The journey of bringing the WWE NXT UK brand to the more fans has continued as the company held TV tapings on Saturday from Glasgow at the Intu Braehead.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on when these shows will air but WWE likely start to air these episodes on their streaming service, WWE Network, shortly. Here are the spoilers, courtesy of Wrestling Inc:
April 20 Taping
– WWE UK Champion WALTER, Marcel Barthel, and Fabian Aichner form the group, Imperium. This led to Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, and Trent Seven getting into a brawl with the group
– Mark Coffey and Wolfgang defeated Team WhiteWolf.
– Kassius Ohno defeated Jack Gallagher
– Toni Storm (c) defeated Nina Samuels to retain the NXT UK Women’s Championship
– Wild Boar Mike Hitchman and The Primate defeated Tyson T-Bone and Saxon Huxley. Post-match, Hitchman and Primate are attacked by Gallus.
– Imperium (Alexander Wolfe) defeated British Strong Style.
– Kay Lee Ray defeated Kasey Owens
– Noam Dar defeated Mark Andrews
– NXT UK Tag Team Champions Zack Gibson and James Drake announce they have to defend their titles at the upcoming Download Festival.
– Jinny and Jazzy Gabert defeated Xia Brookside and Isla Dawn
– Ilja Dragunov defeated Joseph Conners
– Travis Banks defeated Joe Coffey, Dave Mastiff, and Jordan Devlin to become the new number one contender for the WWE NXT UK Title.
Dustin Rhodes has been announced as Cody Rhodes’ opponent for AEW: Double or Nothing.
The identity of Cody’s opponent was revealed Saturday night on a special edition of the Road To Double or Nothing Youtube series.
The crew from The Elite have been teasing that Cody’s opponent is a very personal situation. It doesn’t get much more personal than Cody’s older brother, Dustin.
Dustin says this is not a new beginning for him, because he’s literally done it all after a 30 year career. If this is “one last ride” for him, so be it. But if Cody is trying to put him out to pasture with this match, good luck with that. Despite being brothers, Dustin says his upbringing was very different from Cody’s. He feels that Cody was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and is an egotistical SOB. He’s always looked out for Cody and never once got a thank you for his mentorship and guidance.
Dustin was shown painting his face. He picked up gold paint and tossed it aside. He is now sporting black and red paint. The red represents life. The black symbolizes death, his dark past and the demons he has conqured.
Dustin teased, “One last ride. Or is it ?”
Updated Card for AEW: Double Or Nothing
The following matches are now confirmed for Double or Nothing:
Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho
Hangman Page vs. PAC
The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Bros
Cody Rhodes vs. Dustin Rhodes
Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose vs. Kylie Rae
SCU vs. CIMA & 2 Partners
Over Budget Battle Royal
AEW: Double or Nothing takes place Saturday, May 25th from Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Watch: Bonus episode of The Road To Double or Nothing
Right off the bat, Angle was asked about what his future holds with the company, which is when he brought up how he would like to be a trainer or manager.
This comes after Angle lost his farewell match and ended his run as an active in-ring performer to Baron Corbin at the WrestleMania 35 pay-per-view event in East Rutherford, NJ at MetLife Stadium. It should be noted that mentioned in an interview with Sky Sports he signed a contract to remain with WWE in a backstage role.
“I would like to teach the sports entertainers anything that I can to help them improve,” Angle wrote. “It will be fun and challenging. I may end up with a managerial role on TV down the line. It would be fun managing the talent.”
Angle was also about the newer names being called up to the main roster recently and who stood out to him.
“I’m really starting to like Aleister Black and Ricochet, but not as a tag team,” Angle responded. “They’re good together, but I think they will shine more as singles wrestlers. There are talents that have yet to be used—like Apollo, Gable, and Roode. It’s a good time to watch new stars come out of the woodwork.”
WWE has announced a match and two segments for Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live.
On Saturday, the company revealed that WWE Champion Kofi Kingston would take on Shinsuke Nakamura in a non-title match with Kevin Owens and Xavier Woods in Kingston’s corner while Rusev and Lana would be in Nakamura’s.
Also, there will be a face-to-face confrontation between WWE RAW and SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair while WWE questions what the consequences will be for Roman Reigns after attacking WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon last week in the final segment.
WWE has already confirmed that Lacey Evans is the #1 contender for Lynch’s RAW Women’s Title. The company has yet to reveal when this title match will happen. Also, it has yet to be announced when Flair will get her rematch for the SmackDown Women’s Title as she lost it to Lynch at WrestleMania 35.
For the Reigns segment WWE teased, “The Big Dog has declared that the blue brand is his new yard! But, will Reigns find himself out of a job this Tuesday for his actions against the Chairman?”
WWE invades Lincoln, NE at the Pinnacle Bank Arena for this episode of SmackDown Live.
Tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling was taped in Windsor as the company builds towards Rebellion on April 28th. Following the PPV, Impact will tape one night in Toronto before heading to Philadelphia for 2-nights of tapings from the 2300 Arena.
Here are 8 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 4/19:
Lance Storm To Referee Johnny Impact (c) vs Brian Cage – Rebellion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RQ2iPfkUn0
After Impact Senior Referee, Johnny Bravo, cost Brian Cage a match in the main event last week, Cage threatened Impact management this week until Lance Storm intervened. Storm told Cage to calm down and conduct himself as a professional. D’Amore then volunteered Storm to be the special guest referee in the main event at Rebellion to prevent Cage from getting screwed by a corrupt referee again.
Tessa Blanchard cut a promo on Gail Kim this week and then visited her famous husband’s restaurant. Kim is married to celebrity chef Robert Irvine. Blanchard proceeded to cause quite the scene and even ate food off the plates of some people while at the restaurant. She then fired a dishwasher before being told that Mr. Gail Kim was not there at the time.
Kim would later tell Melissa Santos that she and her husband will not be pressing charges against Blanchard for the damage she did to the restaurant. Instead, Kim said, she’s going to teach Blanchard a lesson herself.
Lucha Bros Pick Up Win In The Main Event
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nrw6zXDpfEk
Despite interference from Santana and Ortiz, the Lucha Bros were able to defeat Eli Drake and Eddie Edwards in the main event this week. LAX and the brothers then took the fight all the way to the back as they gear up for their Full Metal Mayhem tag title match at Rebellion.
Evidently upset after not beating the Lucha Bros, Drake turned on Eddie Edwards to close the show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLbCWcCG1c8
Madison Rayne Pinned Knockouts Champion, Taya Valkyrie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLNITqeXYbY
Taya Valkyrie attempted to say she would not wrestle against Madison Rayne this week. She cut a promo saying she was happy to have left Canada when Jordynne Grace ran down the ramp and forced Taya into the ring where she was promptly pinned via roll-up by Rayne. The win should put Rayne in a position to challenge whoever wins between Grace and Valkyrie at Rebellion.
Rosemary Attacks Kiera Hogan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li_ZPR9LNmI
Rosemary attempted to tell Kiera Hogan to not get involved with her rivalry with Su Yung, James Mitchell, and Kevin Sullivan but Hogan wouldn’t listen. This led to Rosemary attacking Hogan to prevent her from doing so again.
Sami Callihan Breaks Tommy Dreamer’s Arm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X23THGgqpk
Madman Fulton defeated Tommy Dreamer this week. After the match, he attempted to continue the beatdown but Willie Mack made the save. This brought in the members of OVE and eventually Rich Swann attempted to make the save for Mack and Dreamer as well.
After OVE got the advantage, Callihan put Dreamer’s arm in a chair and bashed it with a baseball bat while Swann watched. OVE is more dangerous than ever now that they have Fulton but what will that mean for Callihan’s X-Division title match against champion, Rich Swann at Rebellion.
Later in the show, Killer Kross and Willie Mack got into an argument in the back. Kross sugested to Mack that he doesn’t really know Swann like he thinks he does. This led to the two agreeing to a match for next week.
The Rascalz Get Revenge On Moose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF4G94aPrwE
Dez from the Rascalz pulled off the upset win over Moose this week. Wentz and Trey both got involved in the match, causing the distraction and allowing Dez to roll-up Moose for the win.
How will Moose respond to losing in such an embarrassing fashion? The Rascalz may soon have to face an even angrier version of Moose somewhere down the line.
Later in the evening, Moose promised that he can play the numbers game too.
Scarlett Bordeaux & Fallah Bah Defeat The Desi Hit Squad
Scarlett Bordeaux picked up another victory this week. She teamed alongside Fallah Bah and defeated the Desi Hit Squad. With the victory the Smokeshow and Bah move up in the tag team division rankings.
Quick Results:
Scarlett Bordeaux & Fallah Bah defeated the Desi Hit Squad
The journey of bringing the WWE NXT UK brand to the more fans has continued as the company held TV tapings on Friday from Glasgow at the Intu Braehead.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on when these shows will air but WWE is likely to start to air these episodes on their streaming service, WWE Network, shortly. Here are the spoilers, courtesy ofWrestling Inc:
April 19 Taping
– Tyler Bate and Trent Seven defeated Wild Boar and Primate
– Joe Coffey defeated Flash Morgan Webster to advance to the Fatal 4 Way #1 Contender Match.
– Nina Samuels defeated Kasey Owens. Samuels cut a post-match promo on NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm to hype their match at Saturday’s tapings
– WWE UK Champion WALTER retained over Pete Dunne due to interference from Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner. WALTER, Aichner and Barthel posed together after the match
– Piper Niven defeated Jamie Hayter.
– Jordan Devlin defeated Ligero to qualify for the Fatal 4 Way #1 Contender Match.
– Ilja Dragunov defeated Jack Starz.
– Killer Kelly vs. Xia Brookside ended in a No Contest when Jinny and Jazzy Gabert made their debuts to clear the ring.
– Dave Mastiff defeated Wolfgang to advance to the Fatal 4 Way #1 Contender Match. Post-match, Gallus beat Mastiff down
– Travis Banks defeated Joseph Conners to earn the final spot in the Fatal 4 Way #1 Contender Match.
– Rhea Ripley cuts a heel promo on Piper Niven to hype their match at Saturday’s tapings
– Noam Dar is announced as the replacement for Amir Jordan in the main event
– NXT UK Tag Team Champions Zack Gibson and James Drake retained over Noam Dar and Kenny Williams
This past Monday night, NXT’s War Raiders, made their RAW debut under a new name…The Viking Experience.
The former Hansen and Rowe—now named Ivar and Erik, respectively—competed in an eight-man tag team match, teaming with The Revival. They took on the team of Aleister Black, Ricochet, and current RAW tag team champions Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins.
But, given that popular team are just coming off the back of defending their NXT tag team championships at NXT TakeOver: New York, what prompted the sudden name change?
Unsurprisingly, the answer is probably the first one you thought of: Vince McMahon.
“That’s All There Is To It”
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, the justification doesn’t lie in WWE attempting to avoid the word ‘war’ in an attempt to placate advertisers. Instead, as to be expected, Vince McMahon simply didn’t like the name War Raiders and wanted it changed. This change would happen on the day of the show, no less.
“There’s nothing to do with ‘war,’ Vince just wanted to change the name, that’s all,” Meltzer explained. “He didn’t like ‘War Raiders’ and he wanted to change the name. That’s all there is to it. There’s no other reason. Vince just on the day of the show, on Monday, decided he didn’t like the name and told them to come up with a new one.”
And so The Viking Experience was born.
In that time, the name has been met with mixed opinions from the WWE Universe. It’s even received attention from the Jorvik Viking Center, who was more than happy to ride the sudden wave of interest in people looking for a Viking experience.
Dolph Ziggler hasn’t wrestled a match since the Royal Rumble earlier this year. According to comments he made recently to Chris Van Vliet, he wasn’t supposed to be in that match either.
In fact, Ziggler had done an interview with Van Vliet not long before the Royal Rumble this year, specifically saying he would not be in the match. After Ziggler did, in fact, appear in the Rumble this year, many said he had been purposely misleading in his previous comments. Ziggler addresses the issue in the most recent interview.
“When I talked to you, I was not booked for the Royal Rumble and I have no reason to lie to anybody or be like ‘Hey listen, I don’t know what the deal is’,” Ziggler explained. “I was just on hiatus and I got a call to be there. And if I wasn’t in town for a booking for a comedy show that night I would not have even been in Phoenix. I got a call the night before saying ‘Hey, you gotta get here.””
Being in the Rumble match actually caused Ziggler to be late for his comedy gig later that night.
“I was one of the last people in the ring that night and my comedy show three blocks away had to start an hour late because I was running over with sweat and my bags. I almost went in my gear but I was like I’m going to have to shower.”
Ziggler doesn’t feel his booking for the Rumble had anything to do with his rivalry with Drew McIntyre. He feels WWE just needed an extra person for the match.
“I think it was more just I was in town and I’m one of their guys and it happened to work out so I got a double booking, double pay day, WWE and the comedy show,” he continued.
Current member of the WWE creative team, Dana Warrior, recently spoke to CBS Sports’ Chuck Carroll. During the interview, Dana talked about joining the WWE creative team and her family’s ongoing relationship with the company.
Dana Warrior Interview Highlights
“I couldn’t have planned for this,” Dana Warrior said when asked about joining the WWE creative team. “I really couldn’t have. But one of the things that when my husband passed away, and it’ll be five years ago on April 8th, one of the things that I did, I never laid down, I never sat down, I never laid down. I wore a dress for a year, because you can’t lay down in a dress. And I thought to myself [that] I will show my daughters strength and I will never let them be afraid.”
Dana was then asked if we have seen any of her storyline ideas play out on-screen yet.
“You have, but it’s also so collaborative that I would never point out and take credit for things that are collaborative teamwork,” she said. “Which is the greatest part of writing in that setting. And when people identify that’s mine, no it’s not. It’s an idea, and it’s fluid, and everybody adds a little something to it. One person can have this idea and by the end of it, it’s something completely different, but better. And that is what our chairman really does.”
It has now been 5 years and 12 days as of this writing since Dana Warrior became the single mother of 2 daughters. The Ultimate Warrior died on April 8th, 2014, just 3 days after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
“I want to be an example to my daughters and other women, that when things happen to you, you have a choice. And when you have a choice, always choose good. Because if you choose good, it will reward you, even though you’re not seeking rewards,” Dana continued.
As All Elite Wrestling gets closer to their first event, they are scouting, and continuing to build their talent roster.
Appearing on this week’s Jim Ross Report, AEW Executive Vice President Cody reveals that the focus of a recent scouting trip was on filling out their roster with some taller talent.
“Just recently, me, Christopher Daniels, Matt and Nick Jackson, Tony Kahn, Kenny Omega, we all decided to we wanted to go on what I call a ‘hoss hunt’,” says Cody.
“We wanted to look at some guys over 6’2″, some ‘hosses.'”
Specifically, Cody says, the company is interested in Michael Wardlow, as well as Luchasaurus.
Luchasaurus, real name Austin Matelson, had a run in NXT as Judas Devlin, and later appeared on a season of the Big Brother reality series on CBS.
Cody says that he is not specifically looking for bodybuilders, but he is scouting for the proverbial people that will turn heads in an airport.
“You can’t replace that [size],” says Cody. “When you see one of those guys or girls in an airport, that’s physically big, that’s still part of wrestling.”
While he is happy with the roster he has assembled already, Cody says scouting and signing some bigger guys will help him present a buffet, an idea that he has credited Eric Bischoff with passing on to him.
“We’ve got a great, young light heavyweight roster going at the moment.”
“But to add that buffet of big, bigger, little, the whole deal, I want it all.”
You can hear Cody’s complete scouting discussion with JR below.
What do you think of AEW bringing in some heavyweight talent?
For months, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has been hyping up their next show through a series of videos on YouTube. Entitled ‘The Road To Double Or Nothing,’ these videos have chronicled the company’s journey towards Double Or Nothing.
One of the major storylines unfolding throughout these videos was who the Executive Vice President of the company, Cody Rhodes, would be facing.
Well, it turns out that AEW fans don’t have to wait too much longer to find out.
The AEW Twitter account uploaded a post not only promising a bonus episode of the popular show, but also the official reveal of who Cody’s opponent will be. That video is scheduled to drop later today at 7PM EST.
“Tomorrow @ 7pm Eastern @CodyRhodes opponent for #AEWDON will be revealed on a bonus episode of #AEW – The Road to #DoubleOrNothing”
Many names of been speculated to be standing across from Cody come May 25th—most notably his brother, Dustin Runnels. This particular theory was nixed, however, after it was revealed Dustin is still under contract with WWE.
Double Or Nothing takes place on May 25th 2019 from the MCM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
With the final countdown now underway to the reveal, who do you think it could be? Is it somebody already announced for All Elite Wrestling, or perhaps somebody new coming in looking to make an impact?
One of the major talking points coming out of the G1 Supercard show from April 6th surrounded the supposed ‘invasion’ by Enzo and Big Cass.
The show, co-promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and Ring Of Honor (ROH), was interrupted during the conclusion of a four-way tag team championship match as a brawl broke out between the former WWE Superstars and ROH talent.
Now it seems that the duo may be done with the company before ever really starting.
According to Dave Meltzer via F4WOnline.com, neither Enzo nor Cass were present for ROH’s shows this past weekend. Additionally, they have not been scheduled for anything going forward.
Apparently, “key people were very upset” with the entire Enzo and Cass segment, with the whole angle being divisive.
The original plan would have been isolated by the barrier, with Enzo grabbing or shoving Mark Briscoe. This obviously didn’t happen, and things quickly escalated.
Presented as a shoot, it saw confusion spread throughout the crowd as people were unsure of what they were witnessing. ROH also refused to show the action on TV. Instead, they focused on their commentary team who also did their best to ignore it.
It’s been reported that NJPW talent weren’t informed this angle would take place. Recently, PCO, who was a participant, also claimed he had no idea Enzo and Big Cass would ‘invade.’
SaNITy has been seemingly disbanded with Eric Young’s move to Monday Night RAW. There is, however, one former member of the group that has been lost on the main roster for some time, long before the group’s breakup—Nikki Cross.
With WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up having taken place earlier in the week, many Superstars now have a different brand to call home. That includes a number of NXT Superstars who were called up months ago in December.
These NXT call-ups were utilized on both shows, appearing backstage and performing on both RAW and SmackDown for months before finally being signed a specific brand. Nikki Cross, however, is the only NXT call-up to still be unaffiliated.
Until now it seems, as it appears as though Cross can finally call Monday Night RAW her home going forward.
At the time of writing, the WWE website itself still lists Cross as having no official brand affiliation, but she has revealed her upcoming schedule via Instagram—a schedule that factors in working RAW Live Events that would see her in the vicinity of next Monday’s RAW in Des Moines, Iowa.
She has invited the WWE Universe to “come and play” as she will be appearing for the company on Friday in St. Louis, Saturday in Springfield, and Sunday in Moline.
This week’s episode of WWE’s Main Event featured a matchup between Tamina and Dana Brooke. During the course of the match, commentator Sam Roberts levelled some sharp criticism towards Dana Brooke.
His fellow Main Event commentators, Renee Young and Bryon Saxton, would attempt to defend Brooke, but Roberts was persistent with his negative opinion—frequently insulting and belittling the Superstar throughout the match.
Naturally, it didn’t take long for word of this to get back to Dana Brooke. She has since lashed back at Roberts via her Twitter account, calling him out for burying people and questioning what he has accomplished. She goes on to say that, unlike him, she doesn’t quit, stating that she simply pushes through and never gives up.
“Sam – always thought we were cool, but Damn, wondering why @WWE doesn’t have u on a lot, you burry people!! what have u accomplished.. prob gave up at it, unlike me I push through never giving up!Maybe @ReneeYoungWWE Will be right when I block you & 1 day make U eat your words!”
Sam – always thought we were cool, but Damn, wondering why @WWE doesn’t have u on a lot, you burry people!! what have u accomplished.. prob gave up at it, unlike me I push through never giving up!Maybe @ReneeYoungWWE Will be right when I block you & 1 day make U eat your words! https://t.co/A5zo3YwAJJ
Dana Brooke recently returned to in-ring competition after a short storyline injury, which she suffered at the hands of former RAW Women’s Champion, Ronda Rousey. In the run-up to the injury angle, she was able to get promo time with Rousey before the matchup took place the week after. Brooke returned during WrestleMania 35 as a participant in the Women’s Battle Royal.
WrestleMania 35 may still be fresh in the minds of the WWE Universe, but it hasn’t stopped the company from beginning to tease and hint towards next year’s event.
The promotion’s YouTube channel has uploaded an episode of their “List This!” show, hosted by Vic Joseph. In this particular episode, Joseph lists 5 “suggestions” they want to take place on the “Grandest Stage Of Them All” next year in Tampa, Florida.
His list included:
Roman Reigns vs The Rock
John Cena vs WWE NXT North American Champion, The Velveteen Dream
Matt Riddle vs Brock Lesnar
Horsewomen vs Horsewomen in an 8-women tag team matchup
Finn Balor in a WWE Universal Title match
The majority of these matches, bar the Cena/Dream match, are already seemingly rooted in previous encounters or real-life situations—as with Riddle’s vocal wishes to face Brock Lesnar.
Some, like the Horsewomen vs Horsewomen affair, have been long hinted at, with a feud between the two factions speculated about for numerous months.
WrestleMania 36 takes place on April 5th 2020. It will go down in the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
What do you think of their list? What would you like to see take place in a year’s time at WrestleMania 36?
The Superstar Shake-Up has seemingly brought about the end of WWE’s oft-overlooked and forgotten SaNITy stable. Its members were separated across both RAW and SmackDown, with the group’s former leader, Eric Young, ending up as one of the newest members of the red brand.
Posting on his Instagram account, Eric Young addressed his move to Monday Night RAW, claiming he has “never been one of the chosen,” before promising that this move will allow him the opportunity to show the WWE Universe what he’s capable of.
“I have never been one of the chosen! My path has never been easy! History will show you I ALWAYS END UP ON TOP! I have done it all and will DO WHAT I WANT WHEN I WANT! Time to show the world AGAIN! #worldclassmaniac”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwaCM1OH7RB/
Finding Sanity
Since the Shake-Up took place earlier this week, his fellow SaNITy members have also commented on the situation.
Both Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe took to their social media accounts to express their feelings on the matter.
Despite not being officially disbanded, the way that all three Superstars address the situation gives the unmistakable impression that SaNITy is done.
During their time on NXT, the group would not only win the NXT tag team championships but also be recognised as the NXT Tag Team of the year in 2017. The initial impact the group enjoyed during their tenure in NXT was never replicated during their main roster run.
Despite the wealth of new talent being signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), it’s become a running joke that any unhappy members of WWE’s roster will simply make the jump to the new, upstart promotion.
With the days ticking down to AEW’s next show, Double Or Nothing, Cody appeared on Jim Ross’ podcast, The Jim Ross Report. During the interview, the AEW Executive Vice President would comment on AEW’s hiring practices, as well as signing talent from WWE.
“I’ve jokingly said it’s currently at about 5%—Chris Jericho, Jim Ross, Cody Rhodes. A few others, maybe,” he said. “It’s not the same. Having that equity with WWE is wonderful but you’ve got to be able to cut it and meet the standards that people have for their actual bell-to-bell contest.”
“That number might increase,” he continued. “There being the opportunity to exist for the boys and girls to make more money, here or there. Just to have options. If they can play, they’re gonna play. But right now, the recruitment is more about ‘freshmen.’ I want to build a new class of guys. I don’t them to feel like they were set up and that was it. I want them to feel like they were set up to win and succeed. Right now, it’s a lot of faces you’ve never seen and people you’ll be surprised when you do see them.”
Notable ex-WWE signings aside, AEW has been filling its roster with top independent talent from across the world. Their ‘freshmen’ mentality, however, hasn’t stopped fan speculation over wrestlers like Dean Ambrose and Tye Dillinger from eventually appearing for the promotion.
Double Or Nothing takes place on May 25th 2019 from the MCM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Kofi Kingston’s momentous title victory over Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35 is still receiving waves of positive feedback—not only in regards to the story told but also for what it means to Kofi and representation within WWE.
WWE Hall Of Famer, Mark Henry, spoke with TMZ Sports about Kofi’s WWE Championship win. “The World’s Strongest Man” would candidly discuss the importance of Kingston becoming champion after a well-documented 11 years with the company. He labelled Kofi an inspiration for future generations of black Superstars.
“It’s very significant,” Henry said on Kofi becoming champion. “I said it best from Ron Simmons to myself, it was a 15 year period of black champions, with me and Booker T and The Rock and Ron Simmons, in that time-frame. 15 years from now there might be another 2 or 3 black wrestlers that come into the industry, and they were inspired by Kofi Kingston.”
“It’s A Powerful Thing To Have Representation”
Henry would go on to talk about the importance of representation and diversity within WWE, saying:
“[…] it’s a powerful thing to have representation, and it’s also a powerful thing to be able to see somebody that looks like you, and have them tell you, first-hand, the struggle and what it took to get there. And I think it’ll be balanced and great for the sport of wrestling, not from just a color standpoint but from an exposure standpoint. We need to have our kids exposed to seeing great talents like Kofi Kingston.”
When asked about diversity within the company, Henry reflected on when he first signed with the company, juxtaposing that with WWE’s current roster.
“I don’t think they have a diversity problem,” he added. “[…] When I came into wrestling there were 3 people, 3 black people in the company. There is growth. There is a future for the African-American in pro wrestling, and ya know, I want to be a part of that as much as I can.”
Henry recently posed in a photo, one shared by NXT’s Kieth Lee, that shows off the sheer depth of black talent within WWE today.
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair has given some advice to the executives of AEW (All Elite Wrestling) officials while preparing for their inaugural event.
The promotion, which launched back in February, is set to hold Double or Nothing the event, which will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 25, 2019.
Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho in a rematch from their contest at Wrestle Kingdom in 2018 and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) vs. Lucha Bros. (Penta El Zero M and Rey Fénix) are being billed as the top two matches.
While taking part in an interview with CBSSports.com, the legendary pro wrestling made it known that he thinks AEW is a good thing for the pro wrestling business. His mindset is that if there is an opportunity for guys to work who are qualified and have been trained properly in a position to be somewhat successful in their attempt to work for either company, then he’s all for it.
“I don’t think [AEW] should focus on the competition [with WWE] as much as just developing their own product. Their success will come from that. The word competition is great. People love that part of time in the world, but this will be the first time someone with the kind of money that [Jacksonville Jaguars co-owner] Tony [Khan] brings.”
Flair praised Tony Khan for being a sophisticated, intelligent, well-bred version of himself with money.
“Now that he has the joint over in England [as co-owner of the Premier League team Fulham FC], I’m sure he has kissed girls all over the world and made them cry. If I had Tony’s bankroll in the ’80s, who knows where I would have been.”
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez is making the transition into the pro wrestling business. Alberto Del Rio has sounded off on this decision while doing a recent interview.
At the AAA TripleMania XXVII press conference, Cain made an appearance where he announced that he would make his pro wrestling debut at this show that goes down on August 3, 2019, at Arena Ciudad in Mexico City.
“Velasquez has all the athletic credentials,” Del Rio told MMA Junkie on Thursday. “Wrestling is more difficult than people know, and it’s hard physically, but Cain has the athletic pedigree to do the job in the ring.”
Dell Rio stated that Velasquez will need to connect with the audience in a different way compared to MMA with charisma as even though a promoter could have him lose every night if the fans believe in your character and your personality, you can still become a star anyway.
“He respects wrestling,” Del Rio said. “He has the right attitude, he is sincere in wanting to learn. Whether that will translate, we don’t know, but he’s doing and saying all the right things.”
This comes after the former UFC Champion trained with WWE staff this past Summer during a visit to the WWE Performance Center down in Orlando Florida.
For all of your latest UFC news, make sure to check out our partner site, MMANews.com.
Adam Cole of The Undisputed Era and Kassius Ohno will be in action at EVOLVE events on May 10th in Livonia, MI and May 11th in Indianapolis, IN.
The two NXT stars have received their opponents at these shows. Cole will take on EVOLVE Champion Austin Theory in a non-title match that will serve as the main event of EVOLVE 127.
Also on tap for this show is AR Fox & Leon Ruff with Ayla & The Skulk vs. Ohno & Harlem Bravado. The following night at EVOLVE 128, Cole will team up with AR Fox to battle Ayla & The Skulk while Ohno will take on Josh Briggs.
Ohno will additionally be on hand as a special guest trainer at the WWN Seminar/Tryout in Indianapolis. The seminar is open to all wrestlers, referees and managers who have completed a training course.
Tickets for EVOLVE 127 and 128 are available now at WWNLive.com.
Updated Cards
EVOLVE 127 – Friday, May 10 at Monaghan Knights of Columbus Hall in Livonia, Mich.
EVOLVE Champion Austin Theory vs. Adam Cole – Non-Title Match
AR Fox & Leon Ruff with Ayla & The Skulk vs. Kassius Ohno & Harlem Bravado – Tag Team Challenge
EVOLVE 128 – Saturday, May 11 at Southside Turners in Indianapolis
Adam Cole vs. AR Fox with Ayla & The Skulk – Main Event
A WWE NXT star has returned from injury to in-ring action and that’s Keith Lee.
Lee, who has been sidelined since March due to an unknown injury, competed at a recent house show. WWE held an NXT live event on Thursday in Lakeland, FL at the Lakeland Armory.
In the headliner, Lee teamed up with KUSHIDA and Babatunde Aiyegbusi to beat The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly) in a six-man tag team match
In May 2018, Lee signed with WWE and was placed in their developmental system, NXT. He would later make his television debut in August but has yet to work a special event, NXT TakeOver.
WWE NXT Lakeland, FL Results
Albert Hardie Jr. defeated Samuel Shaw
Dominik Dijakovic defeated Kona Reeves
Taynara Conti defeated Rachel Evers
Brennan Williams defeated Elliot Sexton
The Forgotten Sons defeated Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch
Shane Thorne defeated Denzel Dejournette
Io Shirai defeated Deonna Purrazzo
Kushida, Keith Lee and Babatunde Aiyegbusi defeated The Undisputed Era’s Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly
CM Punk vs. Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio sounds like a dream match, but it actually happened back in 2002. The match took place in IWA Mid-South during a brief period when Eddie Guerrero was on hiatus from WWE and Rey Mysterio had not yet made his debut. Punk was the reigning IWA Mid-South Champion at the time.
Rey Mysterio posted a screen cap from the match with the caption, “Never would [have] imagined how our destinies would turn out after this night!”
CM Punk saw the photo and ‘commented’ with his memories of the surreal match-up. Punk explains how the match came together and how much it meant to him for the two legends to treat him as an equal. Punk wrote,
“People should know how good Eddie really was. He was in a rough spot. Recently fired, home front was turbulent. He came to this show and looked tired. Said to me ‘I hate three ways. If it’s okay with you, can you and Rey put something together and just call it to me?’ I wasn’t sure that was possible. He didn’t miss a beat. And you Rey, so open and giving to a little punk Indy kid. You laid out a masterpiece and I wasn’t sure I could keep up. One of the early times I remember being in the ring and thinking to myself, ‘this is fucking MAGIC!’ A pleasure. An honor. I miss Eddie, truly fortunate to have worked him as many times as I did. I feel the same about you Rey! Legends, who treated me like an equal, and I’ve never forgotten it. Viva la raza!”
Watch: CM Punk vs. Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio (Full Match)
We noted before how Samoa Joe was expected to appear on Raw this week but he was down with a flu that caused the company to nix a planned segment for him.
Now a new report has revealed that Joe will not miss a lot of TV Time and according to PWInsider, WWE is expecting the United States Champion to be back on WWE Programming next week.
The site also reports that they will execute the plans they had for this week during his return and it’s possible that he gets involved with his planned challenger on Raw, Braun Strowman.
Brian James Taking An Extended Time Off From WWE
‘Road Dogg’ Brian James stepped down as the co-head writer of WWE SmackDown Live recently and the position has not been filled yet.
Brian has been away from WWE since then and now providing an update on his status, Pwinsider is saying that he’ll be taking an extended break from the company until both sides figure out a new role for him.
Though he is not expected to leave the company and as we noted before the Officials are looking to reposition him within the organization.
Ric Flair recently had an interview with CBSSport in order to promote the upcoming Roast Of Ric Flair special which will be headlining Starrcast II in Las Vegas.
During the interview, Flair talked about a number of things and revealed that he cried during WrestleMania when his daughter Charlotte Flair recreated one of his most iconic entrances during the show.
Charlotte Flair arrived in the arena in a helicopter which
was a callback to Ric’s iconic entrance at the inaugural Great American Bash in
1985 and according to the 16-time world champion, he cried for the whole week
since it first came about:
“I probably cried the whole week; I’ve been crying
since it first came about, I’m so thankful to WWE, from Vince [McMahon] to
Hunter [Paul Levesque] and Stephanie [McMahon] and all the powers-that-be who
put that together and taking that step forward with the woman.”
Apart from this Ric Flair also talked about the recently launched All Elite Wrestling promotion, saying that the company should focus on developing their own product rather than competing with WWE.
Continuing on the topic, Flair compared the promotion’s president Tony Khan to himself, saying that Khan is a “sophisticated, intelligent, well-bred ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair with money.”
Starrcast II will take place on Friday, May 24th at the Cesars Palace in Las Vegas NV, during the AEW Double Or Nothing weekend.
