call. “Pat’s limitations are…he’s a busy guy,” Triple H said. “Pat is one of the most successful… I hate to put a title on what he does because I feel like it’s limiting to him, but like you say… podcaster, media personality, sports world personality… almost every weekend that I look online during football season Pat seems to be trending on the weekends. His coverage of football, his association with FanDuel, just everything that he does.”

Pat McAfee on NXT/WWE Return

“I was talked about in the wrestling community yesterday by Triple H, actually, about my future plans. It was interesting,” McAfee began on the Pat McAfee Show. “I mean, all very nice things he said there, but me learning about being written off TV did happen live on the air. He’s a very nice man, Mr. H, for everything he said. He did say, basically, like, ‘Pat has been very busy. Kind of a fat a– right now. He’s going to have to get back into shape,’ basically is what he said. And then maybe we’ll think about something.”

“I’ve not heard anything, by the way,” McAfee continued. “Have not heard anything. No ideas. But I do believe the first step would be to have the diet match the amount of conditioning I’ve been doing in the Oculus. And when that happens, look out.”

There’s currently no confirmation on when or where Pat McAfee will return to WWE or NXT programming.

h/t to 411Mania for the transcription

Finn Balor Wants More Cross-Promotion in Wrestling

Jake Skudder
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WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor recently spoke on the concept of ‘cross-promoting’ multiple pro wrestling companies. 2021 has already been a big year for promotions outside of WWE; with NJPW, AEW, IMPACT and AAA all seemingly looking to trade talent over 2021 (at least).

Speaking to Bleacher Report’s Graham Matthews, Balor said “I know there’s a lot of cross-brand work going on, which is something I’ve been an advocate for for years. I don’t feel like we should be limited to what our contract says or what company we work for.”

“I feel like wrestling on the whole can be better if we all worked together” Finn Balor continued. “So if that means me going to Japan or me going to Europe or me going to Mexico? I’m down to do that. I’m all for the open-border policy, not just between countries but companies as well.”

With All Elite Wrestling dominating the Wednesday Night ratings most weeks? It may be time for NXT to pursue other options to generate more buzz around the brand. NXT/WWE have worked with other promotions in the past, with the likes of Hideo Itami (now in NJPW) going to Pro Wrestling NOAH for an appearance. WWE also has strong links with the likes of PROGRESS, ICW, OTT, EVOLVE and wXw; although these are of course not on the level of an IMPACT, AEW or NJPW.

The only other major promotions that WWE seemingly could work with are CMLL, AJPW, NOAH or Ring of Honor; although it would be extremely unlikely, especially in ROH’s case, as they are owned by Sinclair Broadcasting in their own right.

Whilst Finn Balor does make an intriguing point, there’s probably a very slim chance that WWE will operate with other major promotions going forward.

Sammy Guevara Reportedly Rejected Planned Storyline In Impact Wrestling

Chris Stephens
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Sammy Guevara was reportedly sent home from the recent Impact tapings in Nashville. According to a report from Slam Wrestling, Guevara rejected a storyline that would have seen the 27-year-old debut in the promotion.

Chris Jericho is said to have come up with an idea for Guevara to appear in Impact Wrestling. This would take place after he quit the Inner Circle on Dynamite. Guevara, however, is said to have contacted Impact directly with complaints about the creative direction. Impact then contacted Jericho and Tony Khan about Guevara’s comments. It’s not known what Guevara’s complaints were or what he said to Impact.

It doesn’t appear as though Jericho was happy about whatever Guevara said to Impact, however. Jericho is then said to have reached out to his longtime friend, Don Callis, about “banning Guevara” from the premises. Jericho is then believed to have sent Guevara a text instructing him to head home and not attend the tapings in Nashville.

*Update*

The issue was covered recently on an episode of Wrestling Observer Radio.

“AEW and Impact are still working together. From an AEW standpoint, there’s not any heat on Sammy for what he did. From the Impact side, I’m sure there is. That’s just what the deal is,” said Dave Meltzer.

There had been speculation amongst fans online that Guevara could turn up in Impact Wrestling. Evidently, there were plans for this to happen at one point.

At the conclusion of last night’s No Surrender broadcast, Impact announced that NJPW Juice Robinson and David Finlay are coming to the promotion. Private Party and Matt Hardy have been in Impact for the last month. Kenny Omega frequently appeared on the show throughout December and January.

Huge Name Joining NJPW/IMPACT/AEW Partnership

Jake Skudder
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It was revealed during last night’s IMPACT No Surrender event that Juice Robinson and David Finlay would be heading to the promotion this week. Alongside KENTA, that makes three mainstay NJPW stars that have appeared on both AEW/IMPACT programming over the past few weeks.

It’s now common knowledge that All Elite and IMPACT have a working relationship; this began on-screen at the December 2nd ‘Winter Is Coming’ episode of AEW Dynamite. Kenny Omega and Don Callis aligned at the end of that show and Omega began appearing on IMPACT television.

It does appear however that there’s even more to come. Dave Meltzer confirmed on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that NJPW star Kazuchika Okada will be part of the ongoing partnerships between NJPW, AEW and IMPACT. Meltzer also noted that he does not know where Okada will be appearing first; but he stated that he is coming to either AEW or IMPACT.

Kazuchika Okada in TNA

This is another interesting wrinkle in the ‘Forbidden Door’ storyline that seems to be engulfing the major promotions outside of WWE. When Okada was originally in the TNA promotion back in 2010-2011. Whilst there Okada was used as a lower card performer, with a ‘Kato’ gimmick from The Green Hornet.

The way that Kazuchika Okada was used by TNA was so appalling that NJPW cut all ties with the promotion shortly after, vowing never to work with Total Nonstop Action again. Reportedly in 2017, representatives of the now IMPACT Wrestling spoke to New Japan officials. Members of the IMPACT team actually apologised for the way Okada was used earlier in the decade. It’s likely that the people who apologised weren’t even involved in his booking at that time.

If Kazuchika Okada were to make an appearance at an AEW or IMPACT show? It could be a huge power move for all involved. Okada is classed as one of the greatest IWGP Heavyweight Champions in history; there’s plenty of dream match scenarios that could occur if the ‘Rainmaker’ comes to the United States.

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