All Elite Wrestling invades Miami, Florida this week for a special Bash at the Beach edition of AEW Dynamite. It will be the start of a 9-day “fan extravaganza” that continues next week aboard Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Rager at Sea cruise.
AEW’s top stars have been doing the media rounds this week to promote Bash at the Beach, a reincarnation of WCW’s classic pay-per-view series. The Young Bucks appeared on ESPN’s West Palm affiliate on Tuesday and explained how AEW’s take on Bash at the Beach came together.
AEW Bash at the Beach
According to Nick Jackson, Bash the Beach is part of AEW’s broader strategy to freshen up the AEW Dynamite formula in between the company’s quarterly pay-per-views.
“Our plan is to do four pay-per-views a year, so we realized we have to dress up some of the shows on Wednesday to not fall into a formula,” said Jackson. “Try to make some of them feel more special than other ones. That was the thinking process on this. To bring something back from the past that has such a cool history.”
WCW’s Bash at the Beach pay-per-views featured unique set designs that included sand, palm trees, a boardwalk aisle, tropical birds and more. The 1995 installment actually took place outdoors at Huntington Beach, California. Nick Jackson knows that fans are expecting a ‘special’ look this Wednesday and AEW plans to deliver.
He continued, “Cody happened to get the trademark and owns it now. He brought it to Tony’s attention and we all thought it was a good idea. I think fans are gonna be excited because we’re gonna try to make it a special show, even from the look of things.”
We say this most weeks, but AEW has lined up a loaded card for this week’s Dynamite. The following is a preview for Wednesday’s AEW Bash at the Beach episode from Miami:
The Young Bucks vs. Kenny Omega & Hangman Page vs. Santana & Ortiz vs. Best Friends (#1 Contenders Match)
Jon Moxley vs. Sammy Guevara
PAC vs. Darby Allin
MJF, The Butcher & The Blade vs. DDP, Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall
Kris Statlander & Hikaru Shida vs. Awesome Kong & Mel of the Nightmare Collective
Plus, Cody Rhodes will respond to MJF’s challenge and stipulations.
Join us here Wednesday night for our AEW Bash at the Beach Results & Takeaways.
WWE Superstar Mike “The Miz” Mizanan has signed on to host a new competition series titled, Cannonball.
The show will feature contestants facing off in “the biggest, wettest, slippery-est water sports competition ever created.” Cannonball premieres this summer on the USA Network and is slated for a 10-episode first season.
TV and radio personality Rosci Diaz will co-host. Her credits include a BET’s 106 & Park (2006-2012) and Entertainment tonight (2012-2014). Comedian Simon Gibson will serve as sideline reporter.
Incredibly honored to be the host of @USA_Network’s new show “Cannonball.” Every project for me is a passion project because I put everything into making it the very best it can be. Along w/ me are 2 incredible talents, @rocsidiaz & @simeygibson the chemistry is ? #Cannonballhttps://t.co/k8kQHPFbVw
Cannonball has been described as an obstacle course competition along the lines of Wipeout. The water-based challenges will include sliding off a 100-foot waterslide and rocketing off one of the world’s fastest drop towers. Contestants will battle to claim a $10,000 cash prize.
Along with his wife Maryse, The Miz also stars in Miz and Mrs. Season two of the hit reality series premieres January 29th on USA Network.
For more information on Cannonball, visit TheWrap.com.
MLW is eyeing new TV deals and has signed on with ICM Partners. According to news first broken by Deadline Hollywood, the talent agency has partnered with MLW and will be looking to broker new TV & streaming deals for the promotion.
ICM is a talent agency with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Washington, and London. They typically represent showrunners in the TV and film industry.
MLW’s TV rights become available this spring. The promotion is touting a 43% growth in total viewers from 2018 to 2019 while on BeIN Sports.
ICM Partners will also help MLW launch “MLW Studios.”
“ICM Partners will also represent MLW with the launch of MLW Studios, a multi-platform media studio, offering a slate of original scripted and non-scripted programming,” an MLW press release states.
Episodes of MLW Fusion currently air Saturday nights on BeIN Sports. They are later posted in full to YouTube.
“As the only free agent in the wrestling space in 2020, MLW is in a unique position in the television landscape,” said Court Bauer, creator and Chief Executive Officer, Major League Wrestling.
“MLW provides an extraordinary entertainment experience, showcasing some of the sport’s most storied and iconic families, embracing the Mexican lucha libre culture and presenting original content in a 360 manner.”
Ronda Rousey and Travis Browne currently live on Browsey Acres, a sustainable ranch located in California. They recently posted a YouTube video of Rousey giving Jackass star Steve-O a tour of the ranch.
“We’re kicking off our smorgasbord of Steve-O content with Ronda and Trav giving the Jackass GOAT a tour of their sustainable farm Browsey Acres. He’s also working on some gnarly cauliflower ear,” a description of the video reads.
In addition to his acting and stunt work, Steve-O is a noted animal activist. He describes himself as a “bleeding heart veggie guy.”
“The entire tour features an interesting discussion on the ethics of meat and working towards a cruelty-free and healthier, self-sustaining lifestyle,” the description continues.
Rousey and Steve-O both talk about their attempts at a vegan diet and attitudes to sustainable agriculture in the video. It can be viewed in the player below:
In a previous video posted by Rousey, she talked about how WWE influenced her approach to her UFC career.
“I wanted to make women’s MMA take off and I was looking at what the women’s fights didn’t have that the men’s had,” Rousey said in the video. “Because women could have exciting fights but nobody gave a s**t and I was trying to figure out why nobody gave a s**t.”
Steve-O talked about his appearance on WWE RAW on the Joe Rogan experience below:
Velveteen Dream has been on the shelf since September. He hasn’t wrestled since dropping the NXT North American title to Roderick Strong on the September 18th, 2019 episode of NXT.
According to comments made by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, Velveteen is dealing with a serious back injury.
“I know the injury was pretty serious,” Meltzer said on the show. He would also say he hasn’t heard an update on Velveteen’s condition in a long time, however.
“Back injury,” Meltzer confirmed when asked what injury Velveteen was dealing with.
Velveteen Dream Injured
When Dream went on the shelf, it was reported that he had been dealing with a back injury for some time. The injury had gotten worse before he would take time off to deal with it, however. There is currently no timetable for his return.
Velveteen Dream won the NXT North American title from Johnny Gargano this summer. Two endings to the match with Gargano were taped, one with Gargano retaining and the other with Dream winning the title.
In numerous books and podcasts covering World Championship Wrestling, much has been made about Eric Bischoff’s deal to bring Master P into the company. The famous rapper was involved in a storyline along with his No Limit Soldiers against the West Texas Rednecks in 1999.
Bischoff himself recently commented on Master P’s deal with WCW on a recent episode as his 83 weeks podcast. The 83 Weeks YouTube channel released two videos on the subject today.
“His presence on MTV was another reason why by 1999 we were pretty interested in him,” Bischoff said regarding Master P’s mainstream credibility at the time.
“Master P had a very, very large and important audience. A much younger audience than WCW had that was in a silo. That was a demographic that may or may not have paid attention to WCW without integrating somebody like Master P into a storyline.”
“There was a lot of good reasons to do it,” he continued. “I take exception to the fact that wrestling fans consider this kind of a joke move.”
Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the player below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPuG9zPZJY0
Eric Bischoff On What Led To Master P Leaving WCW
Bischoff also refuted reports that happened at the time that Master P left WCW due to a deteriorating relationship with WCW management.
“Master P was never a long-term deal,” Bischoff said on the show. “It was a short-term program as was Dennis Rodman. Dennis Rodman was never going to be a long term player.”
Those comments were released in a separate YouTube video:
Drew McIntyre came out on top of a high-stakes triple threat match this week on Monday Night RAW. “The Scottish Psychopath” managed to emerge victorious despite competition from AJ Styles and Randy Orton. Following the matchup, McIntyre caught up with WWE in a backstage exclusive, where he claimed to be ready to fight for a championship opportunity.
Drew McIntyre’s Royal Rumble Momentum
“I think this momentum is everything,” McIntyre said regarding the upcoming Royal Rumble. “I don’t know when exactly…when things have turned around for me. I reckon, if I was going to guess, about six or seven weeks ago.”
He continued, “I’ve been on a bit of a roll, and the key to it all is: I don’t know what went wrong when I first came back to Monday Night RAW; obviously I was on a bit of a warpath. But I had a lot of people in my head, a lot of people by my side. It wasn’t really me, and I don’t know how I let it get to that stage. I had a little injury not so long ago. I found myself again, and everything you see right now, whether I’m talking on the microphone, whether I’m in the ring, this is 100 percent Drew McIntyre.”
He then explained how not one World Champion has ever given him an opportunity during his entire WWE career, though a former multi-time champion certainly believes he is capable of it. McIntyre stated how, because every champion is too scared to face him, he’ll just have to earn the opportunity by winning the Royal Rumble match later this month.
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According to comments made by Triple H recently, Tyson Fury would like a bigger role in WWE when he returns. Triple H spoke with Metro UK reporters this weekend while in Blackpool for the NXT UK Takeover event. During a media event, Triple H spoke about Tyson Fury’s future with the company.
Triple H spoke about how Fury first has to get through his rematch with Deontay Wilder on February 22nd before plans are made for his WWE return.
“That fight on February 22nd will be huge to him as to what his next steps are in all of this. So, we’re open to that stuff but it needs to be right for everybody,” Triple H said.
“Yeah, I think there are thoughts out there of a lot of things with Tyson Fury. He had a blast working with us,” Triple H continued. “It’s funny, one of the things that I learned with him doing the press for the other time he worked for us is that in his mind as a kid, he saw himself being a WWE superstar, not a boxer.”
Triple H would continue to talk about Fury’s performance at Crown Jewel against Braun Strowman. He also mentioned that he believes Tyson Fury wants to do something bigger than he has with WWE.
“The entertainment side of it, that showmanship side of him is in front. So I think he would love to do something more with us. He’d love to do a bigger thing.”
The full interview with Metro UK can be read here.
There has been a lot of news regarding wrestling-related trademarks in recent months. Ric Flair and WWE have been at odds over who owns the rights to the name, “The Man” – a moniker used for decades by Ric Flair and more recently, Becky Lynch.
WWE and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) have been registering trademarks for old pay-per-view event names from WCW and ECW. Wrestlers have also been filing trademark applications left and right to protect their likenesses.
Below, we’ve rounded up some recent articles related to wrestling trademarks:
Bray Wyatt has reached out to his former Deleters of Worlds tag team partner, Matt Hardy. Wyatt took to social media, posting a cryptic offer of help to Hardy. He promised he could “heal” him, “just like you did for Me”
“dear matt, i couLd nEver hurT you i could heal you, just like you did for Me whEn the world threw me away you were the only one offering to pick me up and I Never forget…..”
dear matt, i couLd nEver hurT you
i could heal you, just like you did for Me
whEn the world threw me away you were the only one offering to pick me up
The two split as a team back in August 2018. In that time, Bray Wyatt has gone on to reinvent himself completely. He introduced not only the Firefly Funhouse but eventually the character of “The Fiend.”
Having developed this new gimmick, Wyatt subsequently defeated Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship back at WWE’s Crown Jewel event last October.
Matt Hardy’s Free The Delete
Hardy has recently expressed his apparent frustration with his current position within WWE. After having been associated with SmackDown, he made a few appearances on RAW before being unceremoniously moved once again. This led him to refer to his brand status as him being in “limbo.”
He started a series of new YouTube shows, including Free The Delete—a show that embraces a more creative way in telling its story. Hardy likened its style to the Final Deletion. He recently stated how if fans see something that stands out and possibly means something, that is an intentional creative choice, not just coincidence.
Brian Cage was defeated by Rob Van Dam via referee’s stoppage at Hard to Kill on Sunday. Cage was bleeding from the mouth and took a Coast-to-Coast dropkick from RVD before the match was stopped. Since the weekend, numerous reports regarding Cage’s injury and contract status have been published.
According to a report from PW Insider, Cage is believed to have been dealing with a torn bicep and that is what led to the short match with Rob Van Dam on the PPV.
It has also been reported that Cage had signed a deal with AEW but this report has since been refuted by Cage’s wife, Melissa Santos. The website SoCalUncensored reported the news and Santos responded to the Tweet.
Really?? How can you confirm something that isn't true???? I'm his wife and I can CONFIRM, he hasn't signed on any dotted line. @socaluncensoredhttps://t.co/ao2EZ67PsR
PW Insider is now reporting that Cage has not signed anywhere just yet but is mulling over several options. His deal with Impact Wrestling is up, however.
Cage signed with Impact Wrestling in early 2018. He won the X-Division title later that year and was voted the X-Division competitor of the year by fans. He won the Impact World Championship last spring on the Rebellion PPV by defeating Johnny Impact. His reign was hampered by injuries, however, and he dropped the title to Sami Callihan on the first episode of Impact to air on AXS TV this fall.
This past Sunday saw NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II take place in Blackpool, England at the Empress Ballroom. One of the major surprises from the hyped show saw NXT’s Undisputed Era appear at the end of the event. They attacked NXT UK’s Imperium stable. Speaking during a media scrum following the end of the show, Triple H was asked about how they managed to keep their appearance a surprise.
Triple H On Fan Secrecy
“It seems to me anyways that fans of NXT, both in the US and here, they wanna be respectful, I think, to what we’re trying to do, and it seems almost like […] even if somebody tended to see them here, they would be like, “Well, I’m not saying anything, I don’t want to ruin it.” Do you know what I mean?” Triple H said.
He continued, “Because, in some ways, I think there is this moment where was have said, “NXT is your brand.” We’ve built it that way. We mean that. If you’re watching, if you’re a fan, if you’re here, you’re a part of this. [You’re] with us. We’re building it from the ground up, and I think that resonates with fans.”
Following #NXTUKTakeOver, I asked @TripleH just how difficult it was to keep Undisputed Era’s appearance a secret.
Triple H added how they don’t have issues with fans leaking Superstar sightings. He shared how he is appreciative and thankful that fans “protect the brand like we protect the brand.”
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The Big Show made his in-ring return to RAW this week. He teamed with Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe in a “Fist Fight” against Seth Rollins and Authors of Pain after last week’s surprise return. Speaking with ESPN.com about his comeback, Big Show looked back at his recent injuries and surgeries. He also expressed his wish to participate at WrestleMania one more time.
Big Show’s Back
“I was very humbled and overwhelmed by the reaction,” he said. “About the kids who were excited to see me, the fans who were excited to see me and the opportunity that was given to me to help out Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens.”
He admitted that he has been “chomping at the bit” after a rough two years: “I needed five surgeries in a year and a half. You’re trying to do recovery therapy, and then there’s a setback. It was very frustrating for me for a while. This opportunity came up, and I was blown away by it. Right fit, right time.”
Big Show continued, “I was angry I had to have the surgery done, and I felt like my career was getting pulled away from me. It wasn’t on my terms.” He confessed his health issues “tested” him and his faith. Not only as a person but as a performer and athlete.
WrestleMania Ambition
Now that he’s back in the fray, there’s only one thing he wants: to be a part of WrestleMania again.
“That’s every competitor’s dream,” he said. “I’d love to get one more in. Especially because it’s in Tampa, where I have a house, so I can drive home after the show.”
He described his comeback as the planets and universe aligning. For him, it just feels right to be back in the ring competing in front of the WWE Universe.
The Big Show has discussed his return to WWE television among other various topics.
Big Show, real name Paul Wight, did so during an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated.
The former WWE Champion was the surprise partner of Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe for their six-man tag team match against Seth Rollins and AOP on last Monday’s episode of RAW in Oklahoma City, OK at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on the USA Network.
The Big Show Discusses WWE Return
“They had me in an SUV with tainted windows, and I had a big Chrome Hearts hooded sweatshirt that I had over my head,” said Wight. “I tried to hunch over and hide. Once we got back to an area that no one could see, I walked into a private changing area.”
During his time away from WWE, he had to undergo the knife several times. In fact, in the last two years, he’s undergone five surgeries.
This is something that Show talked about it being a hard fight during that time to get back in the ring and get back to a legit competitive state of mind and state of body
“My hip joint looked like a cracked bowling ball, and there were problems doing the surgery with someone of my size. I was depressed, my career was being taken away from me.
Show continued by noting that he went through IV PICC lines for dealing with a surgical infection, to replacement joints. He noted that he always believed that he as going to get back to a point where he could compete.
Show added that hearing an incredibly positive response from the crowd was something that he knew was going to happen and tried to enjoy the moment.
Show was back in action on Monday’s episode of RAW by working a fistfight bout alongside Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe against Seth Rollins and AOP.
Batista has landed a significant role in a new television series.
Deadline reports that the former WWE Champion has been added to the cast of Apple TV+’s “See” drama where he will co-star with Jason Momoa.
This will be the second season of the hit world-building drama series that was created by Steven Knight, best known as Peaky Blinders creator, and directed by Francis Lawrence.
Batista Lands Role
There’s no word yet on Batista’s character. An interesting note on the series features cast and crew who are blind or have low vision. This is done to help bring authenticity to the world.
“See” takes place in the distant future after a deadly virus decimated humankind. The people who survived were left blind. Momoa, starring as a character named Baba Voss, is the father of twins born centuries later with the mythic ability to see, who must protect his tribe against a powerful yet desperate queen who wants to destroy the twins.”
This marks the first big role on television for Batista. This is another accomplishment for him after having starred in several major motion pictures over the past few years.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on when the second season of the show will premiere. The first season premiered back in November.
Batista is slated to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during WrestleMania 36 weekend in April.
WWE Hall of Famer and hardcore legend Mick Foley has shared some constructive thoughts regarding All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Foley explained how AEW has, in his opinion, not been patient enough in their storytelling. He highlighted the Unsanctioned Lights Out match between Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega that took place at last year’s AEW Full Gear pay-per-view as an example.
“Maybe, they’re not showing the patience they need to. I would say that Moxley and Kenny Omega shouldn’t have had their first match in a wild, anything goes environment,” Foley explained to Inside The Ropes.
He continued, “I think these are mistakes made out of wanting to give people the absolute best product they can. But I do feel like there needs to be somebody reigning in their enthusiasm.”
Mick Foley On NXT’s Advantage
Foley highlighted how NXT’s current advantage lies in how their talents work the camera. He argued this comes from a more seasoned team of both crew and Superstars.
Although he is isn’t critical of AEW’s enthusiasm, he reiterated his belief that “somebody needs to reigns these guys in” in the same way Gerald Brisco once did with a young Mick Foley. He believes that this mentality would lead to longer, satisfying feuds and storylines. It would also help with a performer’s “longevity” as a competitor.
WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin recently had Kane join him on an episode of his WWE Network show, Broken Skull Sessions. During their exchange, Kane opened up about being approached by Vince McMahon about the infamous dentist gimmick, Isaac Yankem DDS.
Life Before Kane
Kane recalled how Vince asked him if he had ever been afraid of going to the dentist. Confused by the question, he ran through a mental checklist trying to figure out why he was being asked the question. After replying ‘No,’ Vince allegedly responded: “Good, because I’ve always wanted to do this character: Issac Yankem, a wrestling dentist. Get it, I. Yankem?'”
“And then he did the Vince laugh, first time I ever heard it. And then of course you do the Vince laugh, too, right? Because you’re like, ‘Oh, this is going to be great,'” Kane said. “So, I was like way up here [laughing], ‘That’s great…how am I going to do that?’ I remember just flying back home thinking, ‘How in the world am I going to pull that off?'”
Kane would portray the dentist Yankem from 1995 through to September 1996. He would eventually be repackaged as The Undertaker’s brother, Kane, making his re-debut at Bad Blood: In Your House on October 5th 1997.
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Posted January 14th, 2020 in News, WWE. Tagged: Kane.
WWE RAW aired live from the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. Big Show, Kevin Owens, and Samoa Joe squared off against Seth Rollins & AOP in a Fist Fight tonight.
WWE RAW Results (1/13)
Drew McIntyre defeated AJ Styles & Randy Orton in a Triple Threat match
Ricochet defeated Mojo Rawley
Charlotte defeated Sarah Logan
Mojo Rawley defeated R-Truth to become the new 24/7 Champion
Lashley defeated Rusev
Viking Raiders defeated Singh Brothers
Aleister Black defeated Buddy Murphy
Erick Rowan defeated a jobber
Seth Rollins & AOP defeated Big Show, Kevin Owens, and Samoa Joe
Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s RAW:
Drew McIntyre Continued His Momentum
Randy Orton kicked off the show to a great reaction from the crowd. Orton leaned up against the ropes and laughed as the crowd chanted his name. Randy hopped up on the middle rope and posed for the crowd before grabbing the microphone.
Orton demanded that AJ Styles get his ass out here so he can hit him with another RKO. Styles came down to the ring and claimed that out of the goodness of his heart he really believed Orton was hurt. AJ mocked Orton for thinking he is the favorite to win the Royal Rumble and bragged about hitting an RKO of his own last week.
Drew McIntyre joined the party and joked that his Claymore is bigger. McIntyre vowed to prove that he was going to be the superstar to win the Royal Rumble. Drew suggested a Triple Threat match right now and Orton & Styles accepted.
Match Recap: Gallows and Anderson tried to interfere right away but Orton and McIntyre took them out with a Claymore and an RKO. Orton took out McIntyre outside the ring and Styles hit Randy with the DDT on the ropes. Styles continued to mock Orton and set up for the RKO. Orton blocked it and planted AJ with the Styles Clash for a two count. Orton followed it up with an RKO but turned around into a Claymore Kick from McIntyre. Drew then pinned AJ for the victory.
Opinion: Excellent start for this week’s episode of RAW. Drew McIntyre has been stuck in the midcard for what feels like an eternity and WWE has finally been building him up over the past few weeks. McIntyre winning the Royal Rumble would be an awesome choice.
R-Truth Interrupted Brock Lesnar In A Hilarious Promo
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman were greeted with a chorus of boos from the crowd to kickoff the 2nd hour of RAW. Heyman mocked the crowd’s southern accent and they responded with a loud “you suck!” chant.
Heyman and Lesnar then left the ring but stopped at the entrance ramp. They got back into the ring and Heyman announced that they were going to start over. The crowd booed the hell out of Heyman as he began talking again.
Brock raised the title and paraded around the ring as the crowd continued to boo them out of the building. Paul once again claimed that Lesnar was going to dominate the Royal and said that was the truth.
24/7 Champion R-Truth interrupted and marched down to the ring. R-Truth thought Heyman called him to the ring and said that his childhood hero, John Cena, taught him to never give up. R-Truth declared that he was entering the Royal Rumble and vowed to throw Paul Heyman out in the Royal Rumble.
Heyman referred to R-Truth as “bong hit” and said that he is not in the match. Paul pointed out that he would be going face-to-face with Brock Lesnar in the Royal Rumble. R-Truth then backed out of the Royal Rumble match and complained that Heyman talks too much.
Paul got pissed off and shouted that nobody likes R-Truth. Lesnar got in R-Truth’s face but R-Truth backed away and started dancing around the ring. Brock leveled R-Truth with a Clothesline and planted him with an F5. Lesnar laughed at the 24/7 Championship belt and threw it on R-Truth’s chest. Brock then said “that is whats up” to R-Truth before exiting the ring.
Mojo Rawley then attacked R-Truth on the entrance ramp and pinned him to become the new 24/7 Champion.
Liv Morgan Accidentally Cost Rusev The Match
Bobby Lashley squared off against Rusev tonight on RAW. Lana was ringside for the match. Liv Morgan hinted that she would be in Rusev’s corner for the match but did not accompany him to the ring.
Match Recap: Rusev dominated the match early and taunted Lashey while beating him down. Lashley battled back and connected with a Spear outside the ring as Lana cheered him on. Rusev hit the Machka Kick and set up for the Accolade but Lana hopped on the apron. Lashley hit a low blow and then they both connected with a Clothesline. Liv Morgan marched down the entrance ramp and got in Lana’s face. Lana grabbed a beer and threw it Liv’s face. Lana then launched Liv into the barricade as Rusev watched on. Lashley capitalized on the distraction and leveled Rusev with a Spear for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Lashley and Lana were interviewed backstage. Lana called Liv Morgan a stalker and then suggested Lashley & Lana face Rusev & Liv Morgan. Lashley wasn’t a fan of that suggestion at all. Liv and Rusev later accepted the challenge.
Opinion: The world will be a better place once this storyline is over. Morgan said that she is the LIVing embodiment of Lana’s karma during her backstage interview tonight. That is just another example of how overwritten these promos are.
Asuka Spit Green Mist In Becky’s Eyes
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Becky Lynch and Asuka had a contract signing for their RAW Women’s Championship match at Royal Rumble. King asked Becky if she had anything to say before Asuka came down to the ring and she declined.
Kairi Sane came to the ring with Asuka and started taunting Becky. Lynch got in her face and Sane exited the ring. Asuka quickly signed the contract and Becky hesitated for a moment before signing it.
Lynch told Asuka “made the best woman win” and Asuka responded by spitting green mist in her face. Becky grabbed the microphone and stated that if she goes down at the Royal Rumble she is taking Asuka with her.
Opinion: I thought this was a good promo by Becky Lynch. WWE is trying their hardest to make Becky seem like the underdog for this match and I don’t think the fans are going to buy it. It is still a solid storyline with Asuka having Becky’s number, but Lynch claiming WWE was trying to protect her from keeping Asuka away hasn’t really gotten any reaction.
Buddy Murphy Joined Rollins & AOP
Seth Rollins & AOP (Akam & Rezar) faced Big Show, Samoa Joe, and Kevin Owens in the first ever “Fist Fight” in the main event of RAW.
Match Recap: Rollins and AOP attacked Big Show during his entrance and beat him down. Owens and Joe made the save and brought kendo sticks to the ring as the match officially started. Kevin Owens sprinted up the RAW stage and hit AOP with a Cannonball. Samoa Joe followed it up with a Senton through the table. Buddy Murphy was still sitting against the barricade following his loss to Aleister Black and Rollins asked for his help.
Buddy obliged and hit Big Show with a low blow. Murphy then threw Big Show through a table in the corner of the ring. AOP slapped Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens through the announce table as Rollins set up for the Stomp. Big Show dodged it and knocked Buddy out of the ring. AOP charged the ring and Powerbombed Big Show. Seth hit the Stomp and the referee called for the bell. Seth then shared a hug with AOP and Buddy to close the show.
Opinion: I’m all for Buddy Murphy joining the Monday Night Messiah (Rollins) and AOP. He is tremendously talented and showed that again tonight in another great match with Aleister Black. Murphy sat against the barricade following his loss to Black until Rollins gave him a path. I regularly bash WWE’s storylines but that was well done and Seth has been doing a terrific job as a heel. Overall, RAW was a solid show this week. Kevin Owens running up the stage and hitting a Cannonball was the moment of the night.
Rusev has fans talking after he indicated through social media that he could be leaving WWE soon.
Rusev did so when he recently changed his bio on Twitter, which is an indication that he could become one of the top free agents in all of pro wrestling.
Rusev Indicates Departure?
The bio now reads like this: “soon to be free agent” You can see a screenshot of it here:
It should be noted that he is known to mess around with fans on Twitter. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on if Rusev really is on his way out of WWE.
Back in November, it was confirmed that Rusev’s wife, Lana, had signed a new five-year deal with the company but his contract is slated to expire.
Although there’s no word yet on if he has signed a new deal, the latest reports suggested that Rusev was still in the middle of contract talks with WWE officials. It should also be noted that there’s no confirmation on when his current deal expires.
Last summer there was speculation WWE could extend the length of the contract because of the days that he missed.
If Rusev doesn’t sign a new deal then the belief is that most promotions – AEW, NJPW, ROH, and Impact Wrestling – would be interested in signing him to a deal.
On the flip side, if Rusev does stay with the company then he would likely get a big increase in pay and be under contract for five years as that’s what WWE has been doing with talents who have recently signed new deals.
Over the past few months, Rusev has been in a storyline with Bobby Lashley, who is now aligned and “married” to Lana on television.
The viewership numbers are in for Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown on FOX from Evansville, IN at the Ford Center.
SmackDown averaged 2.497 million viewers, according to ShowbuzzDaily. This is up from the 2.413 viewers that the show did for last week’s episode of SmackDown on FOX.
The show averaged 2.502 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was up from the 2.417 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
WWE SmackDown Viewership
The first hour drew 2.679 million viewers while the second hour did 2.326 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.467 million viewers while the second hour did 2.369 million viewers.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.80 in the 18-49 demos, this is up from the 0.70 rating for last week’s show.
This episode was expected to see its viewership stay steady as the holidays are over with as we start a new year after the show falling on Christmas and New Year’s week.
Matches
Matches that took place on this show included The Miz defeats Kofi Kingston, Mandy Rose (w/Sonya Deville) defeats Alexa Bliss (w/Nikki Cross), Braun Strowman defeats Shinsuke Nakamura (w/Cesaro & Sami Zayn) in a non-title match, and Dolph Ziggler & King Corbin defeat The Usos (Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso) in the headliner.
There was also a Miz TV segment featuring John Morrison and Robert Roode made his return from suspension after the main event. 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 this coming Friday night as the show will be back to normal and building towards the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event later this month.
The next episode will also feature the fallout from last week’s show that was newsworthy for various reasons such as Roode’s return.
Watch: Top 10 Moments from Friday Night SmackDown (1.10.20)
The working relationship between Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling is showing signs of life.
ROH has announced that NJPW star “Switchblade” Jay White will appear at Supercard of Honor XIV. The event takes place during WrestleMania 36 weekend on Saturday, April 4th from Lakeland, FL at the RP Funding Center.
This will be Jay White’s first match in ROH since last year’s (ROH/NJPW) G1 Supercard show from Madison Square Garden in New York City. White lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Kazuchika Okada in the main event. NJPW talent has worked for ROH less frequently in recent months.
ROH Supercard of Honor XIV goes head-to-head with NXT Takeover, scheduled for the same night in Tampa, FL at the Amalie Arena. If you’re in town for WrestleMania weekend and want to attend the ROH show, tickets go on sale to the general public Friday morning, January 17th.
Jay White wrestled back-to-back at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 earlier this month. On Night 1, he dropped the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to Tetsuya Naito, who went on to capture the IWGP Heavyweight Champion from Kazuchika Okada on Night 2. White defeated Kota Ibushi the second night.
ROH Supercard of Honor
The news of Jay White’s involvement is an encouraging sign for Ring of Honor getting access to NJPW talent. We noted on Sunday that Marty Scurll has re-signed with ROH. Scurll joins ROH’s creative team with a leading role. One of his duties is to expanding ROH’s partnerships with other companies.
In addition to Jay White, we’re told other members of the Bullet Club are in talks to appear at Supercard of Honor.
According to the ROH website, other stars signed to appear include the members of Villain Enterprises (ROH World Champion PCO, “The Villain” Marty Scurll, Brody King and “The Mercenary” Flip Gordon) and La Facción Ingobernable (RUSH, ROH World Television Champion Dragon Lee, Kenny King and Amy Rose).
WWE Superstar R-Truth recently appeared on the NotSam Wrestling podcast hosted by Sam Roberts. During the show Truth discussed the 24/7 Championship, a division that he has been a major part of since its inception.
When the belt was first introduced by Mick Foley on the May 20th 2019 episode of RAW it was critically panned. The visual look of the belt was a major turn off for many fans and Truth discussed this during the interview, saying that fans weren’t willing to give the division a chance at first because of how ugly the belt looked.
“made lemonade out of it” – R-Truth
“This title ain’t nothing but what you make it” Truth began. “Me and my colleagues have made the best of it. We took…i guess ‘shiznit’ and made lemonade out of it.”
“The fans didn’t want to give it a chance,” R-Truth continued. “They didn’t want to give it a chance at all man. ‘AH MAN LOOK HOW UGLY THAT BELT IS,’ [they said]. When Mick Foley pulled it out of the bag man they said it looked so ugly…if it was a baby they’d put it in the incubator without a window.”
R-Truth then said how the perception of the belt has changed, claiming “but now everybody loves it man, everybody wants to hold it.”
“it’s like it never happened before”
Sam Roberts also asked R-Truth if he ever felt a ‘told you so’ mentality towards fans regarding their initial hated and now love (!?) for the belt. “No, because when I can change their opinion on something that they hated, it’s like [the hate] never happened before” Truth stated.
“what sense would it make me losing to a ring announcer!?”
Roberts also asked R-Truth about how his younger self might have reacted to some of the more ridiculous antics that he gets up to on WWE television these days. “Absolutely right, what sense would it make me losing to a ring announcer!? R-Truth laughed. “I’m more mature, Im a grown man now, a younger K-Kwik?…I guess wanting to constantly perfect your craft [has made a difference]. With all of that maturity it puts you in a different mindset. If the ring announcer wants to beat me tonight then I will make it the best ring announcer victory ever.”
Posted January 13th, 2020 in News, WWE. Tagged: R-Truth.
Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder’s contracts with WWE are believed to be up in the spring. According to documents publicly available through the US Patents and Trademark Office, a trademark application was filed on January 8th, 2020 for the term “Shatter Machine” which is the current name of the Revival’s tag team finishing move.
The trademark applicants are listed as Daniel Wheeler and David Harwood whose wrestling names are Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson respectively.
The trademark application was filed by lawyer Michael E. Dockins. He is also the lawyer who handled Cody Rhodes’ applications for the Bash at the Beach and other WCW event names recently.
The stated purposes of the trademark are listed below:
“Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a professional wrestling and sports entertainment personality.”
Dawson then took to Twitter to clarify what he meant in his previous Tweet:
I’ve had many friends & fans ask me about this. I should’ve clarified, I’m taking a break from social media. I apologize for that vague tweet, but I do appreciate EVERYONE’S support. Everything I do is for my family. I only want the best for them. They’re my #1.
The Revival hasn’t wrestled a match on WWE programming since dropping a street fight to Heavy Machinery on December 20th, 2019 episode of Smackdown. They have been competing regularly on house shows, however.
Brandi Rhodes has issued a formal apology to Excalibur for her comments at commentary on Dynamite this week. Rhodes mispronounced Excalibur’s name several times while on commentary during the women’s championship match. She then referred to him by a different name again during her formal apology to him.
Brandi’s “apology” is below:
I’d like to issue a formal apology to the commentator I called Xzibit this week. I knew what I was doing and it wasn’t very nice. As a former interviewer and announcer, I am better than taking cheap shots as such. I’m very sorry. It won’t happen again, Expedition.
Rhodes was recently featured in an article from the Miami Herald as Dynamite will emanate from the campus this week. She has a Master’s Degree from the University of Miami to go along with her degree in journalism from the University of Michigan.
Rhodes also spoke to the Bleacher Report recently about her on-air relationship with Awesome Kong.
“I have to give a lot of credit to Awesome Kong because she came to me wanting something specific for herself and that’s always a great thing, a great sign from a talent when they come in and say, ‘Hey, this is my vision, this is what I see. Can you help me create this?’” Rhodes said in the interview. “Because nobody’s going to be able to create their own vision better than they do themselves.”
MJF, known to many as the nicest guy in pro wrestling, announced the news on Twitter on Monday morning.
MJF had been with MLW since the promotion’s relaunch back in October 2017. He led the Dynasty faction, along with Alexander Hammerstone and Richard Holliday.
The 23-year-old Long Island native was no stranger to MLW gold. He has held the promotion’s MLW World Tag Team titles (with Holliday) as well as the Middleweight championship.
While my time with @MLW is over I can assure you the Dynasty will live on….forever.
MJF’s final appearance for MLW took place over the weekend at the MLW Zero Hour TV tapings from Dallas, Texas.
Maxwell J. Friedman is one of the standout performers in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is currently embroiled in a feud with his former best friend, Cody Rhodes. The two are on a collision course that is expected to culminate in a match at AEW’s next pay-per-view event, AEW Revolution.
MJF is the #5 ranked Men’s Singles competitor in AEW.
