Lio Rush has been missing from the WWE programming for some time as rumors regarding his situation persist.
He recently addressed the speculation in an interview with HipHopDX. Rush was being interviewed about his musical career.
“I’ve always wanted to be a professional wrestler,” Rush said. “And starting my life out in sports, I felt obligated to accomplish being a professional wrestler first before I did anything else that I was interested in.”
He continued, “A lot of the times these rumors just get taken as facts because I feel like people are afraid or scared to tell their side. But I take pride in what I do and the things that I believe in. I don’t like my reputation being altered by dirt sheets [wrestling websites] or anyone who doesn’t know the full side of any story. And I just wanted to throw some positivity at the situation because everybody’s always trying to capitalize on the negative and make stories out of things that have no source or substance behind it.”
Addressing his musical career, Rush talked about wanting to create something that is raw and emotional. He claimed to want to be open and honest with his fans, and felt people could relate to that “given the current circumstances that I’m in right now.”
Undisputed Era’s Adam Cole has revealed that WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels has been instrumental in all of his NXT matches to date.
The NXT Champion shared the insight during a recent conversation with Lilian Garcia for her podcast, Chasing Glory. He discussed how Shawn Michaels and Michael Hayes helped to put together his TakeOver: Toronto main event before crediting Michaels with his guidance to date.
“The two gentlemen involved in producing our matches were Michael Hayes and Shawn Michaels,” Cole said. “Michael Hayes is great and brilliant. Normally he is involved with producing my matches. Shawn Michaels is involved in every one of my matches. At the Performance Center, I go and work with him directly. A bunch of us do. He is kind of like a mentor for so many of us right now at NXT, so he takes a liking and makes sure he has his hand in everything that we are doing.”
Coaching Style
Cole then extrapolated on Michaels’ coaching style, explaining how he doesn’t dictate what they should do. Instead, it becomes a somewhat collaborative process with ideas passing backwards and forwards between HBK and NXT Superstars.
“Lots of times, the best thing about Shawn Michaels is that he doesn’t tell us, ‘This is what you should do.’ He lets us come up with what we think, and he will be excited about the stuff that we are coming up with,” Adam said. “But randomly, if we are stumped on something and we think something is cool but aren’t crazy about it, in a matter of five-seconds, he would give us an idea and it’s amazing and so much better. It’s awesome to have those two to pick their brains. They played a big part in what we created in our match for sure.”
Adam Cole recently retained his NXT Championship against Johnny Gargano in a Two-Out-Three-Falls matchup at NXT TakeOver: Toronto.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s annual summer tournament will take place in the fall of 2020 next year. While the tournament usually runs between July and August, many of the venues NJPW uses for the tournament will be occupied due to the 2020 Olympics being held Japan. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the plan is for NJPW to move next year’s tournament to the fall.
“Because of the Olympics in 2020, which takes place in August and most of the key arenas will be used, the decision has been made to move G-1 to the fall next year,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
The 2020 Olympics are scheduled to run from July 24th to August 9th, 2019 in Japan. It is not clear how the G1 being pushed back would impact NJPW’s regular fall events such as the Destruction tour.
The next big show for NJPW takes place this Saturday from London’s Copper Box Arena:
Impact World Champion Brian Cage has struggled to keep an active schedule since winning the title at Rebellion this spring. During his match with then-champion Johnny Impact, Cage took a Spanish fly from the ring apron to the floor and ended up spending the night in hospital.
Cage posted the below message to his followers on social media regarding his title reign and stem cell treatments in Columbia:
“I know many might be upset with my inactive title reign. Trust me, no one is more disappointed than me. Right when I reach the top of the iceberg I’m dealt with nothing but set back after set back due to injury. Everytime I try to push through, I get another set back. This is not the champion I wanted to be. I wanted to be a fighting champion, not a once in a while attraction you’d see else where. And I’ve done everything possible to heal and recover, and in a timely manner. And that’s why I’m in Colombia seeking the world’s best stem cell therapy from [Bio Excelletator]. I’m not gonna stop and to quote another machine, “I’ll be back.”
Brian Cage Receiving Stem Cell Treatment
Rey Mysterio was also in Columbia recently to receive stem cell treatment as well.
WWE is reportedly interested in bringing Enzo and Cass back into the fold. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE has been in contact with the pair about possibly returning to NXT.
“WWE has been in contact with Enzo and Cass about a surprise return to be top stars on the NXT brand,” wrote Dave Meltzer. He would continue to say it is not clear whether Enzo and Cass have accepted or not, however.
*Update* – In an update to this story, the Wrestling Observer posted the following yesterday evening:
“Those at WWE also say that they have no interest in Enzo & Cass coming in. The current issue talked of an idea to bring them in as a big surprise on NXT TV.”
Enzo recently returned to the ring for the first time in 572 days at a NEW Wrestling show in Poughkeepsie, New York. It was in the same building as his last WWE match on a 205 Live house show tour in early 2018.
Leading up to his in-ring return, Enzo spoke to SI.com about what fans can expect from his match.
“The guy getting back into the ring at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center this Friday is me. I played a character on a television show that elicited a greater reaction than the guys hitting high spots, but now I’m going to show people what I can do in the ring.”
Big Cass on What Vince McMahon Said To Him Before Being Released
In an interview with Fox News, Cass had the following to say regarding a meeting he had with Vince McMahon before his release.
“We chatted for about an hour. It was a really good talk. And that was the end of my tenure with WWE, Before I left the room Vince looked me in the eye and he said, ‘You walk out of this building with your head held high. You did nothing wrong.’
So it’s exactly what I did. It was unfortunate but I was just not in a good place and I had changed as a human being.”
Former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre recently had an interview
with Fightful.com where among other things; he discussed his time away from WWE
in detail.
McIntyre returned to WWE after a 3-year hiatus in 2017 and despite having been in the promotion before, he was signed to the company’s development wing NXT.
Discussing his re-signing with the company, Drew revealed that he was considering a run with New Japan Pro Wrestling until he talked to The Game, Triple H:
“I was thinking I was gonna go to New Japan probably ‘cause I really wanted to go there and really wanted to work there. Then I got a call from William Regal, who’s a bit of a mentor of mine, who told me we’d take a call with Triple H. We spoke, and decided the next move was WWE and NXT in particular.”
Drew also talked about his release from the company back in
June 2014. He said that he was a little surprised by the move and claimed that
even the fans were surprised by his release.
Though he went on to admit that he couldn’t have made a
transition to a more serious role in WWE after the 3MB skit without taking a
break from the company.
Apart from this, Drew McIntyre also talked about building himself back in the independent circuit and more. You can check out his full interview at this link.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has credited former WWE Superstar Ken Shamrock with helping to develop his character during the Attitude Era.
This comes off the back of Shamrock promoting his return to Impact Wrestling. He contended that he would tear through Moose, whom he is currently feuding with, before running his way through the promotion until getting to Impact Wrestling World Champion, Brian Cage.
Do you want to see me rip @TheMooseNation in half and then start my run through @IMPACTWRESTLING until I get to @MrGMSI_BCage and the World Title?
A Twitter user then shared his feelings on Shamrock’s run in WWE (then WWF) in the ’90s. He stated that people don’t understand how underrated “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” was as a wrestler. He claimed he was a “HUGE part of the attitude era” before listing The Rock, Vader, and Owen Hart as wresters Shamrock had great matches with.
Brian Cage would subsequently get involved after seeing the opinion, sharing that he agrees wholeheartedly:
“I agree. Shamrock all around was great. And jacked!”
This led to The Rock “co-signing” Cage’s sentiment, adding that “@ShamrockKen helped build “The Rock” character. Huge #AttitudeEra influence. We tore the houses down together. I’ll always be grateful and respectful. He’s a f machine. They don’t make em like that anymore. Thanks for the house brother Ken”
I’ll co-sign that. @ShamrockKen helped build “The Rock” character. Huge #AttitudeEra influence. We tore the houses down together. I’ll always be grateful and respectful. He’s a fucking machine. They don’t make em like that anymore. Thanks for the house brother Ken ???
Both of WWE’s premier shows in Raw and SmackDown Live have
been seeing declines in ratings and year over year data shows that both the
brands have been losing a large percentage of their audience every year.
On the other hand, many believe that NXT has been the best and the most consistent show produced by the company since its inception which has helped it in evolving from a development territory to a global touring brand.
With the show moving to TV soon, people have been wondering how it will perform on the cable. Commenting on the matter in the latest episode of his podcast, WWE Hall Of Famer Sean Waltman said that it will beat Raw and SmackDown in ratings:
“This is my prediction, that within six months they are
going to beat Raw or SmackDown in the ratings at least once. Maybe way sooner
than six months…. I really do, I am not just saying that to try and hype up the
positive attitude. Just being optimistic, I honestly think that that’s going to
happen.”
NXT will be premiering on USA Network on September 18th and
at least for the first three months, the show will be broadcasted live from the
Full Sail campus.
AEW will also start airing their show on the same day of the week and the same time slot starting from October 2nd. It would be interesting to see how the broadcast of NXT will affect the shows’ numbers.
WWE Superstar Matt Hardy recently held a Q&A session
from his Official Twitter where he answered questions related to more House
Hardy Specials, re-signing with WWE and more.
The current hottest topic in wrestling is NXT’s impending move to USA Network on September 18th. Many are dubbing it as the start of the Wednesday night wars because AEW’s TV show will also start airing on the same day and time slot from October 2nd.
During the session, Hardy was asked about this rivalry between the two wrestling companies and the former Hardcore Champion said that it’s good for the industry, the performers and the fans as well:
I think it’s good for the industry, the performers & the fans. Competition forces everyone to be more creative & work harder. https://t.co/Iiwe2bgsR5
While Hardy has won over a dozen championships in WWE so
far, winning a World title in the company is an achievement which has eluded
the broken one throughout his career.
Though when a fan asked Matt if he feels the need of a world title reign in his career, the former Champion claimed that he just wants real opportunities to contribute and not the world title:
I don’t have to have/need a WWE World Title reign to feel complete. I just want real opportunities to contribute & entertain for the remainder of time I have left. I honestly feel I have a lot left to give & offer a promotion on the global stage as an in ring talent. https://t.co/tgh1zxRKSO
Apart from this Matt Hardy also talked about teaming with his brother and revealed that they had offers from every major company before their return to WWE during WrestleMania 33 in 2017.
Io Shirai faced Cami Fields tonight on NXT. Io dominated early and sent Cami into the corner of the ring. Shirai hit an elbow to the face and then Double Knees in the corner. Shirai made her way to the top rope and connected with a Moonsault.
Shirai went for the cover but got up before the referee counted to three. Io then locked in a submission hold and Cami quickly tapped out. Shirai applied the hold for a few extra seconds before finally letting go.
After the match, Shirai grabbed a kendo stick from under the ring but Candice LeRae rushed the ring. LeRae hit Io a couple of times with the kendo stick and Shirai retreated up the ramp.
Dominik Dijakovic Defeated Keith Lee In An Incredible Match
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Keith Lee squared off against Dominik Dijakovic on this week’s show. The NXT crowd chanted “bask in his glory!” as the two superstars locked up in the middle of the ring. Dijakovic controlled the match early and started taunting Lee.
Lee knocked Dijakovic to the canvas with a shoulder tackle and followed it up with a chop to the chest. Dominik battled back with a Cyclone Kick that sent Lee to the mat. Dominik stomped away on Lee in the corner and returned the favor with a chop to Lee’s chest.
Dominik went for a Suplex but Lee was able to block it. Keith bounced Dijakovic’s face off the top turnbuckle and followed it up with a Crossbody for a two count. Lee connected with a massive Clothesline and went for the cover but Dijakovic powered out at the last moment.
Lee slammed Dijakovic onto the apron and Dominik tumbled to the floor outside the ring. Dijakovic battled back with a Superkick and followed it up with a Fosbury Flop. Back in the ring. Dominik climbed to the top rope and tried to flip onto Lee but Keith somehow caught him.
Dijakovic connected with a Suplex and made his way back to the top rope. Dominik hit a Moonsault and went for the cover but Lee was able to kick out at two. Dijakovic once again climbed to the top but Lee met him up there. Keith unloaded a couple of punches and hit an unbelievable Spanish Fly for a two count as the crowd went insane.
Keith Lee made his way up to the top rope but this time Dominik caught up to him. Lee hit an elbow that sent Dominik to the canvas. Dijakovic booted Lee in the knee and crotched him on the top rope. Dominik lifted Lee up in the Torture Rack and hit the Feast Your Eyes for the pinfall victory as the crowd gave the two superstars a standing ovation.
NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler came down to the ring with Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir. Baszler was about to speak but was quickly interrupted by former NXT UK Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley.
The crowd chanted “Rhea” as she got in the ring and had a staredown with Baszler. Rhea ripped the microphone out of Shayna’s hand and said: “I know what you are going to say. You have beaten everyone here but you haven’t beaten me, bitch”.
Street Profits defended their NXT Tag Team Championships against Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish of Undisputed Era in the main event of this week’s episode of NXT. Bobby Fish and Montez Ford started the match off.
Fish took control and tagged in O’Reilly as dueling “Undisputed!” and “Street Profits!” chants broke out. O’Reilly applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring as Dawkins tried to fire his teammate up.
Montez battled to his feet and Dawkins tagged himself in. Angelo connected with a Spinebuster and Fish tagged in. Dawkins greeted Bobby with a Spinebuster and Ford tagged in.
Ford connected with a Dropkick on Fish for a two count. Montez followed that up with a Crossbody for another near fall. O’Reilly hit Ford with a cheap shot as the referee was distracted and then tagged back into the match.
O’Reilly unloaded a few knee strikes to Ford in the corner and Fish tagged right back in. Bobby targetted his attack on Ford’s right leg for a few minutes as Dawkins pleaded for a tag.
Dawkins was finally able to tag in and leveled Fish and O’Reilly with a Clothesline. Angelo followed that up with a couple of Splashes and then a Spear to Fish for a two count.
Fish went for a Sleeper Hold but Dawkins was able to escape. Kyle O’Reilly tagged in and hit Angelo with a chop block. Undisputed Era hit Chase the Dragon but Dawkins was able to kick out.
Bobby hit Ford with a Dragon Screw and turned around into a Spinebuster from Dawkins. O’Reilly locked Dawkins in the Triangle in the middle of the ring. Angelo broke the hold with a Buckle Bomb and Ford tagged back in.
Montez planted O’Reilly with a Uranage as Dawkins climbed to the top rope. Angelo hit a Frog Splash and Ford went for the cover but Fish dragged O’Reilly out of the ring. Back in the ring, Dawkins hit O’Reilly with a Spear as Montez Ford climbed to the top rope.
Ford went for a Frog Splash but got nothing but canvas. O’Reilly and Fish hit the High/Low on Ford for the pinfall victory. Undisputed Era are the new NXT Tag Team Champions.
CM Punk and Starrcast recently published a video hyping Punk’s upcoming appearance at the convention. Punk is in a wrestling ring during the promo and even took a bump.
“I have no idea what I’m going to say,” Punk says in the video. “There’s no script. I’m not following a storyline, I’m coming to hang out with some fans and yes I’ll have a live microphone in my hand, so who knows what’s going to happen? And that’s the thing, every time i have a live microphone in my hand, I never exactly know what it’s going to say and that’s gotten me in trouble. I’m hoping to avoid any kind of trouble come Saturday but you never can tell.”
“They asked if I wanted to do Starrcast. That’s basically it. There’s no mad scientist formula to it,” Punk said. “I hate traveling. I’ve turned down offers to do signings in other places. It turns into a mission to leave town just to do a signing and stuff. I like to take time with everybody and make sure everybody has a good experience.”
Starrcast promoter Conrad Thompson also spoke about Punk’s appearance at Starrcast on Saturday during a recent media call to promote the event.
“There’s a lot people who really miss CM Punk and really identified with his character and persona and took his work personal and it was a special place in their heart and they’re super CM Punk fans and we’re glad they are and we’re glad they’re coming,” Thomspon said on the call. “But at the same time they don’t want to just have the memories, they want to see him go make new ones. And I understand that but ultimately that’s up to him.”
More of Thompson’s comments can be heard in the video below:
Posted August 28th, 2019 in News. Tagged: CM Punk.
Chris Jericho has a big weekend ahead. The 6-time World Champion looks to extend that record Saturday night. He’ll challenge Adam “Hangman” Page in the main event of AEW’s All Out pay-per-view to crown the first-ever AEW Word Heavyweight Champion.
Jericho is still demanding that AEW extend him a “thank you” for the company’s early success. His arrogance might be driving people nuts. However, according to Sportsbettingdime, it’s still highly likely that he is victorious in Chicago. A -200 favorite heading into this weekend’s PPV, Jericho and his star power are undeniably assets to AEW as they ramp up for weekly television.
Speaking of Jericho, he’s still touring regularly with his metal band, Fozzy. Last week, Jericho premiered Fozzy’s new single, Nowhere to Run, during an appearance on Busted Open Radio on Sirius XM. Jericho has announced the song will be released on on all major streaming platforms tomorrow (Thursday).
The release fulfills Jericho’s promise to have the song available to the public in time for September 14th, the night Fozzy opens for metal gods Iron Maiden in Los Angeles.
A new Fozzy album, a follow-up to the wildly popular Judas, is expected in early 2020.
Tuesday’s edition of WWE SmackDown Live from Baton Rouge, LA at the Raising Cane’s River Center Arena averaged 2.088 million viewers, which is down from 2.142 million the previous week, according to ShowbuzzDaily.
The episode was expected to drop in viewership it served it was the second week of the returning King of the Ring tournament and two weeks after SummerSlam.
The show had to go up against Hannity that did 3.167 million viewers, Rachel Maddow Show with 2.690 and Tucker Carlson Tonight that drew 2.717.
Matches that took place on this show include Ali vs. Buddy Murphy and Chad Gable vs. Shelton Benjamin in King Of The Ring 2019 first-round matches. WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Lacey Evans and Randy Orton vs. Big E were featured as well.
Also, it featured the continuation of Roman Reigns’ mystery attacker storyline. This is where Reigns figured out that Erick Rowan was there when the initial attack happened.
In case you missed the show, you can check out the 7 takeaways from ithere.
WWE will attempt to increase viewership with next week’s episode, which should be interesting to see what number it pulls in.
Watch: Top 10 Moments from Tuesday’s Smackdown Live (8.20.19)
Cesaro will be stopping over in Wales this weekend just in time for NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff.
He revealed the news during a short interview backstage after Monday Night RAW. Cesaro corrected the interviewer, informing them he wasn’t just heading to China for a WWE promotional tour—he was also planning on visiting Cardiff to check out NXT UK.
“Not just China,” Cesaro stated. “I’ll also be paying a visit to Wales. Cardiff, Wales to be more specific. See, I’ve heard a lot of things about NXT UK, so I’m going to go to NXT UK Takeover: Cardiff to find out first-hand what it’s all about, and maybe take a little more of a hands-on approach.”
At the time of writing, there is no indication as to if Cesaro will be performing during the event or simply appearing.
Other Superstars have jumped between brands. Kassius Ohno, who has been missing from NXT, for example, has been competing for NXT UK, so Cesaro would be in good company.
Brand jumping like this ties into Triple H’s thoughts on levelling out WWE’s brand hierarchy. This would allow Superstars to freely move between shows, providing opportunities for different storylines and rivalries to take place.
WWE NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff takes place this Saturday, August 31st from the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.
Daniel Bryan is known for being an outspoken environmentalist. At one point he insisted on being called “The Planet’s Champion.” He also debuted a hemp championship belt during his reign.
During an interview with Super Luchas, Bryan was asked about his thoughts on the current fires devastating the Amazon.
“It’s really sad because there are apparently hundreds of thousands of indigenous people in the area losing their homes, and not only that, because… It’s hard to say because I hate talking about politics, but they are letting everything burn so they can use the land for other things,” Bryan said.
He expressed his concerns for the indigenous people of the rainforest, mocking the idea they could move into a city.
“As someone who cares about the environment, this whole situation affects me. And it covers more than just the environmental issue, there is also the problem of all the people who live in the Amazon rainforest. They are hundreds of thousands of people, and what they want is to move them to the cities. But that’s not how things work. You know what I mean, they have been living there for longer than anyone can remember, and they want to move them to the cities and expect them to work in factories or something? It is a tragedy, and I hope that it can soon be controlled and that everyone realizes that the Amazon is a central part of the ecosystem.”
“It Is A Devestating Scenario”
Bryan highlighted how the balance within the Amazon’s ecosystem would be disrupted by the fires. He explained how this kind of irreparable damage could lead to the extinction of animals and plant life.
“[…] the diversity of species in the Amazon rainforest is higher than anywhere else in the world, and there is much that could be lost. There are species that could become extinct, and the interesting part is that we don’t know which species correlate with others. We cannot say ‘These specific species must be saved’. There is, for example, the fungi kingdom, fungi. There is no variety of fungi as large as the one that exists in the Amazon rainforest, and we do not know how many of them are necessary for the planetary ecosystem, because everything causes an impact. We already know the impact caused by the reduction in the number of bees and the danger it represents. However, it is a devastating scenario.”
His wife, Brie Bella, has also shared her thoughts on the fires:
Former WWE Superstar Rhyno debuted on Impact Wrestling soon after his contract with WWE had ended. Turns out that he did so despite being offered a deal that was allegedly double what he was making.
Speaking with Wrestling Inc., Rhyno addressed his decision to leave WWE and his experiences with the company during his last run.
“It was a great experience with WWE; they treated me great,” he admitted. “I enjoyed wrestling with [Heath] Slater, tagging with Slater, traveling with Slater. And you know, we talked about re-signing, and they offered me more than double what I was making. Way more than double.”
He knew he was in a position to help younger talent develop but ultimately felt his services would be more beneficial to Impact Wrestling and the independent scene. When it came to re-signing with WWE, Rhyno expressed that he “just didn’t want to.”
“[…] there’s a lot of men and women there, my job is to try and help the younger talent out and try to discover guys like The Rock, the next Stone Cold, and all that. And I think I can service the wrestling business more on a level like Impact Wrestling and on the independent scene too. So it’s very important for guys that have been wrestling for so many years to help out the younger generation because the guys that came before me helped me out a lot.”
Rhyno debuted for Impact Wrestling on July 7th during the promotion’s Slammiversary event.
Ali and Buddy Murphy competed last night in a first-round matchup for the King of the Ring tournament. Despite having momentum on his side, Buddy Murphy would lose to Ali.
Following his victory, Ali caught up with WWE.com to discuss his mindset going up against Murphy. He also spoke about advancing in the tournament, and his next opponent.
“I’ll be honest with you, a lot of people thought I had some sort of advantage knowing Buddy Murphy, having past battles with Buddy Murphy. Listen, over the past few weeks, we’ve seen the best version of Buddy Murphy. And I won’t lie, heading into this match, I didn’t know how I was going to overcome that.”
The Superstar highlighted Murphy’s recent run of success, culminating in his victory over Daniel Bryan:
“I mean he just pinned Daniel Bryan last week, and he took Roman Reigns to what people are calling ‘Match of the Year.’ So I won’t lie to you, he had all the momentum on his side.”
For him, however, the people helped carry him through. He reflected on his time on WWE’s recent South American tour, recalling how one kid told Ali how he gives him hope.
“I’ve said this before, Buddy can have all the momentum. I’ve got the people.”
Ali will face Elias in next round of King of the Ring tournament.
Sasha Banks recently returned to WWE television, attacking both Natalya and RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch.
This week on Monday Night RAW, Banks addressed her hiatus from the company. She also revealed her motivations behind the recent attacks against her former friends after four months away from the spotlight.
According to The Pro Wrestling Torch’s Wade Keller, her impassioned promo had a notable voice behind it: Paul Heyman.
Heyman, who is WWE’s RAW Creative Director, has reportedly been majorly involved in how Sasha Banks will be presented on screen going forward. He was supposedly the individual behind the script for Banks’ explanation this past Monday.
There was plenty of speculation over Sasha Banks’ future with the company during her time away. Rumors surfaced over her frustrations at losing the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. She was allegedly promised a long run with them to help legitimate the belts.
Whether she would return to WWE also became a topic of conversation, even after “The Boss” met with her boss, Vince McMahon, to discuss her issues.
Her recent promo saw her fold these real-life events into the narrative of her return. With Heyman helping to drive this new heel persona, there may be more examples of real issues slipping into Banks’ promos and character going forward.
Last night’s SmackDown Live began with an interesting promo segment between WWE Champion Kofi Kingston and his Clash of Champions challenger, Randy Orton.
Kofi spoke about the long-term issues between himself and Orton. Randy then interjected himself into the conversation, pulling out a letter supposedly written for him by Kofi’s son asking him to stop hurting his dad.
It turns out that Orton’s contribution was actually a throwback to a 1984 “Rowdy” Roddy Piper promo, as highlighted by WrestlingNews.co’s Angel Rodriguez:
Kingston admitted that the issues between the two Superstars have escalated after Orton made things personal:
“He made it very personal when he brought my family into it. He made it personal when he, alongside his new found buddies The Revival, tried to take out my friend, my partner, my brother, Xavier Woods.”
Orton then interrupted Kingston, repeatedly calling him “stupid.” It was at this point he pulled out the letter left for him under his hotel room door. He claimed the letter was written with heart before reading its contents:
“Dear Mr. Orton, stop hurting Kofi Kingston. Kofi is not stupid. Kofi is a good man, but you are a mean man, Mr. Orton. So mean that you make my hero Kofi Kingston cry at night. Do you want to know how I know this? Because Kofi Kingston isn’t just my hero. Kofi Kingston is my dad.”
The two will face off for the WWE Championship at Clash Of Champions on September 15th at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Following their recent Super J-Cup tournament, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) has released information on who will once again be flying to the United States for their Fighting Spirit Unleashed tour.
The promotion has announced 15 names will be competing during their tour, which sees events take place in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.
NJPW has listed the following names representing different factions will be present:
Main Unit
Hiroshi Tanahashi
Kota Ibushi
CHAOS
Kazuchika Okada
Tomohiro Ishii
Hirooki Goto
YOSHI-HASHI
Los Ingobernables de Japon
Tetsuya Naito
EVIL
SANADA
Shingo Takagi
BUSHI
Bullet Club
Jay White
Tama Tonga
Tanga Loa
KENTA
They write that “Faction warfare will hit the East Coast as these units will all be vying for superiority!”
It’s worth noting that Kazuchika Okada will only be in attendance for the Boston and New York shows.
A STACKED cast of stars will hit the east coast for Fighting Spirit Unleashed!
New York and Philadelphia are SOLD OUT, but tickets are still on sale for Friday September 27 in Lowell!
The Fighting Spirit Unleashed tour begins in Boston on September 27th at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. There are still tickets available for those interested.
They will then travel to the Manhattan Center/Hammerstein Ballroom in New York on September 28th. This show is sold out.
The final show takes place in the 2300 Arena, Philadelphia on September 29th. Like their New York show, this show is also sold out.
The Miz has credited John Cena for teaching him how to become a main event Superstar.
He gave Cena props during an interview with Hot 94.1 while doing promotional work for WWE.
When asked which Superstar, past of currently active, he had learned the most from, The Miz responded:
“John Cena. Being in the ring with John Cena taught me how to become a main event caliber superstar.”
The two have feuded numerous times over the years. However, The Miz’s most notable victory over Cena saw him successfully retain the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 27 back in 2011. His win actually came with a major assist from Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who had delivered a Rock Bottom to Cena that Miz capitalized on.
Clash Of Champions
Just last night, The Miz challenged Shinsuke Nakamura to a match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. His challenge brought out Nakamura’s ‘mouthpiece,’ Sami Zayn who insulted Miz, calling him “The King of Soft Style.”
The SmackDown segment ended after Nakamura blind-sided Miz from behind, leading to a beatdown at the hands of the current Intercontinental Champion, ending with an assisted Kinshasa as Zayn held Miz in place.
At this point in time, the challenge has not yet been accepted. If it is, the two will likely compete at WWE’s Clash of Champions event.
Ric Flair believes that now is the greatest time in the past 20 years to be a professional wrestler.
“The Nature Boy” shared his thoughts on the state of modern pro wrestling during an interview with The Houston Chronicle. He claimed that the Khan family’s willingness to spend money to elevate All Elite Wrestling (AEW) will undoubtedly provide younger talent with career alternatives to WWE.
“This is the greatest time in the last 20 years to be a pro wrestler,” Flair declared. “Tony and the Khan family have a lot of money, and they’re going to spend the money to get good. For the young guys coming along, it provides an alternative way. The WWE can pay only so many guys and feature only so many guys. They do a great job of it, but a lot of guys who do have talent never get an opportunity.”
He added that there is a lot of pressure on future talent to stand out, but reiterated that “it’s a good time to be a wrestler.”
WWE will be debuting NXT on USA Network on September 18th, lengthening their show to two hours. AEW will air their first show on TNT a few weeks later on October 2nd.
NXT UK Superstar Tyler Bate recently sat down with The Sun ahead of this Saturday’s NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff event. He will be competing against Walter for the promotion’s WWE United Kingdom Championship.
During the interview, Bate discussed the possibility of jumping from NXT UK to NXT. He also addressed the idea of a brand versus brand show that would pit NXT UK Superstars against their U.S. counterparts.
He admitted that, despite Pete Dunne’s current run in NXT, as long as there are new experiences for Bate in NXT UK, he doesn’t see himself jumping brands any time soon.
“Pete seems to be enjoying himself, and it’s something new for him to experience in his career. He’s enjoying it,” Bate said. “As far as I’m aware, there are no plans for me to be going anywhere any time soon. I’m quite enjoying my time here in NXT UK, and my goal is to keep things fresh and interesting. I like to try new things and go to new places, and if I can do that in NXT UK then I’m fine staying here – but there’ nothing planned as far as I’m aware for me to go anywhere soon.”
Bate admitted to being intrigued by the idea of an NXT super show, saying he would be “super up for that” if the opportunity arose. “It sounds like it would be a hell of a show for the fans to watch,” he added. “You never know.”
TakeOver: Cardiff
Addressing his opponent on Saturday, Bate is fully aware of the monumental challenge ahead of him:
“All I can do is try my very best. I’m a big believer in fate, and if it’s not supposed to be me that stops him, then I’m sure there’s somebody else down the line who could do it. […] But I will be putting on the very best performance that I can.”
WWE NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff takes place this Saturday, August 31st from the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.
Daniel Bryan has been a firm fixture of WWE’s roster for years at this point, but the Superstar made a name for himself wrestling worldwide on the independent scene.
Bryan recently reflected on his time on the indies, highlighting what he misses about that scene and lifestyle in an interview with Super Luchas. He also discussed which luchadors he would like to compete in WWE.
Regarding the indie scene, Bryan admitted that he misses it—in particular getting the opportunity to wrestle against different people across the globe.
“Yes … I really miss all that,” Bryan confessed. “And one of the things I miss is fighting with different people. Being independent, you can fight with people you’ve never faced before, and that’s something I like. For example, on SmackDown, I struggled with Buddy Murphy, and I was very excited because I had never fought him. As an independent fighter, my mind was always working. ‘I don’t know who this guy is, I don’t know what he does, I’ve never been in this arena.’ I like those experiences.”
Lucha Lucha Lucha
When it comes to naming which luchadors he would love to see in WWE, Bryan admitted that it was difficult to choose as many of his favorites are now too old.
“I could say: ‘Wait a minute, I want Negro Casas in WWE’ or something, because I love Blue Panther, I love Negro Casas,” he said. “The first time I saw a fight of his was about 1987, but he is amazing. In 2019 he is still impressive. Then I have a lot of respect for them, but thinking about who could do it now in WWE, I could tell someone like Rush. I think Bandido would do it big; also, Dragon Lee could succeed.”
Despite recognizing their talent, he also stressed that WWE is loaded with top lucha talent. He name-dropped Andrade and Gran Metalik, calling both “fantastic.”
After announcing the Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston SummerSlam rematch for the WWE Championship on SmackDown Live, the company has confirmed another match for the upcoming Clash Of Champions PPV.
The main event of this week’s episode of 205 Live saw
Humberto Carrillo defeating Oney Lorcan in a singles match to become the new #1
contender for the Cruiserweight Championship.
After Carrillo’s win, WWE confirmed that he will be getting his title shot at the upcoming PPV and he will face Drew Gulak for his Cruiserweight championship at the show.
The Cruiserweight Championship match is the 6th bout to have officially been announced for the event apart from several other title matches and the King Of The Ring finals.
Updated Clash Of Champions Match Card
After the announcement, here is the updated Clash Of Champions match card:
WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston (c)
WWE Universal Championship Match: Braun Strowman vs. Seth Rollins (c)
RAW Tag Team Championship Match: Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode vs. Braun Strowman and Seth Rollins (c)
SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley (c)
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match: Humberto Carrillo vs. Drew Gulak (c)
King of the Ring Tournament Finals
Other rumored matches for the event include an intercontinental championship match between The Miz and Shinsuke Nakamura and SmackDown Tag Team Championship match between the New Day and The Revival but they haven’t been confirmed yet.
This year’s Clash of Champions PPV will be taking place from
Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 15th.
