Archive for January, 2020

WWE Makes Name Change To NXT Women’s Title

WWE is making an interesting change to the way that the NXT Women’s Title will be referred to and described as going forward. 

Pwinsider.com reports that WWE has issued an internal decree that going forward the title will now be called simply the NXT Championship. 

It was noted that this decision was a way to the gender-specific designation of the championship.

It turns out that this idea was brought up by RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch on Tuesday’s episode of WWE Backstage. She believes WWE should stop referring to the women’s division as such. Her belief is that it was time to present things in a more progressive fashion.  

With such a change, it’s the first step in the direction. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on if WWE plans to follow in this direction with the women’s titles on RAW and SmackDown.

NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley has her next two title defenses booked. 

First up is this Saturday at the Worlds Collide event in Houston, Texas at the Toyota Center as part of Royal Rumble weekend where she will defend against Toni Storm. 

At the NXT TakeOver: Portland show that goes down on Sunday, February 16, 2020 in Portland, Oregon at the Moda Center, Storm will defend against Bianca Belair. 

WWE Hall of Famer Calls Rhea Ripley “The Next Rock or John Cena”

Daniel Bryan On Why WWE Asked Him To Stop Talking About The Environment

When SmackDown Superstar Daniel Bryan last held the WWE Championship, he unveiled a new hemp version of the title. He also adopted the moniker: “The Planet’s Champion.” In an interview with MySanAntonio.com, Bryan recalled his eco-movement heel, and how at one point he was asked by WWE to stop talking about the environment. He also detailed how he intends to have a range of eco-friendly merchandise created.

Daniel Bryan’s Guilt

Bryan spoke of his guilt in “the amount of stuff that I’ve specifically sold to people.” He used his “Planet’s Champion” gimmick as a reason to avoid wearing a shirt to the ring, noting how “that’s one of the things that I can criticize other people for — they’re just out there for other people’s money.”

“Now that I’m a good guy again, they’re like, ‘Well, we’d really like you to wear a shirt, and let’s get back to making T-shirts for you again.’ I was like, ‘Well, I don’t really want to do that.’ And so now I’m working with them about that, and the next Daniel Bryan shirts are going to be made out of recycled materials,” he explained. “And I think five plastic water bottles will be used for every shirt. So they’ll be made out of plastic water bottles and recycled materials and that, to me, is cool, and that’s something that’s a good-guy thing that’s also kind of environmentally friendly.”

Daniel Bryan is also lobbying for a tree planting initiative. If Bryan can achieve this, every shirt that is sold will see a tree planted. He noted how WWE was “balking a little bit on that.” Bryan stressed how he’s not interested in making money on these t-shirts, but if there has to be merchandise, he wants it to make a positive impact.

Being Told To Stop

“When I was doing the environmental thing, they actually told me to stop talking about the environment because they told me it was a political issue and we don’t want to deal with politics,” Bryan stated.

He continued, “I said, ‘It’s not a political issue. It’s a scientific issue, and the sciences pretty much prove it.’ So rather than looking at it from a right or left point of view, let’s look at it as, ‘Hey, improving the environment is a bulletproof idea to improve all of our children’s lives.’ And I think that’s also something that people can get behind, too. But how you do that in a wrestling format? I have no idea.”

Daniel Bryan is set to face off against “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt. The two compete this Sunday at Royal Rumble for the WWE Championship in a Strap match.

Roderick Strong On Getting Emotional After His Survivor Series Win

Survivor Series 2019 was the first of WWE’s big four events to incorporate NXT as the third brand of the company and it saw some of the top NXT stars delivering impressive performances against talents of Raw and SmackDown.

Former NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong was one such star who delivered an excellent match and picked up a non-title win against the then US Champion AJ Styles and IC Champion Shinsuke Nakamura in a triple threat match at the show.

Roderick Strong talked about his victory on the PPV event when he spoke to Sports Illustrated recently and the NXT star revealed that the win over these two wrestling veterans had made him emotional:

“After the match, I was celebrating on the ground, and I got emotional. I take a lot of pride in what I do, and that was a big moment. I was very, very happy that I had the chance to do that with guys that I have so much respect for, and ones I feel that have the same respect for me.

The former Champion continued by saying that those are two guys he has the utmost respect for. He also said that he is excited to continue working until the day he stops doing this, to show the world how good he is at his job.

Apart from this, Roderick Strong talked about his match with Keith Lee and being comfortable in the heel role. You can check out his full interview at this link.

Triple H Reveals Why His Scheduled WrestleMania 32 Match With The Rock Was Cancelled

WWE had planned to do a match between The Rock and Triple H at WrestleMania 32 and the company had even teased this bout via a backstage promo long before the show.

However, for the disappointment of fans who were hoping to see these wrestling legends get in the ring to compete with each other one more time, this bout was canceled later on.

Triple H was asked about the reason behind the change in plans during his recent interview with TalkSport and the Game revealed that it was canceled due to scheduling issues:

“Scheduling. I don’t remember the details of it but it was one of those things The Rock and I had talked about doing to the point where we even did the backstage promo where we were like ‘let’s throw a scene out there and see what happens’.

And we did and it blew up, and of course, [then] we talked about it some more and then scheduling just got in the way.” revealed Triple H. “It would have been a blast to step in there with him one more time and tear it up.” (Transcription: sescoops.com)

Triple H continued by revealing that they had planned this bout way in advance but then The Rock’s schedule changed and a few months before WrestleMania he informed the officials that he can’t pull it off anymore.

Apart from this, Triple H also talked about NXT competing against AEW on Wednesday nights, his match with Batista at WrestleMania 35 and more. You can check out his full interview at this link

Triple H Discusses ‘Competition’ On Wednesday Nights

While the idea of Wednesday night wars between WWE NXT and AEW Dynamite seems to be a hot topic of discussion among fans, the officials from both sides have been claiming that they are not competing with each other.

AEW Vice President Cody Rhodes had just recently said that NXT is not their concern and now Triple H has made similar comments while keeping NXT in the perspective.

The WWE VP recently had an interview with Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT and when inquired about the competition they are facing, The former World Champion claimed that for him it is not a competitive thing:

“I don’t approach it as a competitive thing. To me, we’re just putting on our shows. I’m gonna put on the shows when we need to put them on, the best places we need to put them on, the right time slots for them and with the best talent I can find in the world. And we already have them. I’m confident in that. For me it’s not competitive against anyone or anything.

Triple H continued by saying that he just wants to put the best show possible for fans of NXT and claimed that it’s funny because they were doing the same thing a few years ago when there weren’t competitors out there.

Cody Rhodes On Ratings War Between AEW And NXT

Fans have been keeping a close eye on the ratings of Dynamite and NXT ever since both the shows went on air and the difference between them has been a topic of discussion.

However, when asked if they are worried about NXT during an interview with Yahoo Sports, Cody Rhodes had made similar comments as Triple H and he had claimed that the Black and Yellow brand is not a concern for them:

“There’s a romantic way to look at the ratings and say ‘Here we are, it’s the late 1990s again. Every Thursday let’s check ‘em.’ It’s fun to look at the ratings but I know internally we’re not having any pep rally speeches. Our concern is not NXT and I believe NXT’s concern is not us.”

The AEW official had then said that if anyone is going to succeed then they cannot be a reactionary brand and explained how it was a positive thing that there is a lot less cross over between the fan bases of both shows.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Jerry Lawler Wins Career Vs. Title Match, Booker T Teases Royal Rumble Appearance

WWE Hall Of Famer and Raw commentator Jerry Lawler has become a world champion after winning a career vs. title match at an indie event this past weekend.

The former WWE wrestler competed against Matt Riviera in an event of Championship Wrestling of Arkansas last Saturday and he managed to defeat Riviera to become the new CWA World Champion.

Legendary Memphis Wrestling announcer Dave Brown was in the commentary for the show and you can check out a video of the 70-year-old WWE star competing at the event below:

Booker T Teases Royal Rumble Appearance

Booker T missed this week’s episode of WWE Backstage and her co-host Renee Young joked about his absence saying that the former Champion was training for an in-ring return at Sunday’s Royal Rumble event.

After this, Booker himself also teased an appearance at the show and he replied to a tweet from WWE on Fox Twitter with the following tweet of his own:

For those who don’t know, Booker T missed this week’s WWE Backstage episode because he is attending Chris Jericho’s cruise. Booker and several other Hall Of Famers such as Ric Flair had been booked for the cruise before the new WWE series kicked off.

Possible Spoiler For Female Royal Rumble

Kane was recently confirmed to be a part of the upcoming Royal Rumble event and a new report seems to have revealed another spoiler for the upcoming show.

PWinsider is reporting that former SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi is currently scheduled to be at the Minute Maid Park in Houston for the PPV event this Sunday night.

Word going around is that the former champion will be returning to the ring soon and she will be sent to the SmackDown brand, similar to the Usos.

Naomi has been out of action since July last year. Her last televised match took place in the final week of the month where the female star picked up a singles victory over Sarah Logan on Main Event.

She had revealed in September that she has been out of action due to some health and family issues and it was later reported that WWE officials had left Naomi and the Usos out of the 2019 draft because they had no creative plans for them.

The Usos returned to WWE programming recently when they appeared on SmackDown Live and saved Roman Reigns from an attack of King Corbin and Dolph Ziggler during the January 3 episode of the show.

While not confirmed, the female Royal Rumble currently has 25 open spots and so it looks very likely that the former champion would be returning to the ring during the show.

WWE NXT Results & 5 Takeaways (1/22/20)

The January 22, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. 

The show was headlined by NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong defending against Keith Lee.

WWE NXT Results (1/22/20)

  • Grizzled Young Veterans def. The Undisputed Era – Dusty Rhodes Classic Semi-Final Match
  • Toni Storm vs. Io Shirai ends in a no contest
  • Finn Balor def. Joaquin Wilder
  • Shayna Baszler def. Shotzi Blackheart
  • Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne def. Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel – Dusty Rhodes Classic Semi-Final Match
  • Keith Lee def. Roderick Strong for the NXT North American Title

Here are the 5 takeaways from this week’s show:

Grizzled Young Veterans Move On

The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson, James Drake) vs. NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish) battled in a semi-final match of the Dusty Rhodes Classic tag team tournament.

As seen on the show, Grizzled Young Veterans ended up winning the contest after Imperium distracted O’Reilly and Fish. This was a fine match but for hardcore fans, it was a special moment. It marked yet another crossover match for both brands – NXT and NXT UK. 

This comes at a time where WWE is trying to hype up the WWE Worlds Collide show this coming Saturday night in Houston, Texas at the Toyota Center.

The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. Imperium (WALTER, Alexander Wolfe, Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) will headline this show in an eight-man tag team match. 

That’s how this semi-final match felt to most fans online but at the end of the day, it was a fine match that had a point and that’s all you can ask for as a fan. 

Toni Storm vs. Io Shirai

Photo Credit: WWE.com

A late addition to the card was a battle between Toni Storm and Io Shirai in a singles match. 

This was a fun match and one I didn’t see coming originally but makes sense with the upcoming Worlds Collide show this Saturday night. After a back and forth affair, Bianca Belair ran down to cause the match to end in a no contest by attacking the two stars.

NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley ran down and brawled with Belair. Io took out Ripley and Belair. Storm ended up standing tall in the ring with the title, which led to the fans booing her. 

This was also a nice way to build up Storm just days away from challenging Ripley for the strap at the Worlds Collide show. She was fresh off a loss to NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray in a Triple Threat Match at NXT UK Blackpool II. 

Storm can be a nice challenger but it’s also clear that Io is quite over with the fans at Full Sail University as she regularly receives some of the biggest pops of the night. 

Thus, her challenging Ripley, who is a babyface, is something that I can see happening down the line as well, which would no doubt be a fun feud. 

Shayna Baszler Takes Out Shotzi Blackheart

Former WWE NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler took on Shotzi Blackheart in a singles match. 

Of course, Baszler won this match and rightfully so. This marked her first singles match since dropping the NXT Women’s Title to Rhea Ripley in 2019. 

WWE set up this contest last week during the women’s battle royal that saw Bianca Belair win to become the new #1 contender for the title. In the match, Shotiz eliminated Baszler. 

Prior to the match, Baszler cut a backstage promo about how she would make Shotiz pay for what she did and is willing to take out any talent in her way while on the path back to the NXT Women’s title. 

Thus, it’s clear that WWE is continuing the program between Baszler and Ripley. Now, it’s just a matter of time as to when WWE books the rematch. 

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1220165751836901376

The BroserWeights vs. Imperium 

The BroserWeights (Matt Riddle, Pete Dunne) vs. Imperium (Fabian Aichner, Marcel Barthel) in a semi-final match of the Dusty Rhodes Classic tag team tournament as one of the hyped bouts featured on the show took place. 

It was a fun match and one of the better contests on the card for this show. It was a hard one to pick considering both teams involved. Dunne and Riddle was victorious. 

Now, The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson, James Drake) will take on Dunne and Riddle in the finals of this tournament that should be a fun one to see. 

After the match, the two teams cut a promo about how they would win the trophy. 

This was a tough tournament to predict the winners but WWE did a nice job of making it a fun yet important series of matches between some top teams throughout. 

Keith Lee Becomes NXT North American Champion 

In the biggest match of the night, NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong defended against Keith Lee. 

As seen on the show, Lee picked up the win to become the new NXT North American Champion.

It was a move that many fans expected as Lee is over as a big star with fans in NXT. While he came up short in his hunt to challenge Adam Cole for the NXT Title, the company smartly recovered by making him a champion although it’s the mid-card title.

With such a talent in Lee, one has to wonder if not now then when as Lee could be called up to the main roster at any given time especially with his performance in the Raw vs. NXT vs. SmackDown Traditional Tag Team Elimination Match at the Survivor Series pay-per-view event last November. 

Thus, with that being said, Strong does get a rematch for the title. When and where is the real question in this situation? I can see WWE booking a title rematch between these two stars at NXT TakeOver: Portland. 

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1220179850302042118

AEW Dynamite Results & 4 Takeaways (1/22)

AEW Dynamite was taped this week on Chris Jericho’s Rock n Wrestling Rager Cruise. SCU defended their AEW Tag Team Championships against Hangman Page & Kenny Omega, and Jon Moxley battled PAC to determine the #1 contender for the AEW Championship.

AEW Dynamite Results

  1. Hangman Page & Kenny Omega defeated SCU to become AEW Tag Team Champions
  2. Britt Baker defeated Priscilla Kelly
  3. Inner Circle defeated Jurassic Express
  4. MJF defeated Joey Janela
  5. Jon Moxley defeated PAC to become the #1 contender for the AEW Championship

Here are 4 takeaways from the show:

Hangman Adam Page & Kenny Omega Are The New Tag Team Champions

SCU defended their AEW Tag Team Championships against Hangman Adam Page and Kenny Omega in the first match of the evening.

Match Recap: Frankie Kazarian trapped Adam Page in a Headlock to start off the bout. Scorpio tagged in and continued to beat Hangman down. Page battled back and planted Scorpio Sky with a Fallaway Slam as the crowd chanted “cowboy sh*t!”. Frankie tagged in and leveled Hangman with a kick to the face.

Hangman connected with a massive Clothesline as Scorpio took out Omega with a Dropkick on the ring apron. Omega tagged in and planted Scorpio with a Brainbuster for a near fall. Hangman hit Kazarian with a Crossbody as Omega delivered a Buckle Bomb to Scorpio Sky for a two count. Hangman went for the Buckshot Lariat but Scorpio got out of the way and he leveled Omega.

Scorpio hit the TKO and went for the cover but Hangman broke it up at the last second. Scorpio and Frankie hit the SCU later but Hangman once again was able to break up the cover at two. Hangman Page then leveled Scorpio with the Buckshot Lariat outside the ring and delivered another one to Frankie inside the ring for the pinfall victory. Hangman Adam Page and Kenny Omega are the new AEW Tag Team Champions.

After the match, The Young Bucks came down to the ring to celebrate with Omega and Page. Hangman quickly got out of the ring and chugged a beer. Page then crowd surfed and continued to pound beers the entire time.

Later on the show, Hangman Adam Page and Kenny Omega were interviewed. The Young Bucks showed up and Hangman took a shot at them by saying he is surprised that they became AEW Tag Team Champions before them.

https://twitter.com/tde_wrestling/status/1220174222770757633?s=20

Opinion: The set for this week’s Dynamite looked awesome and this was a very entertaining match. I’m not a fan of WWE using the tag titles as props for a storyline and I feel like that is the case here. Omega and Hangman Page obviously aren’t going to be a team for very long. They are a dysfunctional team as seen once again tonight when Hangman accidentally hit Kenny Omega. The major difference is that AEW did build up Omega and Hangman Page over a few weeks instead of just having them win the titles in their first match together (Rollins & Strowman, Rollins & Murphy).

https://twitter.com/tde_wrestling/status/1220156889943674883?s=20

Inner Circle Defeated Jurassic Express

Inner Circle (Santana, Ortiz, and AEW Champion Chris Jericho) squared off against Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy, Marko Stunt, and Luchasaurus) tonight on Dynamite. Jake Hager was ringside for the match.

Match Recap: Jurassic Express dominated the match early and isolated Santana in the corner of the ring. Jericho hit Jungle Boy with a cheap shot and Santana followed it up with a Russian Leg Sweep off the middle turnbuckle. Jericho perched Jungle Boy up on the top turnbuckle and lit him up with some chops to the chest.

Jungle Boy blocked a Superplex and hit Jericho with a Crossbody for a near fall. Luchasaurus tagged in and planted Jericho and Ortiz with a Chokeslam. Luchasaurus then brawled with Jake Hager up the entrance ramp as Marko Stunt tagged in. Jericho quickly leveled Marko with the Judas Effect for the pinfall victory.

The Young Bucks Threw MJF In The Pool

MJF squared off with Joey Janela tonight on Dynamite. Before the match, MJF had a couple of fans and Justin Roberts kiss the Dynamite Ring. There was also a fan dressed as Jesus in the crowd that gave Joey Janela a blessing before the bout.

Match Recap: MJF controlled the match early after raking Janela’s eyes on the entrance ramp. Maxwell charged at Joey but Janela was ready and hit a Back Body Drop that sent MJF flying back into the ring. MJF hid behind Aubrey Edwards and then capitalized with a forearm to the face. Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford came down to the entrance ramp and kissed to distract Joey. Janela went for an Elbow Drop but MJF got out of the way. MJF then planted Joey with the Double Cross for the pinfall victory.

After the match, MJF brought up Cody saying that he was just another chapter in his book. MJF claimed that he was the last chapter in Cody’s book before Cody interrupted. Cody stopped and leaned up against the ropes as the crowd chanted his name. MJF noted that Cody cannot touch him no matter what he says. Cody got into the ring and got right in MJF’s face as Maxwell poked fun at Cody’s lisp.

MJF pretended to hand Cody the microphone and then kicked it away when Cody went to grab it. MJF then gave Cody the finger as the crowd chanted “asshole!” at him. Cody grabbed the microphone and said MJF was right that he cannot touch him. The Young Bucks snuck up behind MJF and hit him with a couple of Superkicks. Matt and Nick then hurled MJF into the pool on the cruise ship to end the segment.

Opinion: I am really looking forward to seeing Cody versus MJF at Revolution next month. The storyline has been great and I’m expecting an awesome match at the PPV.

https://twitter.com/AEWrestling/status/1220171263508992000?s=20

Jon Moxley Is The #1 Contender For The AEW Championship

Jon Moxley squared off against PAC in the main event of this week’s episode. The winner of the match would become the #1 contender for the AEW Championship. Le Champion Chris Jericho joined commentary for the match. Moxley came down to the ring with a bandage covering his eye as Jericho stabbed it last week on Dynamite.

Match Recap: PAC focused his attack on Moxley’s eye in the beginning of the match. Moxley battled back with a Dropkick and followed it up with a massive Clothesline. PAC and Moxley traded shots on the top turnbuckle and Jon got the better of the exchange. Jon shoved PAC to the canvas and went for an Elbow Drop but PAC got his knees up. PAC tried to lock in the Brutalizer but Moxley countered into a roll-up for a near fall. PAC connected with a German Suplex and both wrestlers crashed to the canvas.

PAC went for Black Arrow but Jon got out of the way at the last second. Moxley planted PAC with a DDT and went for the cover but PAC was able to kick out at two. PAC connected with a Superplex and locked in the Brutalizer in the middle of the ring but Moxley was able to battle to the bottom rope to break up the hold. PAC ripped off the bandage and unloaded several left hands to Moxley’s eye. Jon fought through the pain and hit the Paradigm Shift for the victory. Jon Moxley will face Chris Jericho for the AEW Championship at Revolution.

https://twitter.com/tde_wrestling/status/1220179502883581956?s=20

Opinion: This week’s episode of Dynamite was another entertaining show. I loved the theme of the show of the cruise ship in the background and the smaller crowd still was able to bring a lot of energy. Moxley versus Jericho has been an excellent storyline so far and should be a great title match at Revolution. Once again, the main the criticism of AEW is the women’s division right now. They have the talent on the roster but I just haven’t been a fan at all of how they are booking the division. Britt Baker and Priscilla Kelly didn’t have a good match and then Baker followed that up with an awkward promo with Tony Schiavone. I hope AEW is able to figure out how to make the women’s division a strength of their product because right now it is glaring weakness.

https://twitter.com/tde_wrestling/status/1220179922125303808?s=20

Keith Lee Wins WWE NXT North American Title

Although the deck was stacked against him in the lead-up, Keith Lee has beaten Roderick Strong to win the WWE NXT North American Champion. 

Strong didn’t successfully retain the title over Lee in a championship match on Wednesday’s episode of WWE NXT in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University on the USA Network. Thus, it’s Lee’s reign now. 

WWE held a match that would determine who is next line for a title shot two weeks ago on NXT.  

A Fatal 4-Way Match that saw Cameron Grimes vs. Donavan Dijakovic vs. Damian Priesttook place with the winner becoming the next challenger to the title. Lee was victorious, earning the right to challenge Strong for the NXT North American Title. 

There was some speculation that the company could save it for the next TakeOver special. 

However, they booked on NXT television to help boost television ratings while they continue the war against AEW Dynamite, All Elite Wrestling’s weekly television show on TNT. 

It’s possible that when WWE presents the NXT TakeOver: Portland event on Sunday, February 16, 2020 in Portland, Oregon at the Moda Center that will air on the WWE Network a rematch between these two stars is booked. 

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1220179850302042118

What are your thoughts on Keith Lee winning the NXT North American Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials?

Roderick Strong Talks Undisputed Era and Teases ‘Getting More Gold’

Jon Moxley vs. Chris Jericho Set For AEW Revolution

Jon Moxley vs. Chris Jericho is official as AEW (All Elite Wrestling) has confirmed the match booking for the Revolution show. 

Jericho defending the AEW World Heavyweight Title against Moxley, who has been portrayed as a top star, will likely serve as the main event of this show. 

AEW set up this contest on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite when Moxley beat PAC in the headliner with the winner challenging Jericho for the title at Revolution. Moxley ended up winning the match. 

Moxley has been the #1 contender in the men’s rankings for quite some time now and also been feuding with Jericho over the last month. 

AEW presents the Resolution pay-per-view event on Saturday, February 29, 2020 in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center.

The show will air at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, and is available for purchase via iN DEMAND cable operators, DirecTV, DISH Network and B/R Live. International fans can purchase the event at FITE.TV. 

The event is being promoted in conjunction with the popular C2E2 (Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo) convention and will mark the fourth AEW PPV event. AEW will be announcing more matches for the show in the coming weeks.  

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

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic 2020 Finals Set

The finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic 2020 tournament are set.

The third batch of matches in this tournament took place on Wednesday’s episode of NXT on the USA Network in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.

Those matches saw Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle as well as Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish take on the Grizzled Young Veterans. Dunne and Riddle won their bout while Grizzled Young Veterans was victorious. After the match, the two teams cut a promo about how they would win the trophy. 

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals

Now, Grizzled Young Veterans taking on Dunne and Riddle will go down in the finals of this contest. WWE has announced when the finals will take place. 

There was speculation the match could be saved for three potential shows including an episode of NXT or NXT TakeOver: Portland or WWE Worlds Collide. 

The Worlds Collide event goes down this Saturday in Houston, Texas at the Toyota Center as part of Royal Rumble weekend. The NXT TakeOver: Portland show goes down on Sunday, February 16, 2020 in Portland, Oregon at the Moda Center and will air on the WWE Network. 

Instead, WWE confirmed that this match will take place on next week’s episode of NXT on the USA Network. 

Kenny Omega & Adam Page Win AEW Tag Team Titles On Dynamite

The AEW Tag Team Champions SCU will not remain on top of the division as they have been dethroned by Kenny Omega and Adam Page.

Page and Omega beat SCU for the titles on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite that was taped on Tuesday night in the Bahamas on the Ship of Jericho on TNT.

All Elite Wrestling set up this contest last week when Omega and Page defeated Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent) (w/Orange Cassidy) and Proud-N-Powerful (Ortiz & Santana) and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) in an AEW World Tag Team Title #1 Contendership Four Way Match. 

As a result, it surpassed Page and Omega to the #1 spot in the AEW tag team rankings and earned them this title match. 

SCU won the AEW Tag Team Titles when the promotion held the finals of the Tag Team Title Tournament on the October 30th episode of AEW Dynamite in Charleston, WV at the Charleston Coliseum. SoCal Uncensored beat The Lucha Bros to win the titles.

https://twitter.com/AEWonTNT/status/1220152406140284928

What are your thoughts on Kenny Omega and Adam Page the AEW Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by AEW officials? Sound off in the comment section.

AEW Rankings For Week Ending 1/22/20

Seth Rollins Opens Up On His Recent Heel Turn

WWE RAW Tag Team Champion Seth Rollins talked about his recent heel turn during an interview with expressnews.com

On the December 9th episode of Monday Night RAW, Rollins joined the Authors of Pain in attacking Kevin Owens, which marked him turning heel for the first time since 2016.

In this interview, he talked about how this heel turn is much different than his heel turn in 2014 when he turned his back on fellow Shield brothers – Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose – to join the Authority. 

“It is a different era than it was back in the day. Now, it’s easier to be an antagonist because … anybody who consumes entertainment has a voice to be heard,” he said. “They can get online and say whatever they want, and even if one or two people respond to it, that’s one or two people more than 20 years ago when they were just sitting in their living room talking crap to their friends. … Our audience looks for things to complain about, to dislike and to pick apart.

“It’s such a short, short lifespan. If you can maintain being in that hero role for a lengthy period of time, you are doing something incredible.”

Over the last few weeks, Rollins and AOP have been feuding with Owens, Samoa Joe, and Kane on television. 

Instead of booking a six-man tag team match at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event that goes down on Sunday, January 26, 2020 in Houston, Texas at the Minute Maid Park, WWE had different plans for most of these stars. 

For Rollins, he’ll be working the Men’s Royal Rumble Match against 29 other stars. 

Seth Rollins Looks Back On Turning Heel, Breaking Up The Shield

Matt Riddle Teases Showdown With Brock Lesnar At Royal Rumble

WWE NXT Superstar Matt Riddle got fans talking over a recent post on his official Twitter account. 

This post has fans speculating on a possible Royal Rumble Match appearance. It has also led to some fans having hope that he could have a potential showdown with WWE Champion Brock Lesnar.

Riddle has previously talked about his desire to share the squared circle with “The Beast” in the past. 

In the post, Riddle shared an older photo of a backstage sign showing directions to Lesnar’s locker room. He wrote in the caption, 

“All I’m gonna say is watch WWE this week, [poop emoji] is about to get wild #stallion #ob #originalbro #kingofbros #splx #nxt #royalrumble2020.”

WWE has yet to confirm whether NXT will have any involvement in the Men’s and/or Women’s Royal Rumble matches.

Competitors thus far confirmed for the Men’s Royal Rumble Match include the following: 

Brock Lesnar in the #1 spot, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet, Rey Mysterio, AJ Styles, Erick Rowan, King Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Otis, Tucker, Elias, Aleister Black, Rusev, Bobby Lashley, R-Truth, Braun Strowman, WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, RAW Tag Team Champion Seth Rollins, RAW Tag Team Champion Buddy Murphy, Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens, Kofi Kingston, Big E

CM Punk Explains Why Keith Lee “Should” Win The Royal Rumble

Feature Film On The Von Erich Family In The Works

A feature film focussed on the Von Erich wrestling family is in the works. According to a report from Deadline, Sean Durkin will be penning the script for the film. The 38-year-old filmmaker won the Dramatic Directing Award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

“I’m very excited about this one,” Durkin told Deadline. “It’s another family portrait, about a wrestling family who revolutionized the sport and then suffered tragedy.”

Tessa Ross and Juliette Howell have signed on to produce the film.

“Sean is an extraordinary filmmaker and we’re excited to be working with him,” said Tessa Ross.

The report from Deadline can be found here.

The Von Erichs In Major League Wrestling

Ross and Marshall Von Erich are the current MLW tag team champions. They have entered into a rivalry with Tom Lawlor on the show after Lawlor turned on the brothers.

The promotion heads to Philadelphia next month for Fightland. The matches booked for the show are below:

  • World Heavyweight Championship: Jacob Fatu (c) vs CIMA
  • Killer Kross vs Tom Lawlor
  • National Openweight Title: Alex Hammerstone (c) vs T-Hawk
  • Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs Erick Stevens
  • Brian Pillman Jr. vs Jimmy Havoc w/Priscilla
  • LA Park returns
  • Konnan to appear

WWE RAW Viewership (1/20)

The WWE RAW viewership numbers are in. 

Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 2.380 million viewers in Wichita, KS at the Intrust Bank Arena on the USA Network, which is up from the 2.030 million viewers the previous week. 

RAW Viewership

Here is the hourly viewership breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

  • Hour 1: 2.548 million – Last Week: 2.218
  • Hour 2: 2.492 million – Last Week: 2.059
  • Hour 3: 2.101 million – Last Week: 1.814

The episode was expected to increase in its viewership from last week. The reason for that is due to the lack of competition it faced as well as it serving as the go-home show for RAW heading into the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event this Sunday. 

Here is the hourly 18-49 demos breakdown:

  • Hour 1: 0.90 – Last Week: 0.66
  • Hour 2: 0.87 – Last Week: 0.61
  • Hour 3: 0.73 – Last Week: 0.56

Some of the matches that took place include United States Champion Andrade (w/Zelina Vega) defeats Rey Mysterio in a ladder match, Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton, Becky Lynch defeats Kairi Sane in a non-title match, Buddy Murphy & Seth Rollins (w/Akam & Rezar) defeat The Viking Raiders for the RAW Tag Team Titles, Erick Rowan defeats Matt Hardy, and Bobby Lashley & Lana defeat Liv Morgan & Rusev in the headliner. 

There was also a segment with Paul Heyman and WWE Champion Brock Lesnar

WWE will attempt to increase its viewership for RAW next week, which shouldn’t be an issue due to no sports competition that the show will face compared to last week with the NCAA National Football Championship game on ESPN that was drew big ratings.

In case you missed the show, you can check out the five takeaways here. 

Watch: Top 10 Moments from Monday’s RAW (1.20.20)

Brock Lesnar and R-Truth RAW Segment Completely ‘Unscripted’

WWE Champion Brock Lesnar appeared on the January 13th episode of RAW alongside his ‘advocate’ Paul Heyman for a promo segment. During said promo segment then 24/7 Champion R-Truth appeared and cut a humorous promo, which involved threatening to eliminate Paul Heyman from the Royal Rumble match.

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry recently revealed that the segment between the two Superstars was completely ‘unscripted.’ Henry said that the idea was to have Brock not ‘mentally prepared’ for the segment so that he would react naturally.

“the business of that segment was to get Brock Lesnar to crack”

Henry appeared on a recent episode of Busted Open Radio alongside Bully Ray, who said “Mark. Let’s pull back the curtain a little bit okay? Because obviously the ‘business’ of that segment was to entertain on TV, but you know damn well backstage that the business of that segment was to get Brock to crack.” Henry then confirmed that the entire section with R-Truth appearing was completely unscripted: “Yes. And from what I’m understanding. Brock didn’t even know that was going to happen. It was completely kayfabe. That’s what I’m getting.”

“I never seen Brock Lesnar laugh that much since I’ve known him”

Henry also confirmed that his sources for the story were completely reliable. “It was was designed for Brock not to me mentally prepared to block it. And it worked because I never seen Brock laugh that much since I’ve known him.”

“the more that I saw Brock’s reaction? I realised it was true.”

Both Bully and Henry both claimed that Brock Lesnar has huge respect for Truth, as he is a veteran in the business. Therefore he would not have been ‘angry’ that Truth was trying to make him laugh live on television. It was also then revealed by Henry that Brock also had no idea that Truth would even be appearing for the segment. “This was purely Heyman and Truth” Henry revealed. “When I heard it, I was like, No, no. [But] like the more that I saw Brock’s reaction? I realised it was true. That’s the only way that he could break like that. There was no acting. Brock was reacting. And it was absolutely beautiful.”

It’s interesting that with the heavily scripted natured of WWE programming that such a big segment would be so ‘loose’ in structure. Although Henry did not reveal his source at WWE he is still a major name behind the scenes, so it is likely that he would have reliable contacts. We do not know at this time if the ‘unscripted’ style will be used with Brock going forward, or if it was just purely used as an entertaining aside for RAW heading into the Royal Rumble.

Report: Lance Archer In Talks With AEW

All Elite Wrestling is expanding its roster as NJPW (New Japan Pro-Wrestling) star Lance Archer is reportedly in talks with the promotion. 

This is according to a report by Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated. It was noted that AEW confirmed to the media outlet that Archer is in high-level talks with the company.

Lance Archer In AEW?

It should be noted that he’s still under contract with NJPW as he’s booked to work their tour of the United States that stars on Friday in Tampa and runs through February 1st in Atlanta.

Archer had a great year in 2019 that was highlighted with impressive performances in the G1 Climax tournament over the summer. He also earned his first title under the NJPW banner by winning the IWGP United States Title. 

For those who may not recall, Archer, who’s real name is Lance Hoyt, had a run with WWE from 2009 to 2010 where he worked on the ECW and SmackDown brands as Vance Archer. 

He would then move to NJPW until 2015 before taking a brief break while competing for Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling NOAH. He returned to NJPW in 2017. 

“The business is about adaptation—you either adapt or die,” Archer told SI.com in December. “People don’t know who I am, they don’t understand what I’m capable of, or who I’m going to be. Keep doubting me and I’ll keep surprising you.”

This potential signing comes after it’s rumored that Brian Cage will be joining AEW. This was following his match at Impact Wrestling’s Hard To Kill pay-per-view. 

Cage’s wife has since denied that he’s signed with the promotion but the belief is that he will make a deal with All Elite Wrestling. Time will tell whether these two wrestlers will eventually sign with the promotion 

Lance Archer Wasn’t Sure He Would Stay With NJPW In 2019

Eric Bischoff Talks Ric Flair Replacing Sid At Starrcade 93

Starrcade 93 was arguably one of the more memorable shows in the event’s history. The main event of the card was Ric Flair challenging Big Van Vader for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Flair’s career was on the line in the match as well.

Flair vs Vader was not supposed to be the main event, however. The match between the two was only booked after Sid Vicious was fired from the promotion stemming from his infamous backstage fight with Arn Anderson. Vader was originally supposed to defend his title against Sid in the main event of Starrcade that year.

Bischoff stressed that while he was in WCW at the time, he was not yet running creative. He offered some insight as to why Flair was chosen to replace Sid, however.

“(Flair) was always the go-to guy. If plan A doesn’t work, plan B will,” Bischoff said. “While Ric Flair was often Plan A and for many, many years throughout WCW’s existence, Ric was always the Plan A guy because he drew money and he drew ratings and everyone knew it.”

Bischoff would continue to say, however, that in this case, Flair was Plan B.

“When the building is starting to burn and you can’t put it out with the kitchen sink, what do you do? You break the glass, pull the fire alarm and in comes Ric Flair.”

Bischoff would then say Flair as Plan B, in this case, worked out quite well.

“Plan B worked out phenomenally well. Probably, possibly, not even possibly, quite likely worked out to be much better than Plan A.”

Bischoff’s comments about Starrcade 93 can be heard in the player below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzEtvkGRsSI

Mark Henry Says He Would Work With Conor McGregor in WWE

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry has made further comments regarding UFC megastar Conor McGregor. As we recently reported Henry commented on McGregor’s recent demeanour, following his win at UFC 246. “Conor McGregor is on quality control” Mark Henry stated. The ‘World’s Strongest Man’ would also make some explosive comments regarding the MMA fighter; “He said things that was completely out of line, specially as it relates to him coming into the [WWE] locker room and slapping everybody because, I’m gonna tell you what. At that time, I was actually in the locker room. I welcome any 140 pounds or less guy on the planet to come and slap my face. I will tear your skin off. AND I will hang your skin in my closet.”

McGregor In The Royal Rumble?

Fellow WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray started the Busted Open podcast by asking Henry about McGregor. “Do you think Conor McGregor could be successful in the WWE?” Bully began. “And…do you think that there’s any chance in hell that he’s a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble?”

“That’s just the way I’ve been taught in this business.” – Mark Henry

Mark Henry then confirmed that he believes that McGregor would be a fit for the biggest pro wrestling company on the planet. “As a businessman, I do think that he could. I would not let my personal feelings for him affect business. That’s just the way I’ve been taught in this business. Do I think that he will be an entrant in the Battle Royal? No.”

“…but he’s too stupid to realise what doing good business is.” – Mark Henry

Conor McGregor

Henry then stated that McGregor would have too much ‘ego’ to only enter the Rumble but not win. “Too much ego [he’d] want to win. I just know, I just feel, that he would want to win. That will be more important to him than coming in and making a splash and everybody in the ring, stopping, turning to him and walking slowly toward him. And then just rushing him and throwing him out. Which would be just as good as him winning, but he’s too stupid to realise what doing good business is.”

“you get a phone call from Vince tomorrow…”

Bully also brought up the phenomenal business and buzz that Floyd Mayweather and Big Show drew for their bout at WrestleMania 24. With that in mind Bully asked Henry “you get a phone call from Vince [McMahon] tomorrow and Vince says you’re the perfect guy for an angle with Conor McGregor, Mark Henry are you doing it or not?” Mark Henry then emphatically stated “Yes.”

Rusev Opens Up About Recent Storyline With Lana And Bobby Lashley

The ongoing angle between Rusev, Lana and Bobby Lashley is one of the most controversial storylines right now, yet it’s also one of the most talked-about things of WWE programming as well. During a recent interview with Real Talker, the Bulgarian Brute talked about a number of things and he also opened up about this storyline.

The former US Champion was first asked about his reaction to seeing his wife kissing another man and Rusev said that it’s no different than what the actors at Hollywood do. He detailed his comments saying that if you are an actor and a certain role requires you to do something like that then you don’t say no.

Rusev then said that they are all professionals and claimed that he doesn’t think it’s a problem for him at all. Continuing, the former US Champion told the interviewer that he thinks it’s more about Lana because she is the one who has to kiss another guy:

“It was always about her, I always asked her. You know, people always run to me and ask me ‘how are you feeling about this?’ I’m like ‘why are you asking me? Why don’t you go and ask her? She’s the one who is supposed to kiss him every now and again. I’m not kissing a guy.’ … So, kudos to her for being professional. If she didn’t agree to that then we would have done something completely different, right? But here we are, a few months in, and it’s the hottest thing going in WWE.”

The whole angle requires all of the involved superstars to show some extraordinary acting skills. During the interview, Rusev also talked about this and said that Vince McMahon actually praised the acting skills he has shown during this storyline. He revealed “Vince pulled me aside and told me this is a great acting performance. I’ve never been complimented on my acting before that.”

Apart from this Rusev talked about his time away from WWE during his shoulder injury in 2017. He revealed that before going into the surgery, he felt like his character wasn’t going anywhere on TV. Due to this, he felt tired of his long-haired look and decided to cut his hair. You can check out his full interview in the video below:

Impact Wrestling Results & 8 Takeaways (1/21/20)

Impact Wrestling presented its first show from their recent tapings in Mexico last night on AXS TV. The show did not air on Twitch this week due to the ongoing ban that likely stems from Rob Van Dam’s celebration with his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s girlfriend last week.

Impact Wrestling 1/21/20 Quick Results:

  1. Taurus defeated Moose and Rhino (triple threat)
  2. Joey Ryan defeated Maximo
  3. Havok defeated Rosemary
  4. Willie Mack defeated Rohit Raju
  5. Taya Valkyrie & Ace Austin defeated Tessa Blanchard & Trey Miguel

Here are 8 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 1/21/20:

Challengers Step Up To Tessa Blanchard

Impact Wrestling kicked off this week with Tessa Blanchard delivering an in-ring promo. She was interrupted by Taya Valkyrie who noted that Blanchard was afraid to return to the Knockouts division. Taya and Blanchard have a long history and have feuded over the Knockouts title and AAA’s Reina de Reinas title. Ace Austin also came out and noted he was victorious over Blanchard at Bound for Glory when he won the X-Division Championship ladder match.

A brawl started as Austin and Taya teamed up on the champion. This brought out Trey who still has a grudge against Ace Austin for the things he said about his mother. A tag match pitting Blanchard and Trey against Austin and Valkyrie was scheduled for the main event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23XP9z9WGRA

During the match, Blanchard took Taya out with a plancha but this left Austin and Trey alone in the ring. Austin would then pick up the win with the Fold (flipping neckbreaker/blockbuster) on Trey. Taya and Ace celebrated to end the show but Taya didn’t want him to get too close.

What does this mean in terms of who will face Blanchard for the title next?

Taurus Steals A Victory Over Moose From Rhino

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW9oOR-soUI

Moose defeated Rhino at Hard to Kill but this week another wrestler with a large animal name was thrown into the mix. AAA’s Taurus, Moose, and Rhino kicked off Impact this week with a triple threat match.

It looked like Rhino had Moose down and was ready to avenge his PPV loss when he hit Moose with a Gore. Taurus swooped in, however, and delivered a headbutt to Rhino to take him out before stealing the pin on Moose for the victory.

Joey Ryan Defeats Maximo, RVD Embarrassed To Be A Wrestler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHKQWPwT0I4

Joey Ryan faced AAA Exotico Maximo this week in singles competition. After some shenanigans, Ryan was able to deliver a penis suplex to Maximo followed by a lollipop-assisted superkick for the win.

After the match, Rob Van Dam was interviewed in the back. RVD said he’s embarrassed to be a pro-wrestler based on what he just saw in the ring. He would continue to say that he’d rather wrestlers just steal his moves if that is the alternative.

Havok Earns A Victory In The Dark War

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0eo12RUuM4

Havok picked up a victory over Rosemary in the latest battle of the Dark War. Mitchell and “Suzie” accompanied Havok to the ring this week for her match against Rosemary. The Demon Assassin has been attempting to stop Mitchell from continuing his manipulation of Suzie.

Rosemary was distracted by Mitchell at ringside and delivered a poison mist blast to his face. Her distraction led to Havok gaining the advantage, however, delivering a tombstone piledriver and picking up the win. In the midst of the match, however, Suzie wandered off.

On another note, Father James Mitchell is hoping wrestling fans can help his family raise money for his step-daughter who is battle stage 3 lymphoma. Mitchell posted the following GoFundMe appeal to social media:

Michael Elgin Thinks He Won At Hard To Kill

Elgin is all upset he didn’t win Eddie Edwards’ Call Your Shot trophy at Hard to Kill. He claims Edwards tapped while in a crossface (he was actually just reaching for the ropes.) Edwards attempted to announce he was calling his shot at the next PPV when Elgin interrupted. It was then announced that a best-of-5 series between the two will begin next week.

The Rascalz Take Peyote, See Scary Clowns

The Rascalz tend to prefer when Impact’s tapings are held in Nevada, California, anywhere in Canada, or similar locations. Tapings in New York or Mexico provide somewhat of a challenge for the trio and possibly for Rob Van Dam as well.

This week, Wentz announced that he had picked up some peyote instead and that this location was “no longer a desert.” Since Trey was wrestling in the main event, he chose not to participate, however. Wentz and Dez seemed to have a good time until Pagano and Murder Clown sat down and scared them away. The Rascalz will face their scary clown hallucinations in tag action next week.

Johnny Swinger Attempts To Rescue Willie Mack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLan9BHivGo

During a backstage interview with Jimmy Jacobs, Willie Mack was interrupted by Johnny Swinger this week. Swinger said that if Mack teams with him as the Mack and Pack Connection they will draw a lot of money. Mack did not seem interested, however, since Rich Swann is his partner.

After Mack picked up the win on Rohit Raju, Mahabali Shera hit the ring and began delivering a post-match beatdown to Mack. Swinger then attempted to make the save but was outnumbered by the Desi Hit Squad, who are without Raj currently as Shera sent him on a spiritual journey without first checking in with Gama.

Next Week

  • #1 Contenders Match: Jordynne Grace vs Kiera Hogan vs Madison Rayne
  • Michael Elgin vs Eddie Edwards
  • Dr. Wagner Jr. Returns
  • Josh Alexander vs Vikingo
  • Pagano & Murder Clown vs the Rascalz

AEW Rankings For Week Ending 1/22/20

All Elite Wrestling has announced the latest set of AEW Rankings for the week ending Wednesday, January 22, 2020.

These rankings are for the following divisions – men’s, women’s, and tag team. 

The updated standings come after the results of Tuesday’s AEW Dark episode. The way it works is the talent will be listed in rankings by their match records but doesn’t include the champions. 

Hikaru Shida fell from the #1 spot in the women’s rankings as she was surpassed by Nyla Rose.

The other change was in the tag team division that saw Kenny Omega & Adam Page become the #1 contenders after winning a big match on last week’s Dynamite episode to earn a championship match on Wednesday’s show that was taped on Tuesday night. Omega and Page will challenge AEW Tag Team Champions SCU for the straps. 

AEW Rankings

The rankings will be updated each week. You can see the rankings here: 

AEW Rankings (Men’s):

  1. Jon Moxley (2-0, 7-1-1)
  2. Pac (1-0, 6-4-1)
  3. Cody (1-0, 8-3-1) 
  4. Kenny Omega (0-0, 12-5)
  5. Sammy Guevara (2-1, 6-7) 

AEW Rankings (Tag Teams): 

  1. Kenny Omega & Adam Page 2-0
  2. Santana & Ortiz: 0-1
  3. The Young Bucks: 0-1
  4. The Dark Order (1-0)
  5. Lucha Bros: 0-1

AEW Rankings (Women’s): 

  1. Nyla Rose (1-1, 5-4)
  2. Hikaru Shida (0-1, 5-4)
  3. Kris Statlander (0-1, 4-3)
  4. Awesome Kong (1-0, 3-1) 
  5. Britt Baker (0-1, 7-5) 

AEW Dynamite Preview: Tag Team Title Match, PAC vs. Moxley

Charlotte Flair Reveals She Was Barred From Using Traits Of Ric Flair In NXT

Charlotte Flair has embraced her father’s legacy and taken it to new heights in WWE. However, she recently revealed that there was a time when she wasn’t allowed to use the traits of her father, Ric Flair in the company.

The 10-times Women’s Champion recently had an interview with Metro.co.uk where among other things she talked about her father’s legacy in detail.

During the talk, she also recalled her early days in NXT and The former Women’s Champion revealed that she wasn’t allowed to use the things associated to her father when Charlotte first started in the company:

‘When I first started, I wasn’t allowed to “wooo”, do the figure four, nothing was supposed to be associated with my dad. ‘And then at NXT Takeover against Natalya [in 2014], I won the NXT women’s championship.

That day, I debuted my music which had his music in it, and I “woooed” for the first time. It just happened organically because my dad was at ringside, but that was never something I set out to do…”

Charlotte continued to explain that she didn’t want to continue the legacy but it just happened and she then asked how can you ignore the fact that your father is Ric Flair.

Apart from this, Charlotte Flair also talked about her childhood and mentioned how she was never raised to think that she couldn’t do anything a man could. You can check out her full interview at this link.