CM Punk continued the media rounds for the promotion of his new film Girl on the Third Floor by talking to App.com recently and during the interview, he discussed things like his wrestling career helping him in acting and more.

Apart from his upcoming movie, the former WWE Champion has also been in news due to reports associating him with a possible role at WWE Backstage. However, what fans really want to know is if the former Champion has closed the door for an in ring return.

When asked if the door for his return to athletic competition is closed, the former WWE star said that he is not closing it all the way and we have to wait and see what happens:

“I don’t think so. I’m not closing it all the way, but I’m no spring chicken, you know what I mean? I don’t like to close doors that I eventually want to re-open, possibly, in the future, so we’ve just got to wait and see what happens.

The Straight Edge Star went on to explain his comments revealing that he hasn’t been able to train for two weeks in the same spot in recent times and we’ll see what happens when he is done with the promotion of the movie.

There hasn’t been a lot of update on CM Punk’s possible return for the WWE Backstage gig but Punk himself had recently claimed that he hasn’t heard back from Fox Officials since his tryouts. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.

WWE had previously announced a 20 Men Battle Royal for the Crown Jewel PPV and they have now confirmed the list of participants for this bout.

The company recently announced that the match will take place in the Kickoff pre-show of the upcoming event and it will feature stars such as Erick Rowan, Andrade and more.

The winner of the bout will then go on to face the United States Champion AJ Styles for his title later in the night. You can check out the full list of participants and the final match card for the event below:

Updated Crown Jewel Match Card

• Kickoff Pre-show 20-Man Battle Royal: WWE 24/7 Champion Sunil Singh, Mojo Rawley, Erick Rowan, R-Truth, Sin Cara, The Brian Kendrick, Titus O’Neil, Tony Nese, Akira Tozawa, Shelton Benjamin, Apollo Crews, Buddy Murphy, Andrade, Drake Maverick, Eric Young, Luke Harper, Cedric Alexander, Heath Slater, Humberto Carrillo, No Way Jose
• WWE Championship Match: Cain Velasquez vs. Brock Lesnar (c)
• Falls Count Anywhere Match for the WWE Universal Championship: “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs. Seth Rollins (c)
• World Cup Tag Team Turmoil Match to determine the Greatest Tag Team In The World: RAW Tag Team Champions The Viking Raiders vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Revival vs. The New Day vs. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode vs. Heavy Machinery vs. Lucha House Party vs. Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins vs. The OC vs. The B Team
• Team Hogan vs. Team Flair: Captain Roman Reigns, Rusev, Ricochet, Ali, Shorty Gable vs. Captain Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, King Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura
• United States Championship Match: AJ Styles (c) vs. Winner of the 20 Men Battle Royal
• Braun Strowman vs. Tyson Fury
• Cesaro vs. Mansoor Al-Shehail

WWE Crown Jewel will take place on Thursday, October 31, from the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

NXT Star Catalina Garcia made her main roster debut on Raw this week after being signed by the company earlier this year and joining the performance center in mid-August.

She wore a mask for her debut and accompanied Sin Cara for his rematch against Andrade. Garcia’s presence helped Cara in equaling the odds with Zelina Vega but Andrade still managed to win the bout.

Catalina has worked a few matches at NXT Live Events after making her debut for the brand during a live event on October 10th. It’s unknown if she will stick around the main roster after this appearance or if she will be sent back to development.

Becky Lynch On The Opening Segment Of Raw

The opening segment of this week’s Raw saw former Diva’s Champion Paige introducing the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, The Kabuki Warriors. However, the whole segment ended with one half of the tag team in Asuka spitting green mist into her face.

Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch later faced the other half of the current tag champs, Kairi Sane in a singles match. Despite the distraction from Sane’s partner Asuka, the Man was able to win this bout.

After the show was over, Lynch was asked about the Kabuki Warriors’ treatment of the former SmackDown General Manager. Replying to it, Becky said that she respects Paige but she was out there to fight her own battles:

The October 28th, 2019 episode of WWE RAW aired live from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO. Here are 5 takeaways from the show:

Paige Got Hit With The Green Mist

Paige kicked off the show and introduced Women’s Tag Team Champions, The Kabuki Warriors (Kairi Sane & Asuka). Paige began speaking about their accomplishments but Asuka interrupted and ripped the microphone away from her. Paige grabbed the microphone back and Asuka spit green mist in Paige’s face.

RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch rushed the ring and a brawl broke out. Lynch then battled Kairi Sane in a singles match and The Man dominated the bout early. Sane rolled out of the ring but Lynch followed her and connected with a Clothesline. Asuka distracted Lynch and Sane capitalized by shoving Becky into the ring post.

Back in the ring. Sane connected with a DDT and went for the cover but Becky kicked out at two. Asuka caused another distraction and Kairi capitalized with a spinning elbow to the face for another near fall. Lynch battled back and applied the Dis-Arm-Her for the submission victory.

Lynch and Sane had a very good match tonight but the ending was bizarre because it didn’t appear like Kairi Sane tapped out. I would have preferred a DQ finish with Asuka and Sane attacking Lynch than what we saw tonight. It was still a solid match but I thought it took away from their promo with Paige. Sane and Asuka are also defending the Women’s Tag Team Championships against Team Kick on NXT this Wednesday night. I don’t understand why the audience needs to see one of them pinned heading into the title match.

Team Flair Sent A Message To Team Hogan

Drew McIntyre (Team Flair) battled Ricochet (Team Hogan) tonight on RAW. Hogan, Jimmy Hart, and Ric Flair were ringside for the match. McIntyre controlled the action early and hurled Ricochet across the ring. McIntyre followed it up with a Suplex and then applied an Armbar as Jimmy tried to get the crowd behind Ricochet.

Ricochet escaped and planted McIntyre with a Hurricanrana. Ricochet went for a Crossbody but Drew caught him and slammed him to the canvas. McIntyre connected with a Buckle Bomb and mocked Hulk Hogan’s poses to a smattering of boos from the crowd.

Ricochet hit a boot to the face and followed it up with some chops in the corner. McIntyre shrugged them off and leveled Ricochet with a kick to the head as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, McIntyre went for the Claymore Kick but Ricochet countered with an Enziguri. Ricochet climbed to the top rope but McIntyre rolled out of the way. Ricochet hopped down and Randy Orton hit him with an RKO out of nowhere to end the match in a DQ. Ricochet sold the hell out of the RKO and you can check that out below.

Seth Rollins Used A Forklift To Defeat Rowan

Seth Rollins squared off against Erick Rowan in a Falls Count Anywhere match tonight on RAW. The action quickly exited the ring and the two superstars battled through the crowd. They then fought in the concourse area and Rowan launched Seth into a merchandise stand. Rowan followed it up with a Chokeslam through a table for a near fall as RAW went to a commercial break.

Back from the break, Rollins was in control and connected with a Suicide Dive that knocked Rowan into the barricade. Seth shoved Erick into the steel steps a couple of times and rolled back into the ring. Rollins went for another Suicide Dive but Rowan was ready for it and hit Seth in the face with the steel steps.

Rowan Dropkicked Seth out of the ring and hit him with a Crossbody for a two count. Erick Powerbombed Rollins into the ring post and went for the cover but the Universal Champion was able to kick out at two. Rowan brought Rollins to the entrance ramp and hit him with a Clothesline.

Erick cleared off the announce table and went for the Iron Claw but Seth escaped. Rollins hit Rowan with a Superkick and followed it up with a Stomp on the announce table for a two count. Rollins hit Rowan with a Crossbody and followed it up with a chair shot as the superstars made their way backstage once again.

Rowan threw Rollins into some pipes and then bounced Seth’s face off a road case. Rollins hit Rowan with a ladder and followed it up with a Stomp on top of the ladder. Seth demanded that a worker turn on the forklift and lower it on top Rowan. Seth stood on top of Rowan for the pinfall victory. Rollins will defend the Universal Championship against Bray Wyatt in another Falls Count Anywhere match this Thursday at Crown Jewel.

I liked this finish better when it was Mankind versus The Rock at Halftime Heat in 1999. Rollins isn’t getting a ton of reaction anymore and I would like to see him turn heel at this point. Seth mentioning the city name they are in during his promos and throwing in a “burn it down!” isn’t getting it done anymore.

AJ Styles Tapped Out Humberto Carrillo

AJ Styles faced Humberto Carrillo tonight on RAW. Carrillo dominated the match early and hit a springboard kick for a two count. Gallows and Anderson were ringside for the match and tried to fire AJ up but Humberto stayed on the attack. Carrillo connected with a Moonsault for a near fall and Styles rolled out of the ring to regroup. Carrillo hopped out of the ring and Styles hit an awesome Tornado DDT off the barricade as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Humberto connected with a Dropkick and made his way up to the top rope. Carrillo hit another Dropkick and followed it up with a Moonsault for a two count. Styles went for the Phenomenal Forearm but Humberto tripped him up. Carrillo hit another Moonsault and went for the cover but AJ kicked out. Styles went after Carrillo’s knee and applied the Calf Crusher for the submission victory. After the match, The OC attacked Carrillo and the Street Profits made the save.

Lashley Hit Rusev With A Low Blow

Lana and Rusev joined Lawler for an episode of “Divorce Court” in the final segment of this week’s RAW. Rusev had a smile on his face as Lawler introduced Lana. Jerry pointed out that Rusex is still wearing his wedding band and hopes that they can get back together.

Lana faded in and out of her accent and claimed that Rusev only wanted sex from their relationship. Rusev joked “can you blame me?” and Lana claimed that he was a sex addict. Lana then stated that Rusev wanted to impregnate her and she couldn’t do that because she is a model.

She added that Bobby Lashley told her that Rusev was cheating on her and Rusev claimed that Bobby was just “talking sh*t”. Lashley interrupted and a brawl broke out as the crowd chanted “Rusev Day!”. Rusev took off his wedding band and started beating the hell out of Lashley.

Lana got in the ring with a kendo stick and hit Rusev a few times. Rusev ripped the kendo stick away from Lana but Lashley hit him with a low blow. Lashley hit Rusev with another low blow and then made out with Lana to mercifully end the segment.

A fan in the crowd shouted, “this is weird!” as RAW went off the air and it couldn’t have been more perfect. I find this storyline to be embarrassing for all involved and cannot wait until it is over. The only part I enjoyed during this segment was Rusev completely no-selling the kendo stick shots. The rest of it was an episode of Jerry Springer and didn’t interest me at all.

Overall, RAW wasn’t a good show again. Andrade versus Sin Cara wrestled again and for some reason, the Viking Raiders are still wrestling enhancement talent despite being the RAW Tag Team Champions. I don’t care about Team Hogan versus Team Flair at Crown Jewel. I’ve used this word several times now but it still applies, these shows are completely lifeless right now. The crowds are never into the show because they have no reason to and it makes RAW and SmackDown a very tough watch.

The Saudi Arabian shows of WWE are one of the most successful but controversial events produced by the company. While many of the top talents have decided to keep their distance from these shows, no star has publicly revealed their feelings on the matter.

Corey Graves spoke to Sports Illustrated recently in order to promote his upcoming “After the Bell” podcast where among other things the SmackDown commentator also explained how the WWE stars feel about going to the country.

The former NXT star said that most of the talents like the trip because of it being a good payday. He then went on to claim that it’s a super exciting show if you take the political feeling out of it:

“It’s a long, grueling trip over there, but most of the talent like it because it’s a pretty good pay day, to me, it’s super exciting to have these totally unusual attractions like Cain Velasquez-Brock Strowman and Tyson Fury-Braun Strowman.

If you take any sort of political feeling out of the equation, aren’t you, as a fan of WWE, aren’t you curious and excited to watch these attractions?”

While the Saudi Arabian shows continue to feature many big names, the controversy surrounding the original Crown Jewel event made some stars reconsider their decision.

Names such as Daniel Bryan and John Cena have avoided working in the country since then but these stars have never commented on the matter publicly.

The After the Bell podcast will premiere this Wednesday and the inaugural episode of the show will feature stars such as Triple H, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins, and SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley.

WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page aka DDP made an appearance on the WINCLY podcast where he spoke about a wide range of topics. 

During the interview, he talked about his appearance on last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite and whether fans may see him wrestle one more match.

“I’ve gotta say no, truthfully, and I’m not working you. My body feels too good that I don’t wanna screw anything up. I didn’t understand it because I was 51, 52 and felt like I could run through a brick wall. At 63 I kinda understand.”

DDP stated that while he doesn’t see himself wrestling another match, he’ll be more than willing to give out some Diamond Cutters as he has plenty of those left in him. He stated that he won’t wrestle and would say to it right now before joking that he would have to get paid to take any kind of bumps. 

DDP continued by stating that if Cody Rhodes needs him to do something, then he’ll do it but wants the younger talents to do their thing. 

“These are the superstars where if I can help them get any cred – I did it back in the TNA days when they brought back me and Scott and Kev – that’s what got them on Spike. These guys are already on TNT.”

DDP Believes AEW Could End Up Helping WWE’s Ratings

DDP made his promotional debut with AEW back at Double or Nothing earlier this year. 

His most recent appearance came on last Wednesday’s Dynamite where he helped Cody, Adam Page, and Dustin Rhodes brawl with the Inner Circle in the arena after Jericho interrupted Cody’s promo to build their program heading into Full Gear.

The October 28th, 2019 edition of WWE RAW took place at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO.

– Vic Joseph, Dio Maddin, and Jerry Lawler welcome us to RAW. Lawler will host a special edition of The King’s Court with Rusev and Lana tonight.

– Paige comes out to the stage to kick off tonight’s show. She introduces the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, The Kabuki Warriors. They all walk down to the ring, and Paige talks about all of Asuka and Kairi Sane’s accomplishments so far. Asuka snatches the mic away from Paige and says something in her language. Kairi does the same. Paige grabs the mic away from Kairi, and Asuka spits the green mist in Paige’s face. Some WWE staffers give Paige a towel and water at ringside. Asuka follows Paige out to ringside, and then Becky Lynch comes out for the save. Becky knocks Kairi Sane out of the ring, and Kairi and Asuka both retreat. Becky chases them out to ringside and starts brawling with them both on the floor.

– Becky Lynch vs. Kairi Sane: We’re back from the commercial break, and we’ve got a singles match. Kairi tries to shake Becky’s hand, but Becky throws her into the corner and stomps on her. They trade strikes until Kairi rolls outside for a breather. Back in the ring, Kairi turns it around and beats down Becky in the corner. Becky fights back and rolls up Kairi for a two count. Becky connects with an enziguri, then an elbow to the face. Becky climbs the turnbuckle, but Kairi drops her down to the mat. Kairi continues the offense until she misses a kick, and Becky hits some arm drags now. Becky beats on Kairi until she rolls out to ringside for another breather. Becky rolls outside and hits a clothesline on Kairi. Asuka causes a distraction, which leads to Kairi kicking Becky into the ring post. Back in the ring, Kairi continues the offense on Becky. Becky mounts a comeback and hits several kicks on Kairi in the corner. Kairi tries to start working over Becky’s leg, but Becky fights out and hits a flying forearm shot. Becky looks for a suplex, but Kairi reverses it into a DDT for a two count. They fight up the turnbuckle now, which leads to Becky throwing Kairi down to the mat. Becky follows up with a flying leg drop off the middle rope for a two count. Asuka causes a distraction at ringside, which leads to Kairi hitting a spinning back elbow on Becky for a two count. Becky comes back with the Disarm Her for the win via submission.

Winner: Becky Lynch

– The announcers send us to a video package looking at the history between Lana and Rusev.

– R-Truth comes out rapping, and he’s in singles action next. Truth does an interview in the ring first, and he talks about Samir and Sunil Singh taking his 24/7 Title last week. Truth says he bought bifocal glasses so he can keep an eye on both Singh Brothers at the same time. Buddy Murphy comes out to the ring and tells Truth to stop worrying about the 24/7 Title, because he should be worried about him. Buddy says Truth might not know who he is yet, but after tonight, he’ll never forget him.

– Buddy Murphy vs. R-Truth: Buddy starts off strong with a series of strikes on Truth. Truth fires back with some right hands, and then a headscissor takedown. Truth shows off with a splits in the ring, and it costs him as Buddy nails him with a boot to the face. Truth fires back with the spinning forearm shot to the face for a two count. Truth waits to Buddy to get up, then looks for the Ace Kick, but Buddy dodges it. Buddy comes back with a series of strikes, but Truth drops him with a side kick for a two count. The Singh Brothers run down with a mob of wrestlers chasing them for the 24/7 Title. Truth joins the chase and they keep running in circles around the ring. Truth finally gets back in the ring, and Murphy knees him in the face for the three count.

Winner: Buddy Murphy

– The Singh Brothers and the mob chasing them go out through the crowd now. Truth rolls out of the ring after the match and continues the chase after the Singh Brothers.

– Back from the break, we see a pre-taped promo from The AOP, where they speak in their native languages.

– The Street Profits come out to the ring, and they’ve got mics. They talk about The OC making a mistake by going after them. They say they want the smoke, then they start exiting through the crowd repeating that they want the smoke.

– We’re split-screen backstage, and we see Ric Flair on one side, and Hulk Hogan with Jimmy Hart on the other side. They’re getting ready for a Crown Jewel preview up next.

– Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, and Jimmy Hart all come out to the ring. Hogan and Flair exchange words in the ring, and then Hogan introduces one of his team members, Ricochet.

– Ricochet vs. Drew McIntyre: Ricochet hits a dive on Drew at ringside before the opening bell. Back in the ring, the opening bell sounds and Ricochet hits a kick on Drew, then knocks Drew out to ringside. Ricochet follows up with another suicide dive on Drew. On the way back in the ring, Drew slams Ricochet on the apron. Drew puts the boots to Ricochet on the ringside floor now. Drew suplexes Ricochet on the floor as Ric Flair cheers him on. Drew hits chops to the chest of Ricochet right in front of Flair. Back in the ring, Drew continues to control the pace and keeps Ricochet grounded. Drew gets distracted by Hogan, and he rolls out to ringside to get in Hogan’s face and they exchange words. Drew continues the offense with a suplex. Ricochet tries to mount a comeback after connecting a kick, but Drew overpowers him and gives Ricochet a crucifix powerbomb into the turnbuckle. They fight out to ringside and Drew beats down Ricochet in front of Hogan. Back in the ring, Ricochet tries to mount a comeback again, but Drew shuts him down with a big boot. Drew looks for another powerbomb into the turnbukle, but Ricochet reverses it into a hurricanrana in the corner. Ricochet connects with some strikes now, then a jawbreaker and a rolling dropkick. Rirochet hits a springboard flying clothesline now, and then a springboard moonault for a two count. Ricochet misses a shot in the corner and Drew hits the reverse Alabama Slam for a two count. Ricochet starts to fight back, but Drew shuts him down with a running clothesline. Ricochet starts fighting back again, but Randy Orton runs in and takes out Ricochet with an RKO out of nowhere.

Winner via DQ: Ricochet

– Flair celebrates with his Crown Jewel team members McIntyre and Orton after the match.

– The OC is shown backstage talking to Humberto Carrillo. AJ talks about how he’s one of the most respected veterans in WWE, and he thinks it was cool how Humberto wanted to prove himself in the ring last week. But if Humberto wants to face a real champ, he should face AJ tonight. Humberto seems to accept.

– The Viking Raider vs. Rizzo & Bryant: Rizzo and Bryant appear to be enhancement talents. This one is a quick squash match, and the Raiders hit The Viking Experience for the three count.

Winners: The Viking Raiders

– Bobby Lashley and Lana are shown backstage. They’re getting ready to be on The King’s Court tonight.

– Sin Cara is backstage for an interview with Charly Caruso. Sin Cara has another masked wrestler with him, Catalina, and she’s fired up to even the odds against Zelina Vega at ringside.

– Sin Cara vs. Andrade: Zelina Vega and Catalina are both at ringside for this one. Andrade starts off strong and hits a backbreaker for a two count. This one spills out to ringside where Sin Cara hits a big dive on Andrade. Back in the ring, Vega causes a distraction as Cara tries to pin. Catalina ends up taking out Vega. The distraction leads to Andrade getting the pin on Cara.

Winner: Andrade

– Natalya and Charlotte are shown backstage getting ready to come out to the ring.

– Natalya & Charlotte vs. The Iiconics: Flair and Peyton start this one off, and Flair unloads with a series of chops. Natalya tags in for the double team, then Kay tags in. Kay gets the upper hand, then Peyton tags back in for the double team. Peyton keeps Natalya grounded in the ring, then Kay tags back in. Flair ends up taking out Peyton, and Natalya puts Kay in the Sharpshooter for the win via submission after a short match.

Winners: Natalya & Charlotte

– After the match, Charlotte and Natalya hug in the ring and celebrate their win.

– Seth Rollins is backstage for an interview. He talks about his Falls Count Anywhere match with Rowan tonight, and he says this kind of match is what he does. He says he knows Bray Wyatt is going to take him to another level on Thursday, but he’s ready.

–Seth Rollins vs. Eric Rowan: This one is a Falls Count Anywhere match. The opening bell sounds and Rollins starts off strong with a dropkick. They brawl back and forth all over the ringside area now. They fight all the way up to the concessions area of the arena, and then over by some merchandise displays. Rowan launches Rollins over a table into a merchandise booth, then chokeslams Rollins through the table for a two count. They fight back out to the ringside area now. Rollins finally mounts a comeback and hits a suicide dive on Rowan. Rowan tries to fight back, but Rollins sends Rowan into the ring steps. Rollins misses a shot, and Rowan sends Rollins into the ring steps now. Back in the ring, Rowan hits a splash in the corner, then he kicks Rollins back out to ringside. Rowan runs around the ring with a cross body on Rollins for a two count. Rowan controls the next few moments of the match now, and he takes Rollins over to the announce table. Rowan looks for the Iron Claw, but Rollins reverses it and hits a stomp on Rowan on the table. Rowan stumbles down off the stage, and Rollins hits a dive on him. Rollins nails Rowan with a steel chair now, and they fight into the backstage area. They brawl through pipes and into a forklift. Rowan throws a production case at Rollins, but Rollins dodges it. Rollins nails Rowan with a ladder, then hits a curb stomp on Rowan into the ladder. Rollins instructs someone to get in the forklift and put some pallets on top of Rowan on the floor. Rollins stands on the pallets on Rowan as the ref counts three.

Winner: Seth Rollins

– We see Lana and Lashley backstage again. Lashley says he wants to go out to the ring right her tonight, but Lana insists that she has to do this on her own, then they kiss.

Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown on FS1 from averaged 888,000 viewers, according to ShowbuzzDaily. This is down from the 2.418 million viewers that the show did for last week’s episode of SmackDown on FOX.

The episode was expected to drop viewership due to the show going from FOX to FS1 as FS1 is in lesser homes than FOX. SmackDown pulled in .27 in the 18-49 demos. 

The show had to go up against an MLB World Series game on FOX that averaged 12.220 million viewers. 

Matches that took place on this show include Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler vs. New Day’s Big E & Kofi Kingston, Mandy Rose vs. Nikki Cross, and Ali, Roman Reigns & Shorty G (w/Hulk Hogan & Jimmy Hart) vs. Cesaro, King Corbin & Shinsuke Nakamura (w/Ric Flair & Sami Zayn) in a six-man tag team match. 

The show also featured appearances by WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Hulk Hogan, and Ric Flair. 

In case you missed the show, you can check out the 6 takeaways from it here.

WWE is expecting to see an increase in viewership for the following episode due to it airing on FOX, which should be interesting to see what number it pulls in. It will also serve as the post-Crown Jewel episode for SmackDown. 

Watch: Top 10 Moments from Friday Night SmackDown (10.25.19)

Triple H Absent From WWE RAW

Triple H was a notable name that is not backstage at WWE Monday Night RAW in St. Louis, Missouri at the Enterprise Center, according to PWinsider.com. 

As of this writing, there’s no word yet as to why he wasn’t at the show. Two potential reasons could be him already being in Orlando, Florida for Wednesday’s episode of NXT or in Saudi Arabia for Thursday’s Crown Jewel pay-per-view event. 

WWE Announces Several New NXT Events

On Monday, October 28, WWE NXT announced through its official Twitter account several upcoming NXT live events.

The black-and-yellow brand will do a four-day tour starting on Thursday, Dec. 12, at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium. NXT will then take over the Visalia Convention Center on Friday, Dec. 13. 

NXT then goes to Santa Cruz on Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, before wrapping up its road trip on Sunday, Dec. 15, at the San Jose State University Events Center.

Tickets for all four events will be available at NXTtickets.com starting this Friday, November 1, at 10 a.m. local time.

The Undisputed ERA – NXT Champion Adam Cole, NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong and NXT Tag Team Champions Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish – NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, Io Shirai, Matt Riddle, Bianca Belair, Tyler Breeze, Mia Yim and many more are all advertised for the shows.

AEW got fans talking by teasing a big announcement today. It turns out that announcement is the location for the first Dynamite show of the new year. 

AEW (All Elite Wrestling) announced on Monday via Twitter that the promotion would be holding a TV event in Jacksonville, Florida at the Daily’s Place Amphitheater on New Year’s Day – Wednesday, January 1st, 2020.

This location was also the site for the Fight For The Fallen show that took place in July.

AEW President Tony Khan addressed the fact that some fans found the “big announcement” to be underwhelming. Khan acknowledged that AEW’s social media manager misfired and promised to make it up to fans with another huge announcement.

AEW Touring Schedule

The following is an updated look at the AEW Dynamite touring schedule through January 1st. It should be noted that there will not be a new episode on Christmas day.

• Week 5 (10/30): Charleston, WV
• Week 6 (11/6): Charlotte, NC
• Week 7 (11/13): Nashville, TN
• Week 8 (11/20): Indianapolis, IN
• Week 9 (11/27): Charlotte, NC
• Week 10 (12/4): Champaign, IL
• Week 11 (12/11): Garland, TX
• Week 12 (12/18): Corpus Christi, TX
• Week 13 (1/1): Jacksonville, FL

• Chris Jericho Says It Was Genius For Vince McMahon To Put NXT Up Aginast AEW Wednesday Nights

NXT Superstar Jodan Myles has released a brief video statement claiming, “WWE doesn’t care about black people.”

The video appears to be a response to WWE’s reaction to the controversy surrounding Myles’ racially-insensitive t-shirt design.

WWE’s Defense

Over the weekend, WWE sent a statement to various media outlets claiming that Jordan Myles approved the t-shirt design in question. The company wrote, “As always, we work collaboratively with all of our performers to develop logos and merchandise designs and get their input and approval before proceeding. This was the same process with Albert, and we responded swiftly once he later requested that the logo/t-shirt be redesigned. No t-shirts were sold.”

Jordan Myles Not Buying It

Myles has not taken kindly to WWE’s position. Based on the video below and his subsequent tweets, it’s clear Myles believes that WWE’s attitude towards African Americans runs much deeper than the t-shirt design in question.

Myles has also been conversing with fans on Twitter about the situation. In response to someone who pointed out that WWE claims he approved the t-shirt design, Myles says he was uncomfortable with it his “hands were tied” since Triple H liked it.

He provided this “receipt” showing that Triple H was directly involved in the t-shirt’s design and requested that the Jordan Myles logo be more “teethy.”

We’ll keep you updated on this developing story.

AEW Dynamite is off to a strong start. After four weeks of shows, the television product has been well-received and viewership has far-exceeded the initial expectations of TNT executives.

Even with its promising launch, fans and wrestling pundits will always have critiques and feedback about what can be improved. One area for improvement that has been talked about has been the lack of interviews and backstage segments.

AEW is constantly gathering feedback from fans via various means, including social media, online surveys and the crowds at live events. On Sunday, a fan wrote to AEW Executive VP Cody Rhodes on Twitter and asked what Cody thought about the Pittsburgh crowd for last week’s TV. The fan attended the show with a “non-wrestling person,” who felt “all the matches are too fast and look the same”

Cody Rhodes replied to the Tweet and showed once again how tuned into feedback AEW is. According to Cody, there is a dedicated effort to showcase the wrestlers in non-wrestling settings. This could mean live or pre-recorded interviews, vignettes or other means.

With this acknowledgement from AEW, it will be interesting to see what tweaks are made in the weeks ahead as part of the company’s efforts to develop its characters and storylines.

This Saturday night, Major League Wrestling presents MLW Saturday Night live on pay-per-view from Cicero Stadium in Chicago, IL.

The 3-hour event will be available on traditional PPV providers as well as FITE.TV.

Like virtually all MLW big events, the card is stacked. All of MLW’s championships will be on the line, including Jacob Fatu’s MLW World Championship, The Dynasty’s World Tag Team Championships, Alexander Hammerstone’s National Openweight Championship and Teddy Hart’s World Middleweight title. Mance Warner and Jimmy Havoc will battle in a Stairway to Hell match, “Filthy” Tom Lawlor looks to climb the ranks of MLW once again and much more.

Here is the lineup for MLW’s first pay-per-view event:

• MLW World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu vs. LA Park (with Salina de la Renta)

• MLW World Tag Team Champions The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday) vs. The Von Erichs in a Texas Tornado match

• “Filthy” Tom Lawlor vs. Timothy Thatcher

• MLW National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

• Jimmy Havoc vs. Mance Warner in a Stairway to Hell match

• Brian Pillman vs. Low Ki

• MLW World Middleweight Champion Teddy Hart vs. Austin Aries

• Injustice (Jordan Oliver, Kotto Brazil & Myron Reed) vs. Gringo Loco, Puma King & Septimo Dragon

MLW Saturday Night SuperFight Control Center

All Elite Wrestling’s Nyla Rose has opened up about how she came to be involved with the promotion in a recent interview with Women’s Wrestling Weekly. 

She recalled how when she was first contacted by AEW, she thought it was a joke. Rose noted that they were very candid in how they were operating, and once she realized it wasn’t a practical joke, she was thrilled to provide them with contact details to begin negotiations. 

“[…] a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, they are so unprofessional and like passing out deals in tweets.’ No, that’s not what happened. There were feelers,” Rose explained. “People were saying, ‘Hey are you under contract? I’d like to discuss some things with you. You know, are you even at all interested?’ So once we got that of the way, once I realized it wasn’t a practical joke, we exchanged phone numbers and went about things the professional route. But yeah, the very first message I thought it was a joke. I thought somebody was messing with me because here I am, I’m like, who’s going to sign me, little ol’ me, right? Well, jokes on me, because here I am.”

AEW Women’s Championship Match

Rose faced off against Riho to determine the inaugural AEW Women’s Champion during the premiere episode of AEW: Dynamite. Riho would end up victorious that night. Reflecting on her loss, Nyla admitted there’s “a lot to unpack.”

“For those who don’t know me, or are not as familiar with me, I have spent some time in Japan working with Joshi-style. It wasn’t exactly completely foreign to me, so to speak, but after having been in the states for some time, I had to kind of go back and do some tape study on myself and do tape study on Rhio. I kind of shifted gears a little bit in order to just be able to match her, because she’s a squirmy, little speedy spry.”

She continued, “You know, until this point in my career, that’s probably the biggest thing I’ve ever done. Being crowned a world champion is no small feat. To be crowned the first world champion, especially in a new, blossoming company, you know there could never be another first so it’s kind of like, everything was poetic. You had all that going on, it was in my hometown, there was so much going on. It was very emotional.”

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Tyson Fury is set to wrestle against WWE Superstar Braun Strowman this Thursday at the promotion’s Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia. In an interview with The Telegraph, ‘The Gypsy King’ spoke about the opportunity, confessing that working with WWE has taken his mind off of boxing completely.

Fury added that has no plans to continue in pro wrestling after Crown Jewel.

“I’m an entertainer and fast learner, so I’ve been getting the best out of it. It’s taken my mind off boxing completely,” Fury stated. “I wouldn’t be in training camp at the moment, anyway. But it gives me something to do. I didn’t want October and November off. I knew this would be a month-long job and I knew I would be busy.”

Video: Braun Strowman Attacks Tyson Fury At WWE Performance Center

He noted that once his bout with Strowman is over, he’ll be returning to professional boxing. Regarding a return to the squared circle, Fury teased “Never say never, but I’ve got nothing planned for the future with wrestling.”

Triple H has previously noted how Fury is a custom made fit for WWE. He also remarked how he was “blown away” by the boxer’s in-ring ability and speed in picking up pro wrestling. 

Fury steps into the WWE ring this Thursady, October 31st at WWE Crown Jewel. The event takes place in the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

Former Lucha Underground Champion Marty ‘The Moth’ Martinez has shared his ambition to become a part of All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Martinez spoke about being sidelined for the past four months due to two herniated discs. He recently returned to the ring for Support All Pro Wrestling. In the interview, he admitted that his return bout, which took place yesterday, was “[…] a little earlier than I want, but it’s going to be a good test to see where I’m at. I didn’t want to have fusion surgery on my back because I have plenty of years left of wrestling, so I got stem cells shot directly into my spine last week.”

Looking to the future, Martinez confessed he would love to sign with AEW. When it comes to a potential opponent in that promotion, ‘The Moth’ was quick to name Jon Moxley.

“My intention is to get as healthy as I can so I can say what’s up to AEW. It’s going to be a crazy war against WWE. I have friends on both sides, but black and gold are more of my colors. And I’d love to get in the ring with Jon Moxley,” Martinez said.

He continued, “My goal is to do whatever it takes to get to the black and gold of AEW. I’ll have to do some slight changes to my character, and I’m going to bring some pieces of my Twitch channel into wrestling, too. There will be a little bit different branding, but trust me when I say you’ll still see that same type of crazy.”

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has addressed Randy Orton’s recent teasing over his interest in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Speaking on his podcast, The Hall of Fame, Booker T addressed the photo Orton uploaded of himself next to a sign that read “Elite Level.”

“Look at the talent they [AEW] has,” Booker said. “Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Randy Orton is an elite level player. I always said Randy Orton is an elite wrestler, an elite superstar.”

He continued, “He’s my guy, I always said that and one thing about Randy is he’s always been a rebel, he’s always been a guy that walks to the beat of his own drum. If anybody was to do something crazy it would be Randy.”

Booker T explained how AEW is “on the edge,” pointing to Jon Moxley as a prime example of somebody pushing the envelope, rebelling, and finding a platform that supports him.

Ultimately, however, he believes that Orton will end up staying with WWE. He explained how “Randy Orton is safe and he’s taken care of very well in the WWE.”

Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder of The Revival recently added to Orton’s Elite tease. They had been briefly associated with Randy Orton on WWE television prior to the WWE Draft separating them. 

This isn’t the first time that Orton has addressed AEW. He was recently heard praising All Elite Wrestling’s premiere episode of Dynamite whilst streaming a video game.

It’s worth noting that Orton is coming to the end of a 10-year contract with WWE. Unless a new deal has been negotiated in that time, Orton will become a free agent in early 2020.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Lana has shared a video to her YouTube channel with her current on-screen partner, Bobby Lashley. During the video, the two addressed the kinds of comments they have been receiving online regarding their recent storyline romance.

“There’s a lot of comments, a lot of this, a lot of that, but a lot of the times most of my comments are ‘When are you and Brock going to fight each other?'” Lashley said. “It’s like, no matter what I post.” Everybody in my DMs, ‘Where’s Lana?’ No matter what I post, ‘Where’s Lana? Where’s Lana? Where’s Lana?'”

When Lana asked if Lashley had ever received “hating comments,” Lashley confessed that he had. He admitted that some of the comments were incredibly vulgar and even extended to death threats.

“I get very, very bad [comments]. Things I don’t want to say on camera right now. Vulgar, there’s been death threats, there’s a lot of different things—but, ya know what, I’m not a hard person to find and if anybody has anything to say about me, they can just come and see me. Not saying I’m going to fight every fan that disapproves of what we’re doing, but I’m not going to back down to stupidity.”

Lana added that she gets “[…] really, really, really mean, horrible comments. People say horrible words to me. They’re really, really mean. By the way, it’s bad to bully, so don’t bully people.”

You can watch the entire video below:

The go-home edition of WWE RAW for the Crown Jewel pay-per-view event is just hours away from taking place. 

Thus, it’s time to look ahead starting with tonight’s episode of RAW. The company has announced several matches for the show that is expected to be headlined by Erick Rowan vs. WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins in a non-title Falls Count Anywhere match.

WWE holds this show in St. Louis, Missouri at the Enterprise Center, which is the hometown of Randy Orton. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:

• Erick Rowan vs. WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins – non-title Falls Count Anywhere match
• Rusev and Lana appear on King’s Divorce Court with WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler
• RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Kairi Sane
• WWE Hall of Famers Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan to appear to promote Team Hogan vs. Team Flair at Crown Jewel
• Ricochet vs. Drew McIntyre

WWE will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds that will take place heading into the Crown Jewel pay-per-view event. 

As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for RAW. 

Join us here later tonight for WWE RAW Live Results and our post-show RAW Takeaways feature.

All Elite Wrestling’s Michael Nakazawa was recently interviewed by Sportskeeda about his time in the promotion and his role both in-ring and backstage.

Reflecting on how he became involved with AEW, Nakazawa admitted he thought his days competing in-ring were over before he was contacted by Kenny Omega.

“We met when Kenny had just moved to Japan, I was the only person who could speak in English,” Nakazawa recalled. “And so, we used to talk and hang out a lot. But it wasn’t just because I could speak in English. We used to get along right from the start. We still do, to this day.”

Although he has only appeared a few times for AEW, Nakazawa divulged he is busier with his backstage duties. His role sees him assisting Omega and helping the Japanese talent.

When it comes to his in-ring work, Nakazawa tends to incorporate a substantial comedic element into his matches. He confessed he would never be a Kenny Omega or Kota Ibushi, but does his best and enjoys what he can bring to a show.

“I was very happy, I could work in the US, which is what I always wanted to do, I could work with my friends, and help in any way to make a difference. I’m not Kenny Omega or Ibushi, but I do my best,” he said. “I know those two wrestle at a different level.”

Addressing their head-to-head Wednesday night competitors, Nakazawa stressed that, although they acknowledge NXT as competition, AEW is more focused on putting out the best show possible every week.

WWE Hall of Famer Sean ‘X-Pac’ Waltman recently spoke about making a name for himself in pro wrestling despite being smaller compared to the majority of his fellow Superstars at the time. He stressed the importance for smaller wrestlers to do something different in order to stand out and make an impact during an episode of his podcast, X-Pac 1,2, 360.

Referencing the recent discussion surrounding All Elite Wrestling’s Marko Stunt, Waltman highlighted how people used to laugh at him for being smaller and leaner compared to his muscular opponents.

“The first time I got in the ring, I wrestled Ricky Rice. He’s built very well, I mean not huge but f’n built well. And I was totally pale, skinny af, and so everyone laughed, they were all laughing at me as I come to the ring,” Waltman stated. “So it took about a minute and then they were on their feet because I German-suplexed them, wrestled them, and then I dove out of the ring. No one had ever seen that kind of s**t.

He continued, “So, it didn’t take long. They took to me really quick, it was something different. Everyone else were these big jacked up guys, and to be honest with you, a lot of them had this sense of entitlement. That they were from Minnesota and they were jacked up on the gas, and that they were gonna get a phone call.”

Waltman admitted he used to have a chip on his shoulder and wanted to go an extra mile to bring “believability” into his matches. He wanted fans to look at him and think that, although he was skinny, he was also a “buzzsaw.”

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

New Japan Pro-Wresting’s IWGP United States Champion, Lance Archer, recently spoke with Busted Open Radio. During their interview, the Suzuki-gun member spoke about his journey to singles gold in NJPW. He also detailed the moment he found out he would be winning the vacant championship.

Archer pointed to this past summers G1 Climax tournament as a turning point for him. He ended the tournament with six points, impressing NJPW personnel and fans with his aggressive attitude and in-ring skills. 

“This business changes on a dime daily,” he stated. “You have your ups and downs, goods and bads. Luckily, I have been a part of New Japan Pro Wrestling for eight years and it’s been a great run with a lot of cool things and amazing experiences. When K.E.S [Killer Elite Squad] ended I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen as far as a single’s wrestler with New Japan and with G1 the opportunity came about and I took every chance.

He admitted that he looked at the tournament as an opportunity to change himself, evolving as a singles competitor in the process. It was a decision that the company got behind and supported. 

“I didn’t even know what was going to happen and then the G1 and all the night through it kind of exploded like, holy crap, what the hell is going on? Even with myself, that was a kind of experience. The time and opportunity came about with the opportunity with Jon Moxley not being able to make it out to Japan and then changing the match to a title match between Juice Robinson and me and then ultimately capturing the U.S Title. It has been a whirlwind and a cool one. I’ve worked really had to get to this point so now it’s time to work even harder.”

Winning The IWGP US Championship

Turning his attention to his title victory, Archer confessed he “didn’t see it coming.” 

“I was flying into a typhoon and didn’t know what was going on when I got to Japan,” Archer admitted. “Like everybody, we all had some crazy travel issues and I literally landed at 2 pm on the day of the show and the show started at 5 pm. I didn’t find out anything until I got there as far as the match and all of that that was concerned.”

Archer stepped into the championship match as then-champion Jon Moxley was unable to travel to Japan due to adverse weather conditions. He defeated Juice Robinson to claim his first major singles championship in his 19-year career. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. 

WWE has released an official statement regarding their controversial t-shirt for NXT Superstar Jordan Myles (formerly known as ACH). The promotion claims that Myles was well-aware of the shirt as Myles “approved this t-shirt for sale.”

WWE added they work collaboratively with their Superstars and ensure to get “input and approval” before proceeding with any merchandise.

The full statement reads:

“Albert Hardie Jr. (aka Jordan Myles) approved this t-shirt for sale. As always, we work collaboratively with all of our performers to develop logos and merchandise designs and get their input and approval before proceeding. This was the same process with Albert, and we responded swiftly once he later requested that the logo/t-shirt be redesigned. No t-shirts were sold.”

• Update: Jordan Myles Says, “WWE Doesn’t Care About Black People”

#ForTheCulture

Myles took to his Twitter account over the weekend to bring attention to the racially-insensitive design. He accompanied his tweet with a caption reading:

“I will keep posting this till my voice is heard. I’m not sorry for anything I say or do. Representation is important. If this is @VinceMcMahon & @TripleH “vision” of me then this is a slap in the face to EVERY African American performer, fan, and supporter.”

He then urged fans to protest the design and WWE’s mentality by turning their profile pictures black and white and using the hashtag “#ForTheCulture.”

The Superstar recently won the NXT Breakout Tournament earlier this year. He defeated Cameron Grimes in the finals, earning himself an NXT Championship match. Myles would subsequently lose in that matchup against current NXT Champion Adam Cole.

Becky Lynch broke out some of her Conor McGregor influence to take a shot at the AEW women’s division recently. “The Man” was responding to comments made by Jim Ross recently when she said she would “whoop” the entire AEW women’s division any day of the week and “twice on Sundays.”

The Tweet is similar to one posted by Conor McGregor in relation to WWE’s roster back in 2016:

Jim Ross on Who is Cool Between Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins

Earlier in this Twitter thread, Jim Ross referred to Becky Lynch as the most over talent in WWE.

Ross was replying to a thread which questioned Seth Rollins’ level of cool:

Stardom and AEW’s Bea Priestley then issued a response:

Nyla Rose also got in on the action when she posted the following:

Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch on RAW

Both Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch have matches scheduled for Monday night on RAW. This week’s edition of the show will emanate from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO.

Rollins is scheduled to take on Erik Rowan on the show as he prepares to defend his Universal title against Bray Wyatt at Crown Jewel. Becky Lynch will face one-half of the WWE Women’s tag team champions Kairi Sane.

Finn Balor’s heel turn and attack on Johnny Gargano Wednesday night on NXT continues to be one of the hotter topics in wrestling today. Balor was confronted at an airport recently by reporters for TMZ wanting answers on why he attacked Gargano. Balor was flying in for his appearance on WWE Backstage Friday night.

“A long time coming,” Balor said regarding his attack on Gargano.

“Time to shake the trees and see what falls out,” he responded when asked why he did it. “Am I a bad guy? Or do I just do bad things sometimes? I don’t know, you tell me. Lines are blurred in this day in age, we don’t know what’s going on.”

Balor was then asked if he feels he’ll end up on the main roster again someday.

“What do you mean ‘main roster’?” Balor asked. “Wherever I am is the main roster, brother.”

Balor was also asked if he might team up with his former stablemates in the O.C but neglected to give a firm answer.

“What, Orange County?” Balor responded. “Everybody wants to do something, everybody wants to do something with Finn.”

The full conversation with Balor can be viewed in the player below:

• Finn Balor On Heel Turn: “The Prince Is Back”