Deadspin’s David Bixenspan has posted a story looking at the WWE NXT vs. AEW Wednesday Night War that is only a few weeks away from happening.

In this article, there is a statement from WWE that addresses claims that the move of NXT to the USA Network is a way to counter-program against AEW.

A WWE spokesman made it known in an email that he NXT move to USA has nothing to do with AEW. 

“The premise to your story is wrong,” the WWE spokesman said. He added, “NXT has been on Wednesday nights since 2015 [sic] as I’m sure you know.”

The spokesman continued, “It isn’t called counter-programming if you continue to air a series on the same day/time as it has been on for nearly five years.” The email closed out with “Perhaps you’ll ask AEW about counter-programming NXT?”

NXT Contracts Expected To Be Converted To Main Roster Deals

Bixenspan reached out to All Elite Wrestling for a comment but an AEW spokesperson declined the request.

It’s been reported that WWE’s original plans were to air NXT on FOX Sports 1 but with FS1 airing Big East Basketball on Wednesday nights would have prevented them from starting until after October.

Thus, Vince McMahon decided the USA Network was a better home for NXT as USA is available in more homes than FS1.

WWE NXT on the USA Network will be starting September 18th and expanding to two hours that will fill in the 8 pm ET – 10 pm ET time slot on Wednesday nights. This will be a head-to-head competition as AEW will air in the same time slot on TNT starting October 2nd. 

It should be noted that AEW made the announcement of their weekly show on TNT in this timeslot before WWE although WWE has been airing NXT on their streaming service, WWE Network, on Wednesday nights for years now. 

CM Punk will take part in an on-stage interview at Starrcast later this summer in Chicago. Starrcast promoter Conrad Thompson addressed Punk’s interview at the convention during a media call yesterday.

“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.”

Conrad Thompson Addresses CM Punk Interview At Starrcast

Thompson made a point to clarify that he did not book CM Punk through AEW. He also said fans expecting Punk to appear at All Out are likely going to be disappointed.

“I want to clarify because I know that there’s lots of speculation out there this was not a piggy back booking, I didn’t book CM Punk through AEW, he’s not going to be at All Out and anyone who has that expectation is probably going to be a little disappointed because that’s not the way my booking happened.”

“He’s in a good spot where he sort of gets to call his next shot whether that’s in or outside of wrestling and I suspect that is the main question that everyone wants to know is ‘What’s next?”

Thompson would also confirm they have chosen someone to conduct the interview with Punk but they have yet to reveal who that person is.

• CM Punk’s Agent Reportedly Reached Out To Fox About FS1 Hosting Gig

Braun Strowman has pulled off many unbelievable angles as the Monster Among Men but at the same time, the former Wyatt Family member has also been involved in many comedic angles during his WWE run so far.

The iconic moments which are associated with Strowman range from him flipping over cars and trucks to winning the tag team titles with a 10-year-old Nicholas at the Grandest Stage Of Them All, WrestleMania.

During a recent interview with Gamespot.com, Strowman talked about all these moments he has been a part of over the years and also revealed another ridiculous angle he had pitched to officials.

Per Strowman, while talking to Officials about battle royal, he has pitched an idea where he would come out and flip over the entire ring to eliminate the people inside it:

“I’ve pitched a couple of times in battle royals where I come out of nowhere and lift up the ring and dump everybody out of the ring before, so that I think would be a fun one, I don’t think there’s much left to flip unless I ripped a whole roof off the stadium or something like that.”

Braun Strowman went on to say that it’s fun to throw the comedic stuff along with his more serious storylines because it allows fans to connect with him and engage in the story.

Apart from this, Strowman also discussed his finishing move, what is Nicholas doing right now and more. You can check out his full interview at this link.

Bray Wyatt’s Fiend has taken WWE by storm in recent months. His most recent attack occurred on RAW this week during a planned episode of the King’s Court. Before Jerry Lawler could bring out his scheduled guest Sasha Banks, Wyatt’s Fiend appeared and delivered a Mandible Claw to the legend.

Wyatt posted the following to Twitter asking for Lawler’s forgiveness:

Wyatt also responded to a fan on Twitter asking if he remembered the wrestler once known as Husky Harris. He tagged Cody Rhodes in his response.

Cody was Harris’ “Pro” back in the era of NXT when new talent was partnered up with a more experienced WWE talent. Wyatt teamed with Cody his first two matches in WWE. Their first match as a team they lost to MVP and Percy Watson but won their second match against Mark Henry and Lucky Cannon.

Bray Wyatt’s Fiend in WWE 2K20

Wyatt’s new character was recently confirmed as downloadable and pre-order content for the upcoming WWE 2K20 video game. The game is scheduled to be released on October 22nd.

• Bray Wyatt’s Fiend Announced As WWE 2K20 Pre-Order Bonus

“WWE 2K20 Originals: Bump in the Night’s centerpiece is the debut playable version of “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, who taunted the WWE Universe for months before his in-ring debut at SummerSlam this past Sunday. Wyatt fits in perfectly with the pack, loaded with a horror-themed Showcase, unique story towers, frightening versions of some of your favorite WWE Superstars, and much more,” a WWE 2K20 press release for the game reads.

Earlier this month, MLW announced a strategic partnership with Mexico’s The Crash lucha libre organization. The two companies will co-promote their first show together Saturday, October 5th.

The event will take place from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico at the historic Auditorio Fausto Gutierrez. The venue seats over 5,000 fans.

This will be a TV taping for MLW Fusion and will be MLW’s largest crowd to date. Ticket information will be released in the weeks ahead.

“This partnership is starting with a bang,” said MLW CEO and founder Court Bauer. “One of the immediate goals of this partnership was to collaborate on an event of this size and scope. Tijuana is one of the hottest cities for lucha in the world and has been for decades. For The Crash to host this monumental event is history in the making for us, the sport and our fans.”

The card will feature top ranked MLW wrestlers and represents the first-time MLW has united with another company to present a co-promoted event.

For more information on this historic show, visit MLW.com.

It’s been some time since Nikki Bella and John Cena broke up with each other, but at least the former still feels the effects of her split with the Cenation Leader.

During the recent episode of The Bellas Podcast, Nikki reflected on her relationship with the 16 Time World Champion and detailed the effects of her breakup.

Bella said that they had an amazing relationship and a lot of love for each other and so she still feels bad about their breakup and cries every now and then:

“We were together a long time, we had an amazing relationship and an amazing bond and a lot of love for each other… but, every day when I need to cry, I let myself cry, because crying is healing. and so, when those tears come, I don’t try to hold them in, I find a quiet place and I cry. Also, on top of it, I meditate.”

Nikki also talked about getting over a breakup during the podcast and said you have to love yourself and do work on yourself to get over such situation.

Nikki Bella started dating John Cena back in 2012 and the couple even got engaged in 2017 when Cena proposed the former Women’s Champion during WrestleMania 33.

However, while they had planned their wedding for May 2018, the duo canceled it just a month prior to the planned date and they called off their engagement in April.

Quotes via ETCanada.com

WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle recently held another Q&A session from his Facebook page and he answered questions related to his favorite movie, his hobbies other than wrestling and more.

AEW has been creating buzz ever since the company was made official in January this year and due to many similarities between the two, people have been comparing the upstart promotion to WCW.

However, a fan-made an interesting comparison between the promotion of Tony Khan and TNA and asked Angle if he sees any similarities between the two.

Replying to it, the former World Champion admitted that he does see some similarities between the two but claimed that AEW has a long road ahead of them:

“I see some similarities. AEW has a very long road ahead of them. I know that the talent there is up for a challenge. The can succeed if done right, but AEW will need to realize they will always be #2. WWE is way too big and has way too many years behind them for a new company to step in and take over the top spot”

Angle also went on to recall the time when TNA tried to compete with WWE on Monday night. He revealed that he had told the TNA Officials that they will never beat the company and they should be happy with being the number 2.

Apart from this, Kurt Angle also talked about the Fiend Bray Wyatt, important noncamera roles in WWE and more. You can check out his post below:

WWE recently confirmed the Undertaker’s return to SmackDown Live announcing that he will be making an appearance at the upcoming episode of the show taking place at Madison Square Garden.

Dave Meltzer discussed Taker’s return in the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter and provided some updates on the reason behind his appearance.

Per Meltzer, WWE has not added the Dead Man to the show because of low ticket sales, since the company had planned this appearance for a while now.

While the MSG show will be serving as the go-home edition of the show for the Clash Of Champions PPV, so far there is no news of the former Champion wrestling at the upcoming PPV.

It’s speculated that the Last Outlaw’s appearance at the episode will set up some kind of angle, leading to another appearance at the upcoming 20th anniversary special of The Blue Branded Show.

Though there are no plans for The Undertaker to wrestle at either of the shows and he is only expected to be involved in a segment at the special episode.

WWE will be returning to Madison Square Garden for Raw and SmackDown tapings on September 9th and 10th respectively, while the 20th anniversary special will be taking place on October 4rth, the same night when SmackDown premieres on Fox Network.

WWE Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch has confirmed that after a long relationship she and the current Universal Champion Seth Rollins have gotten engaged.

Lynch broke the news via her social media accounts and posting a photo of herself and Rollins on both Twitter and Instagram, she wrote that it’s the happiest day of her life.

It’s unknown how long these two have been dating each other but the duo originally confirmed their relationship during a Twitter exchange back in May this year.

WWE then incorporated this relationship into their storylines as well and both the champions even went on to form a tag team for a match against Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans at the Extreme Rules PPV in July.

Various WWE stars have also started reacting to the news and after WWE.com published a story on their engagement, stars like Sheamus, Renee Young and more have congratulated the couple on social media:

Becky Lynch is currently feuding with Sasha Banks after the Boss returned to WWE programming a couple weeks ago and attacked both Lynch and Natalya following a heel turn.

On the other hand, Seth Rollins is involved in a storyline with Braun Strowman and these two won the Raw Tag Team Championships during this week’s episode of the show.

The SEScoops team would like to congratulate the duo on their engagement and wish them a bright future ahead.

Legendary wrestling announcer Jim Ross is sharing his two cents regarding the upcoming ‘Wednesday Night War’ between AEW and WWE’s NXT brand.

On the latest episode of his Grilling JR podcast, JR spoke with co-host Conrad Thompson about the news that NXT is moving to the USA Network starting Wednesday, September 18th. NXT is expanding to 2 hours and will broadcast live each week from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL. Two weeks later, the war is on when AEW premieres on TNT and the two shows go head-to-head each week in prime time.

Ross says he’s not at all surprised that Vince McMahon made the call to move NXT to the USA Network right before the launch of AEW on TNT.

“I’m not surprised,” said Ross. “Knowing Vince as well as I do and working with him so closely as I did for over a quarter of a century, he ain’t gonna lay back and let AEW grow independently and freely. That was never going to happen. He feels threatened for some crazy reason and I think that’s interesting to me.

JR was adamant that All Elite Wrestling is focused solely on their own success and was not specifically looking to challenge WWE head-on.

“I’ve seen on Twitter where, well, AEW started all this because Cody busted up a prop, a throne or something, and the Bucks did something. You know, I can see where the point is made, but I don’t know if there were any gunshots at each other. But it did surprise me. Competition is good. It’s like a football scrimmage. Good vs. Good. We’ll be very happy to compete, it was going to be a competition all along, we knew it wasn’t going to be an easy road, but at no time in my interview process or short experience since March with Tony Khan and AEW, have i heard one person say, “We’re going to get WWE on this one. Oh, WWE’s not going to like this” It’s never been brought up. It’s brought up online. It’s brought up in the wrestling media.”

JR believes Vince moving NXT to the USA Network is a clear sign that Vince McMcMahon is at least ‘cautious’ about AEW’s early success.

“When Vince moved NXT off his own network, I’ve been a loyal subscriber to the WWE network since they started .. it tells us all we need to know. Is WWE is aware and cautious about the development of AEW? The answer is obviously, ‘yes.’ Should they be? I don’t really know if they should be or not.”

He continued, “No one is going to supplant WWE as the number one sports entertainment in the world. That’s just the way that it is. Big head start, great infrastructure, there’s power in numbers and they’ve got the numbers. But it’s irrelevant. The goal of AEW is to provide a great product to lapsed wrestling fans, among others, with an athletically-based old-school-oriented product. And to make, more importantly, a profit for the Khan family.”

“It’s all about [AEW] and not about them. So, I’m not surprised. I wouldn’t expect any less and this just shows you, USA paid a lot of money for the rights fees, so now they’re getting more cheese on their Whopper, and it’s also going to motivate our guys. Our guys should see this as a challenge. They should see this as a very competitive challenge and, “Are you ready to play?” All I give a damn about is how good our shows are going to be.” Bring it on. Bring it on, let’s compete and hopefully we won’t break down into some Mickey Mouse infantile bullshit, on either side.”

Conrad Thompson asked about whether or not NXT competing with AEW head-to-head will affect AEW’s storytelling. Without direct competition, they’d have more time to tell stories at a proper pace. If viewers are flipping back and forth between two shows, AEW might feel pressured to accelerate their presentation and re-evaluate their overall approach. JR said that was a good point and a good question.

“I would say, it’s on the radar big time, how do we write TV, how long are we away from action, factoring in how long a commercial break is, do we have a segment that’s only talking or no physicality? We might see less of those. But I don’t think it’s going to be a big deal for AEW anyway.”

You can listen to the full podcast episode at WestWoodOnePodcasts.com, other major podcast outlets like iTunes and in the embedded player below:

This week on Smackdown, we saw Shelton Benjamin play a joke on his former tag-team partner, Chad Gable. Benjamin put a sign on the door to Gable’s change room that said he must be “this tall” to wrestle in the King of the Ring tournament.

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Gable could receive the new nickname of “Shorty G” soon.

“WWE just trademarked the term Shorty G as a wrestling name and rumor had it Gable was going to get that name,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

Real name Charles Betts, Gable competed for Team USA as an amateur wrestler at the 2012 Olympics in London. His height is currently listed at 5ft 8 inches.

Chad Gable WWE Career

Gable has won tag team gold three times in WWE, on 3 different brands and with 2 different partners. Along with Jason Jordan, Gable won both the NXT and the Smackdown tag team championships. Gable and Bobby Roode are also former RAW tag team champions.

In 2015, Gable was voted “Rookie of the Year” by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Last year, he was ranked at #93 in the PWI Top-500 rankings.

• Chad Gable Says Kurt Angle Is The Best Of All Time Following Match

All Elite Wrestling has added another commentator to their roster. Just 3 days after Tony Shiavone was reported to have signed with the promotion, AEW has signed Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez.

Mendez has worked primarily as an ESports and gaming host but also provided commentary for Fyter Fest in conjunction with CEO Gaming. He hosts NBC’s the Titan Games as well.

Mendez took to Twitter to announce a contract signing. AEW’s Alex Marvez then welcomed him to the promotion, confirming the contract Mendez signed is for AEW.

AEW Broadcasting Team

AEW appears to be in the process of firming up their broadcasting roster in preparation for their October 2nd debut on TNT.

Currently signed commentators include:

• Alex Marvez
• Alicia Atout
• Chris Van Vliet
• Excalibur
• Hugo Savinovich
• Jim Ross
• Justin Roberts (ring announcer)
• Tony Shiavone

Jim Ross and AEW

Good o’l JR signed a 3-year deal with AEW earlier this year. His role isn’t limited to just broadcasting duties, however. Ross is also a Senior Advisor to the promotion.

• Jim Ross Explains His Role In AEW

“I’m going to do all I can to help this young group,” JR told ESPN recently. “Share what I got, what knowledge I have, what expertise I have, whether it be in the infrastructure of the talent relations department or other areas. As a senior adviser, I can advise anyone in the company, especially the president. So I may be as much as Tony Khan’s consigliere as any other job.”

With NXT set to debut on the USA Network Wednesday, September 18th, at least some of the performers on the show are reportedly expected to receive more lucrative contracts. The issue was addressed recently in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

“The belief is that at least the top tier NXT talent will have new contracts at closer to main roster figures than current developmental figures,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

The report would continue to say that new talent signed to NXT usually earn between $40-$60K annually but that is likely to change.

“While not confirmed, the word going around is that all developmental deals are going to be changed to main roster deals shortly,” Meltzer continued. He would then continue to say the current plan is for Triple H to remain in charge of NXT without involvement from either Vince McMahon or Kevin Dunn.

NXT Commentary Team To Remain The Same

• News On Mauro Ranallo’s NXT Future Following USA Announcement

Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness and Beth Phoenix are expected to remain as the NXT commentary team. Ranallo Tweeted out the following in regards to the news that the show is headed to the USA Network.

“I had the honor of being part of the first #SmackDownLive broadcast on @USA_Network I am even more excited to be part of the @WWENXT broadcast team with @McGuinnessNigel & @TheBethPhoenix on USA! WE’LL DO IT LIVE!”

FS1 will be producing an in-studio show on Tuesday nights focussed on recapping everything going on in WWE beginning this fall. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer, agents for CM Punk recently reached out to Fox in regards to Punk possibly co-hosting that program.

“What we do know that is interesting is that CAA, which represents Punk and also represents WWE, has had an agent reach out to FOX head honchos about Punk as a co-host of the upcoming new FS 1 talk show,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

It does appear, however, that this could have been a case of Punk’s agent reaching out without it having been prompted by Punk himself.

“It’s only something Punk’s agent brought up and not anything that it’s clear Punk wanted, although he has seemingly been looking into commentary and he is doing lower level MMA commentary right now.”

CM Punk and WWE

Following the announcement that CM Punk would be at Starrcast later this summer, Punk spoke with SI.com and made some comments regarding his feelings toward WWE.

“People still have that connotation, like, ‘Oh, he hates WWE.’ And it’s just like, no, I’ve let all that go, and I’ve let all that go so long ago. But there are people that hold on to that. They still think or want me to be who I was. I’m not who I was yesterday. This is my journey, this is my odyssey.”

• Update On The Elite’s Response To CM Punk’s Comments

While Katsuyori Shibata has not been given medical clearance to resume his pro-wrestling career, it is believed he is hoping that will happen eventually. His status was addressed recently in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

“(Shibata) hasn’t been cleared, but he will be attempting to get cleared,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “He trains with his students, but the issue in question is whether it can ever be healthy for him to take head shots and if he were to return as Katsuyori Shibata, can they work around that issue within the New Japan style.”

Speculation as to whether Shibata would be returning to the ring began after an angle where KENTA joined Bullet Club and beat down Shibata with his new teammates took place on the final night of the G1 Climax tournament.

Katsuyori Shibata’s Injury

After winning the New Japan Cup in 2017, Shibata was scheduled to take on Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. They met at Sakura Genesis that year. After Okada won the match, Shibata collapsed backstage. He was taken to the hospital with a subdural hematoma which required surgery. MMA fighter/boxer Tim Hague would die of the same injury just two months later.

• Shibata Hospitalized After IWGP Title Match At Sakura Genesis

It has previously been reported that doctors will likely never clear him to return to the ring.

Current WWE Champion Kofi Kingston is once again embroiled in a feud with long-time rival Randy Orton. The two have reignited their issues which stretch all the way back to 2009, during one of Kofi Kingston’s initial surges in popularity.

One moment, in particular, helped Kofi to stand out: destroying Randy Orton’s car. During the segment, however, Kingston recalled being worried the whole thing could have turned into a “Shockmaster” moment.

Speaking with Fightful.com, Kingston looked back at the damage he did to the car, and the moment he almost slipped live on RAW. 

“My God! I talk about that moment all the time. That was a career-defining moment for me, people are like ‘Oh my god, Kofi Kingston’s not just happy-go-lucky Jamaican guy, he’s doing some damage to this car.’ I feel like if I would have fallen, it would have been a Shockmaster-esque moment,” he admitted.

“It was almost slow motion for me. They told me the NASCAR was indestructible. They gave me a crowbar, with the first hit, it broke the window. That wasn’t supposed to happen, but it’s live TV. I keep on breaking it, I go and step, and now I’m on the dashboard.”

He continued, “I go to slam [the bucket of paint], and I feel myself falling. It’s like The Matrix. I’m like ‘No! My career! No!’ I stuck the pose, and it was really close. It could have went [down] really quick, but it went [up]. No multiple cars, no multiple buckets of paint. It was a one time deal. There’s no mirrors, I had to figure out ways to destroy it. I threw a crate into it, I used a crowbar to scratch up the paint job. Luckily it went the way that it was supposed to go and here we are ten years later, me and Randy going out there and doing it.”

The two recently wrestled to a double count-out during their clash at SummerSlam, leaving fans unhappy and wanting to see more. Given Randy’s attack on The New Day on RAW, followed by Kofi’s revenge on SmackDown, it appears the two are far from finished with each other. 

Jon Moxley is reportedly suffering from a potentially serious elbow injury, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Dave Meltzer speculated it could be an infection developed during his time wrestling for NJPW’s G1 Climax tournament. This hasn’t stopped him from his scheduled bookings. However, Moxley has apparently been wary about taking bumps, avoiding doing so whenever possible as his elbow heals.

“Jon Moxley has some kind of an elbow injury,” Meltzer stated. “It may be an infection that he got in Japan. He worked shows this weekend for Northeast Wrestling and with the exception of the 8/16 show in Poughkeepsie, his singles bouts were made tags. He pretty much insisted on doing his singles match with Pentagon Jr., and was very careful not to bump on the elbow.”

Moxley will be participating for a number of All Elite Wrestling’s initial TNT shows and is still slated for the debut show on October 2nd. Next up, however, will be his All Out bout against Kenny Omega on August 31st.

If it is an infection that he is currently dealing with, Moxley may take the necessary time to heal. Doing so will at least ensure that he is fully healed for the slew of AEW shows that are fast approaching. 

After the announcement was made official that NXT was moving to USA Network, several wrestlers reacted to the news. One of those was All Elite Wrestling (AEW) wrestler Chris Jericho. He provided a sarcastic “#YoureWelcome” in a tweet claiming he was instrumental to this happening. Now, the former WWE Superstar has opened up more about his feelings regarding NXT’s move.

Speaking with SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Jericho addressed WWE’s announcement. During the conversation, he confessed he doesn’t believe Vince McMahon will be able to stay away from involving himself with the show. Jericho argued that, if he does get involved, NXT will simply become another RAW or SmackDown.

“If it’s another show on the USA Network – not on FS1, and not on the WWE Network. If it’s an official, legitimate, nationwide cable show on the USA Network, do you think Vince McMahon is going to be involved in it? Of course he is!” Jericho exclaimed. “It’s Vince McMahon; he is a genius. But here’s the thing – I think the appeal of it is that it’s its own little entity outside the WWE, and when Vince McMahon gets a hold of it and gets involved with it it is going to become another SmackDown and another RAW.”

Just Another WWE Show

Jericho speculated that with NXT on USA Network, all three brands will begin to interact with each other, making NXT “just another WWE show.” 

“[…] whatever the appeal is with NXT, whatever the specialness of it is is going to be changed to another RAW and another SmackDown,” he said. “I think if you like RAW and SmackDown then you’re going to like NXT on Wednesday nights. If you don’t, then I don’t think you’re going to like NXT on Wednesday nights because there’s no way that Vince McMahon is going to stay home and not be involved with it. That is what he does, so, great. I think it’s another 2 hours of incredible WWE programming on Wednesday nights. If you love WWE, then there’s more for you to love, and if you don’t, then I don’t think it’s going to make a difference.”

As far as Jericho is concerned, this new war between WWE and AEW was inevitable. When he signed with the promotion, he believes his decision to do so “started a war in Vince McMahon’s mind. I think he likes it, I think he thrives on it which, of course, he does because this is what he has done his whole life, and he wins every war he has been in.”

He claimed he informed AEW management that there would be impending war. Despite this, AEW EVPs The Young Bucks have shared that they are unafraid of the competition to come. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

KENTA (FKA Hideo Itami) recently turned his back on Katsuyori Shibata and joined Bullet Club. He and his new teammates beat down Shibata on the final night of the G1 Climax 29 earlier this month.

KENTA was asked online about a dream match he would like to have. He indicated he wants to wrestle CM Punk one day.

CM Punk and KENTA History

KENTA made the following statement to the Daily Star in 2011 regarding CM Punk using the GTS as his finisher: “Please list him on the wanted list as he stole my move.”

• Punk Accused Of Stealing Moves, “British Bulldog” Remembered

In 2015, Punk and Itami briefly interacted online again over Punk using the GTS.

KENTA On Joining New Japan Pro Wrestling

KENTA joined NJPW earlier this year and took part in the G1 Climax 29 tournament this summer. He spoke to NJPW about his decision to sign with the promotion.

• KENTA Explains Why He Signed With NJPW After leaving WWE

“Now New Japan goes worldwide,” KENTA said. “I want to show my wrestling to the world as KENTA, not Hideo Itami. I want to show my wrestling to the world and New Japan goes worldwide, US, UK, everybody knows New Japan. So, I decided New Japan.”

WWE and the USA Network recently announced NXT will air live weekly 2-hour shows every Wednsday night. The company won’t be receiving as much in rights fees from USA as was originally reported, however.

The Wrestling Observer recently provided an update on how much WWE will receive in rights fees annually from the USA Network in exchange for NXT programming.

“I guess the number is $60 million over two years,” said Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. “Which would be $30 million a year or $600,000 a week, not $50 million that I said the first time. What I was told was over $50 million but the person who told me I guess meant over two years, not one year.”

He would continue to say it is still enough for NXT to be profitable. The fees will also be more than enough to cover production costs.

• Details On Minimum Money WWE Is Receiving For NXT TV Rights Fees

WWE Cancels NXT Tapings

NXT tapings had been scheduled for September 11th and 12th next month at Full Sail University. Those events have been rescheduled to the 18th and 25th when they will air live on USA. Ticketholders to the 11th and 12th shows will now have the option of receiving a refund or tickets to the rescheduled shows.

• WWE Cancels Upcoming NXT Tapings

Another match has been announced for the upcoming AEW All Out pre-show.

Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) vs. Jack Evans and Angelico in a tag team match is slated to take place. The kickoff show streams live for free on YouTube.

The other match set for the pre-show is the Women’s Casino Battle Royale that will see the winner receive a shot at the inaugural title.

AEW presents the All Out pay-per-view event on Saturday, August 31st at the Sears Centre in Chicago, IL, which has sold out. 

Updated AEW All Out Card

• Chris Jericho vs. Hangman Page to crown the first AEW World Heavyweight Champion
• Cody Rhodes vs. Shawn Spears
• Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley
• Joey Janela vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Darby Allin
• Best Friends vs. The Dark Order – Winners receive a first-round bye in the AEW World Tag Team Championship tournament
• Young Bucks (c) vs. Lucha Brothers: Ladder Match for the AAA World Tag Team Championships
• Riho vs. Hikaru Shida
• Pre-Show: Brandi Rhodes, Allie, Yuka Sakazaki, Nyla Rose, Britt Baker, Teal Piper, Jazz, Ivelisse, Big Swole, Sadie Gibbs – Women’s Casino Battle Royale (Winner receives shot at the inaugural title)
• Pre-Show: Jack Evans and Angelico vs. Private Party

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

Will Ospreay recently took some time to answer a series of fan questions via social media. The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion revealed his favorite moment of his career to date, as well his favorite G1 memory. During the course of the Q+A session, he also divulged the current expiration date for his New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) contract. 

Aerial Assassin Q+A

One fan was eager to know if Ospreay would ever wrestle WWE Superstar Ricochet again. The two have had previous memorable matches in NJPW. Will responded “Never Say Never. But for the next 5 years Will Ospreay is property of the Lion Mark.”

When it comes to the G1 Climax Tournament, Ospreay was quick to name his favorite moment from the gruelling competition: being in the ring with NJPW’s Ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi.

As for his top all-time career moment, Ospreay admitted that there were many highlights for him to choose from, but one homecoming moment in particular sticks with him:

“First time I won Super Jrs and came home to York Hall to such an incredible reception. I remember standing in the ring looking to my left, to the centre of the balcony and saw @BeaPriestley just lip read “I love you.”

Former WCW wrestler Glacier (real name Ray Lloyd) reappeared on pro wrestling fans’ radars after accompanying Cody Rhodes at All Elite Wrestling’s All In event last September. 

In a recent interview with the WINCLY podcast, he shared a story about the gimmick WWE pitched to him when they were interested in bringing him to their roster back in 2000.

“When we [WCW] were bought out, [WWE] wanted me to send a tape,” Glacier recalled. “I consulted with Terry Taylor about what I should put together, and he came up with a great idea, ‘If I were you, I would pitch Ray Lloyd in a highlight reel of Glacier to show them some versatility.'” 

“It Was Just Too Personal”

WWE responded well to the tape. They offered him not only a contract but a gimmick they thought he would fit. Their idea would have seen Lloyd portray a state trooper, leaning into the law enforcement background he and his family have. 

The character wasn’t something Lloyd wanted to do, however.

“It was just one of those things where I didn’t really wanna get that personal because in the wrestling business they have the power to do whatever they want to do. It was nothing against WWE, but it was just too personal to me to put into the wrestling business,” he admitted. “And at the end of the day, I ended up turning them down. I was tired of being on the road, and it wasn’t a great offer because they didn’t have to offer anything great at the time because they owned all of the cards.”

Having rejected WWE’s offer, Lloyd would ultimately join Dusty Rhodes to help him with his Turnbuckle promotion. He ended up working for the company for four years as Dusty Rhodes’ right-hand guy—an experience he called life-changing.

H/T: Wrestling Inc.

Current NXT Champion, Adam Cole, has opened up about the impact negative social media used to have on him as a performer. 

Speaking with Lilian Garcia on her podcast, Chasing Glory, Cole described how he used to value what the internet thought about him and his matches, stating that “it really meant everything to me.” He explained that his mindset came from the fact that, at the time, the only buzz you could generate as an independent pro wrestler was online. Because of this, he allowed any sort of overt negativity to affect how he perceived himself and his work. 

“At that point, wrestling on the Independents, your only real buzz was online,” Cole explained. “In the arena, you’d wrestle in front of 200 people tops, so it’s not like the world was talking about it. You would hope that word of mouth, people would speak highly of you.”

“It mattered to me so much that I would have a match that I loved, the guy I was working with loved, and the boys loved. But if two or three people said, ‘that sucked,’ then the match sucked to me. I was like, ‘I gotta stop doing that.’ It was ruining my perception on what is fun and what I know is good.”

He continued, explaining that he barely checks his Twitter account anymore. Instead, he stays away from social media in general. 

“People are entitled to their opinion. But it’s when people take hard and crazy, ‘I wish this person wasn’t alive’ type of stuff. I can’t imagine watching a movie and then going online and being like, ‘This movie sucked! Leonardo DiCaprio! Shutter Island! TRASH!’”

H/T to Fightful.com for the transcription. 

WWE NXT General Manager William Regal had little time for Mia Yim following last night’s episode of NXT. 

In case you missed it, Yim was confronted by NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler and her Horsewomen, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir. She was offered a spot under Baszler’s “dragon wing,” and was invited to join the three of them. Yim refused their invitation, instead launching an attack before the numbers game caught up with her. 

After the show, Mia Yim caught up with a preoccupied William Regal, who was on the phone. She demanded a matchup against Shayna Baszler, highlighting that she was just beaten down in a three-on-one assault.

Regal’s response lacked any sort of sympathy, however:

“Listen, you had your opportunity at TakeOver,” he said. “You attacked two of them, what do you expect?”

He then resumed his phone call and walked off, leaving Mia Yim visibly frustrated.

The matchup Regal referred to was Mia Yim’s recent bout at TakeOver: Toronto. She competed in a losing effort for the WWE NXT Women’s Championship, submitting to Baszler.

Given the fallout of this match and her rejection to join Baszler and her cohorts, it appears this storyline has yet to run its course.