Major League Wrestling presented a special episode of Fusion this week on BeIN Sports and YouTube. As per an agreement with Richard Holliday’s lawyer/father, the Dynasty was put in charge of producing this week’s show from Dallas.
MLW Fusion 2/15/20 Quick Results:
Gino Medina defeated Septimo Dragon
National Openweight Championship Alexander Hammerstone (c) defeated Septimo Dragon w/Konnan
MLW Tag Team Championships Ross & Marshall Von Erich (c) defeated MJF & Richard Holliday (the Dynasty)
This week’s episode of Fusion was filmed in Dallas and this Texas crowd loved the Von Erichs. The NYTEX Sports Centre looked to be a standing room only crowd and they were all cheering for Ross and Marshall as they took on MJF and Richard Holliday. This was the Dynasty’s contractually obligated title rematch after having dropped the belts to the Von Erichs at Saturday Night SuperFight last November.
The Dynasty used every dirty tactic they could think of including attacking the brothers before the bell. Near the end of the match, with all competitors down on the mat, Hammerstone came out to cause some interference. He was followed by Mance Warner, however, who found a way into the building after having been banned by the Dynasty. Warner hit Hammerstone with a chair shot and then began brawling with Gino Medina, who came out as well.
With the outside interference fended off, the Von Erichs hit the Claw Slam for the victory and the live crowd went crazy!
Mance Warner played a big role in helping the Von Erichs retain their titles in the main event this week. He was not even supposed to be in the building, however. The Dynasty had Warner banned but Warner found a way in regardless. The Dynasty had Gorgon posted outside to prevent Warner from entering but after Warner offered the big man a few light beers, Gorgon noted that MJF is “an asshole” and allowed Warner to enter the building and make the big save in the main event.
Tom Lawlor and Dominic Garrini Disrespect The Dallas Sportatorium Grounds
Since episodes of Fusion began to be taped from Dallas, Tom Lawlor and his Team Filthy stablemate Dominic Garrini have been featured in spoof episodes of TV’s “Dallas.” This week, Lawlor and Garrini warned the Von Erichs not to “piss away” their time as tag champs and then motioned as if they were going to urinate on the hallowed grounds of the Dallas Sportatorium, though the camera cut away before they did.
The newest member of the Dynasty, Gino Medina, would kick things off on this week’s Dynasty produced version of Fusion. Medina joined the Dynasty after turning down Konnan’s offer of mentorship and then joining his new stablemates in an attack on the legend. This week, Konnan recruited Septimo Dragon to take on Medina. Dragon would give him all he had but Medina was able to take advantage of his ring positioning at the end of the match, using the ropes for leverage as he got a 3-count from a small package.
The Dynasty kept on the attack after the match, even unmasking Septimo in the process. Konnan would run-in with a slapjack to make the save.
Alexander Hammerstone Resorts To Underhanded Tactics Against Aerostar
Konnan was on commentary for this match and continued to build up the rivalry between him and the Dynasty. Hammerstone had a significant power advantage during this match and made use of this fact often. Aerostar began countering much of Hammerstone’s high-impact offense, however, and that may have led the big man to panic. He opted to rip the mask off Aerostar and roll him up for a quick pin rather than win in a more honorable fashion. Konnan took Aerostar to the back while covering his face with a towel.
Coming Up In MLW
Jacob Fatu will defend the MLW World Championship against CIMA in 3 weeks:
Next week’s episode will be the last from the Dallas tapings. It will feature Ross Von Erich vs Tom Lawlor, Erick Stevens will make his MLW debut against Douglas James and King Mo returns!
Despite many considering WWE’s NXT to be the company’s third brand, it turns out that WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle doesn’t see it that way. In an interview with Sportskeeda, Angle explained why NXT continues to be WWE’s “training ground.”
“I think NXT is a great brand. I think Triple H has done an incredible job with that. But you know what? It is still the ‘training ground’ for RAW and SmackDown. These guys might have a little more leeway than the guys on RAW and SmackDown,” Angle said. “They get more time in their matches than the guys on RAW and SmackDown. If you watch any NXT TakeOver, every match is 30 minutes.”
He continued, “Guys and girls on RAW and SmackDown, they don’t get that kind of time so I wouldn’t say they are the better product, I would say they have more freedom on what they want to do.”
Kurt Angle On Moving To The “Big Show”
Kurt Angle argued how, when Superstars move up to the “big show,” they have to be more aware of time limitations and cues. He credited this freedom in NXT as a reason why so many Superstars are looking to stay on the black-and-gold brand.
“You have to do things specifically and I don’t think that NXT has to do that. That’s probably the reason why a lot of the guys want to stay there and I don’t blame them for that.”
That being said, Angle noted how he doesn’t believe that more match time equates to NXT being a better product. Despite this, “[…] I would say that they are doing an excellent job and Triple H has done an unbelievable job of making that an entity – basically a product of its own. It could survive on its own. So it has become huge and there are a lot of fans that follow it.”
NXT’s most recent pay-per-view, NXT TakeOver: Portland, took place last night in Portland, Oregon.
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch has addressed Shayna Baszler’s “dirty” tactics during a recent conversation with Pro Wrestling Sheet. Their issues stem from last week’s episode of Monday Night RAW, which saw Baszler attack Lynch from behind following her successful championship defense over Asuka. Baszler would proceed to remove her mouth guard before biting into the back of Lynch’s neck. It wasn’t long until her mouth was covered in the champion’s blood.
“She’s tough. She did a lot for women in MMA. I don’t think she gets nearly enough credit for what she’s done in that,” Lynch said. “She’s been in NXT making a name for herself the past few years, but last night she wanted to make a name for herself against me.”
She continued, “If she wanted an opportunity, all she had to do was ask, she didn’t have to take a chunk out of the back of my neck, but if that’s the way it’s going to be, well then that’s the way it’s going to be. She can fight dirty… I can fight a lot dirtier.”
Becky Lynch and Shayna Baszler are expected to build towards a RAW Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania 36. The event takes place on April 5th from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.
Triple H has addressed Charlotte Flair accepting Rhea Ripley’s NXT Championship challenge at WrestleMania 36. He spoke about their impending matchup during a post-TakeOver media call, crediting Vince McMahon with the idea. The match was confirmed during last night’s NXT TakeOver: Portland event following Flair’s ambush of Ripley.
Charlotte Flair Versus Rhea Ripley
According to Triple H, USA Network had no involvement in the decision to have Flair face off against the NXT Women’s Champion. “I believe that this was, to be honest, it was shocking to me when it was first mentioned to me. I believe that this was really just a decision from Vince [McMahon]’s part on understanding where the other stories are going for the women.”
Looking to build new opportunities and stories fans haven’t seen before, Triple H noted how WWE was looking to deliver more original narratives with new pairings. “[…] I think you see that with Shayna Baszler going after Becky Lynch, and you see that in different ways on SmackDown with where they’re going so this was a way of Charlotte Flair needing to be in that big epic role. I think it really had nothing more to do with that.”
He continued, “I think people put too much stock into building up other things. It’s easy to put your tinfoil hat on and start to talk about stuff, and I’m sure just even saying that, everybody will be like, ‘Oh my God, there’s no way they didn’t…’ Whatever, you believe what you want. It really comes down to that, this is good storytelling and that’s what the goal is here, it’s just really good storytelling across the board.”
Charlotte Flair will challenge Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 36. The event takes place on April 5th from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
WWE is back with another episode of Monday Night RAW as the company looks to keep its momentum of positive shows from the perspective of fans.
Three things have been announced for this show thus far. What will be interesting is how WWE follows up on the attack by former NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler on current WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch last week.
Of course, after Lynch retained the title over Asuka, Baszler attacked Lynch and ended the segment by biting the back of Lynch’s neck.
As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for RAW.
WWE holds this show in Everett, WA at the Angel of the Winds Arena. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Randy Orton vs Matt Hardy – No Holds Barred Match
Rusev and Humberto Carrillo vs. Bobby Lashley and Angel Garza.
There will be a “sermon” from Seth Rollins, which is part of the ongoing storyline with Rollins calling himself the Monday Night Messiah.
WWE will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds that will take place heading into the Super ShowDown pay-per-view event.
Join us here later tonight for our post-show RAW Takeaways feature.
NXT TakeOver: Portland aired live from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. Adam Cole defended the NXT Championship against Tommaso Ciampa in the main event.
NXT TakeOver: Portland Results
Keith Lee def. Dominik Dijakovic to retain the North American Championship
Dakota Kai. def. Tegan Nox
Finn Balor def. Johnny Gargano
Rhea Ripley def. Bianca Belair to retain the NXT Women’s Championship
Broserweights def. Undisputed Era to capture the NXT Tag Team Championships
Adam Cole def. Tommaso Ciampa to retain the NXT Championship
Here are 6 takeaways from the PPV:
Keith Lee Retained In An Incredible Match Against Dijakovic
Photo: WWE.com
Keith Lee defended his NXT North American Championship against Dominik Dijakovic in the first match of the night.
Match Recap: Keith Lee took Dominik down with an incredible Hurricanrana early and the crowd went insane. Dijakovic connected with a boot to the face that sent Lee out of the ring. Dominik went for a flip but Lee caught him. Dominik escaped and tried to Suplex Keith on the apron but had a hard time lifting him. Back in the ring, Dijakovic leveled Lee with a Cyclone Kick and made his way to the top rope. Dijakovic hit an awesome Corkscrew Moonsault for a near fall as the crowd chanted “NXT!”.
Both superstars fired up for Clothesline and connected at the same time. Dijakovic hit another Clothesline that sent Keith to the apron. Dominik planted Keith Lee with a Feast Your Eyes off the second rope for a near fall as the crowd chanted “this is awesome!”. Lee battled back with a pounce that sent Dominik flying to the the corner.
The action spilled outside the ring and Lee hit Dominik with a chop to the chest that echoed throughout the arena. Dominik battled back with a Superkick and Lee fell onto a computer chair. Dijakovic followed that up with an absolutely insane springboard Cannonball before rolling Keith Lee into the ring. Lee hit the Spirit Bomb but Dijakovic rolled through and hopped to his feet. Lee hit another Spirit Bomb but somehow Dominik was able to kick out at two.
Dijakovic and Lee then on the turnbuckle. Dominik planted Lee with a Spanish Fly off the second rope for a near fall. Dijakovic tried to lift Lee up but his back gave out and he fell to the canvas. Keith Lee quickly hit the Big Bang Catastrophe for the pinfall victory. Keith Lee is still the NXT North American Champion. After the match, Keith Lee showed Dijakovic respect and posed with him in the ring.
Opinion: Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic have unbelievable chemistry in the ring and all of their matches have been great. This was an excellent way to start TakeOver and will be tough for anyone to follow tonight.
Dakota Kai squared off against Tegan Nox in a Street Fight tonight at TakeOver: Portland.
Match Recap: Dakota Kai attacked Tegan during her entrance but Nox battled back and hit a Spear through the barricade. Kai planted Tegan with a DDT and rolled her into the ring to officially start the match. Nox placed a trash can over Kai’s head and hit an inverted Senton. Kai blasted Nox over the head with the trash can lid and rolled her back in the ring. Nox planted Kai with a German Suplex onto the trash can for a near fall. Nox Chokeslammed Kai off the second rope and followed it up with the Molly-Go-Round for a two count. Nox placed Kai’s head on a chair and went for a kick but Dakota got out of the way. Kai then booted the chair into Tegan’s face before slamming her into the ring post outside the ring.
Kai taped Tegan’s arm to the the turnbuckle and booted her in the face. She followed it up with another kick and Nox fell to the floor. Tegan grabbed a laptop and hit Dakota on her surgically repaired knee. Nox wrapped her fist with a steel chain and started unloading on Kai’s knee. Tegan placed Dakota’s knee in the chair and stomped on it before connecting with a Shining Wizard. Nox brought a table into the ring and set it up in the corner. Nox put Kai on the table and then her neck in the steel chair. Raquel Gonzalez hopped on the apron and attacked Nox. Raquel Chokeslammed Nox off the top rope and onto the table but it didn’t break. Kai then pinned Nox for the victory.
Finn Balor faced Johnny Gargano tonight at TakeOver: Portland.
Match Recap: Gargano and Balor traded shots and submission holds for the first few minutes of the match. Johnny hit Finn with a Spear and both superstars fell to the floor outside the ring. Balor battled back and hit Gargano with the Slingblade and followed it up with a knee to the midsection.
Back in the ring, Balor connected with a Dragon Screw and locked in a Figure Four. Johnny escaped with some punches to the face and followed it up with an Enziguri. Gargano hit the Slingshot Spear and went for the cover but Finn was able to kick out at the last moment. Gargano launched Balor into the corner but Finn bounced off the turnbuckle and hit a Pele Kick. Gargano then fell on top of Balor for a cover and Finn kicked out at two.
Johnny hit a Slingshot DDT and went for the cover but Balor was once again able to kick out at two. Balor hit another Slingblade and went for the Coup de Grace but Johnny got out of the way. Johnny locked in the Gargano Escape in the middle of the ring but Balor broke free and hit a Double Stomp. Finn went for the 1916 DDT but Johnny countered into the Gargano Escape once again.
Balor fought through the pain and grabbed the ropes to break the hold. Gargano cleared off the announce table but Balor got up and slammed him on top of it. Balor followed it up with a Dropkick that sent Gargano flying off the table and onto the barricade. Back in the ring, Balor hit the Coup de Grace and stood over Johnny. Balor then planted Gargano with the 1916 DDT for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: This started out slow but wound up being a terrific match. It also took some time for the crowd to get into it after following the very good Street Fight between Nox and Kai and the classic between Dijakovic and Lee. Balor winning caught me by surprise but I have no issue with it. Finn should have always been in a prominent role on RAW or SmackDown, so it is good to see him being featured that way in NXT.
Rhea Ripley put her NXT Women’s Championship on the line against Bianca Belair tonight at TakeOver.
Match Recap: Ripley controlled the action early and focused her attack on Belair’s arm. Rhea connected with a Clothesline and followed it up with a Dropkick that sent Bianca to the corner. Ripley stomped on her a couple times and followed it up with a chop. Belair connected with a rough-looking Suplex that dropped Rhea on her side for a near fall. Ripley lifted Belair up in the Electric Chair and slammed her to the canvas for a near fall. Rhea locked in a submission hold but Bianca countered into a Spinebuster for a near fall. Ripley and Belair then traded shots in the corner and Bianca got the better of the exchange after hitting the hair whip.
Belair lifted Ripley above her head and dropped her to the mat as the crowd chanted “EST!”. Rhea hit Belair with a kick but Bianca hopped back up and hit a Spear. Bianca followed it up with a Back Body Drop that sent Rhea to the floor outside the ring. Belair then flipped onto Ripley but Rhea battled back and sent her into the steel steps. Back in the ring, Ripley went for a Sunset Bomb but Belair held onto the ropes. Ripley then planted Belair with the Riptide for the pinfall victory. Ripley is still the NXT Women’s Champion.
After the match, Charlotte Flair attacked Rhea from behind and then asked for a microphone. Flair told Ripley that she will see her at WrestleMania and then hit her with Natural Selection. Charlotte raised the NXT Women’s Championship as the crowd booed. Charlotte sent Bianca Belair into the steel steps before heading backstage.
Opinion: Ripley versus Charlotte should be a great match at WrestleMania. Rhea and Bianca had a very good match tonight as well. I thought the Back Body Drop spot was unnecessary/insane because Rhea landed directly on her feet and then fell awkwardly. I have no idea how Rhea didn’t get injured and hopefully that is the last we see of that spot. It will be interesting to see if anything comes of Charlotte attacking Bianca as well after the match.
The Broserweights Captured The NXT Tag Team Championships
Photo: WWE.com
Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish defended the NXT Tag Team Championships against Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle tonight at the PPV.
Match Recap: Dunne stomped on O’Reilly’s hand and then slammed Fish onto the ring apron to start things off. Pete followed it up by slamming O’Reilly onto Fish with a Suplex. Back in the ring, Dunne went to work on Bobby’s fingers and stomped on Fish’s ribs. Undisputed Era then took control and isolated Dunne in the corner of the ring. Kyle went for a running kick but Dunne ducked and O’Reilly booted Fish in the face. Riddle tagged in and unloaded a flurry of kicks to Fish and O’Reilly.
Riddle followed it up with a couple of Brotons and a Fisherman’s Buster to Fish. Matt connected with a GTS and a German Suplex to Kyle for a near fall. Dunne tagged in and hit a Powerbomb but Kyle kicked out at two. Pete Moonsaulted onto Fish outside the ring as Riddle went for a Moonsault as well. O’Reilly got his knees up and planted Riddle with a couple German Suplexes. Riddle popped up and hit O’Reilly with a knee to the face. Dunne tagged in and was greeted with a boot to the face from O’Reilly. Dunne locked in an Arm Bar but O’Reilly quickly countered into an Ankle Lock.
Dunne countered into an Ankle Lock of his own but Kyle countered into a Scorpion Death Lock. Fish then leaped onto Riddle’s back and applied a Sleeper Hold but Riddle fought through and booted O’Reilly in the face to break up the Scorpion Death Lock. Riddle then fell back and slammed Fish to the canvas. Riddle tagged in as Dunne lifted Fish in the Electric Chair. Fish escaped and tagged Kyle in.
Fish planted Riddle with a Suplex and O’Reilly followed it up with a Knee Drop. O’Reilly applied a Knee Bar in the middle of the ring as Fish trapped Dunne in the corner. Pete snapped Fish’s fingers back and then stomped on O’Reilly’s hand to break the hold. O’Reilly shoved Dunne to the corner and Pete accidentally knocked Riddle off the apron. Riddle got back into the ring and accidentally hit Dunne with a Spear. Fish and O’Reilly then connected with Chasing the Dragon but Dunne somehow kicked out at two.
Riddle tagged in and kneed Fish in the face. Riddle and Dunne booted O’Reilly out of the ring and then hit a slam/kick combo on Bobby Fish for the victory. The Broserweights are the new NXT Tag Team Champions.
Johnny Gargano Helped Adam Cole Retain The NXT Championship
Adam Cole defended the NXT Championship against Tommaso Ciampa in the main event of TakeOver: Portland.
Match Recap: Ciampa controlled the match early and sent Cole to the outside. Adam got back in the ring and Tommaso immediately applied a Headlock. Cole broke free but Ciampa took him right back down and trapped him in a Headlock again. Ciampa hit Cole with a chop to the chest but walked into a boot to the face outside the ring. Cole smirked and then mocked Ciampa by giving himself a round of applause on the ring apron.
Tommaso got pissed off and launched Cole into the ring post. Ciampa hit a running knee and then gave himself a round of applause on the apron. Tommaso hit Cole with a Dropkick and followed it up with a running knee strike to Adam’s face. Cole once again rolled out of the ring to regroup as the crowd booed.
Ciampa chased him out the ring and slammed his ribs into the barricade. Ciampa hit another running knee to Cole’s face before posing for the crowd. Tommaso hit another knee to the face and celebrated with the crowd. Cole battled back with a slam that sent Ciampa back-first onto the edge of the announce table.
Adam brought Ciampa back in the ring and started taunting him by shouting at him to give up while applying a submission hold. Cole went for a Sunset Bomb but Ciampa blocked it. Cole then hit a Backstabber off the middle rope and went for the cover but Ciampa kicked out at two.
Cole hit an Enziguri and climbed to the middle rope. Adam went for Panama Sunrise but Tommaso countered with a knee to the face. Ciampa followed it up with a German Suplex and a Torture Rack Bomb for a near fall. Cole connected with a Ushigoroshi for a two count.
Both men battled on the turnbuckle and Cole went for the Panama Sunrise but Ciampa countered with an Air Raid Crash off the middle turnbuckle for a near fall. Cole hit a Superkick but Ciampa shrugged it off and Powerbombed Cole on top of the announce table. Ciampa hit another Powerbomb and this time sent Cole through the table.
Ciampa brought Cole back in the ring and leveled him with a Clothesline. Tommaso hit Project Ciampa and went for the cover but somehow the champ was able to kick out at the last moment. The crowd chanted “NXT” as both superstars struggled to their feet. Cole connected with to kicks that sent Ciampa tumbling out of the ring. Cole went for a Suicide Dive but Ciampa was ready and countered with a knee to the face.
Adam Cole hit another Ushigoroshi in the ring and went for the cover but Ciampa kicked out at two. Cole connected with the Last Shot but Ciampa instinctively rolled to the apron and Adam couldn’t go for the cover. Cole followed him and Ciampa capitalized with an Air Raid Crash on the ring apron as the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”.
Ciampa went for Fairytale Ending but Cole countered with a Back Body Drop outside the ring. Cole hopped off the announce table and planted Ciampa with the Panama Sunrise. Back in the ring, Ciampa planted Cole with a DDT and followed it up with the Fairytale Ending but somehow Cole kicked out at the last moment. Cole then locked in a Crossface in the middle of the ring but Tommaso countered into a Crossface of his own.
Cole battled through the pain and reached the bottom rope to break the hold. Adam rolled out of the ring to buy himself some time as Roderick Strong hopped on the apron. Strong distracted the referee as O’Reilly and Fish attacked Tommaso outside the ring. They rolled Ciampa back inside and Cole went for the cover but Ciampa kicked out at two.
Tommaso took out Strong with a DDT and then leaped onto the rest of Undisputed Era outside the ring. Cole hit three Superkicks and followed it up with the Last Shot but Ciampa somehow kicked out again. O’Reilly slid the title in the ring and distracted the referee. Cole shoved Ciampa into the referee and then hit Tommaso with a low blow. Cole went for the Panama Sunrise but Ciampa hit him with a low blow of his own. Ciampa hit the Fairytale Ending but the referee was knocked out.
Johnny Gargano showed up and ripped the title out of Ciampa’s hand. Gargano then hit Tommaso with the title and Cole covered Ciampa for the victory. Adam Cole is still the NXT Champion.
Gargano turns on Ciampa and costs him the NXT Championship.
The reverse version of their epic feud from 2018? I’m here for it. If it leads to more TakeOver classics then I for one can’t wait.
Opinion: I wanted to see Goldie return to Ciampa but I’m all for revisiting the incredible rivalry between Tommaso and Gargano. Adam Cole and Tommaso Ciampa put on an awesome match to conclude a nearly flawless TakeOver event. Every match delivered and NXT continues be one of, if not the best brand in professional wrestling.
Adam Cole was not dethroned as WWE NXT Champion by Tommaso Ciampa as he was able to retain his title.
Cole did so in the headliner of the WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland event from the Moda Center. This marked his first title defense on a TakeOver special of the new year. Johnny Gargano ran down to the ring to even the odds against The Undisputed Era. This was when Ciampa went for the NXT Title, but he was hit in the head with it by Gargano.
Cole’s previous title defense came in December on an episode of NXT on the USA Network in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University over Finn Balor.
This contest was officially announced on the January 29th episode of NXT when there was a segment on the show where Ciampa attacked Cole in the ring where he put him through a table and signed a contract in his own blood.
This was Ciampa’s first chance to get his goldie back. In the early stage of 2019, Ciampa suffered a neck injury that ultimately led to him getting surgery and relinquishing the title.
Ciampa made his return to NXT television back on the two-hour premiere of NXT on the USA Network back on October 2nd.
What are your thoughts on Adam Cole retaining the NXT Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle are the new NXT Tag Team Champions.
The unlikely tag team did so when they defeated The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) in one of the top matches at the WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland event.
The Grizzled Young Veterans took on Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle in Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with the winners being Dunne and Riddle. As a result, they earned the right to challenge for the straps and did so successfully.
In the first round of the tournament, Riddle and Dunne beat Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster. In the semi-finals, they beat Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner)
O’Reilly and Fish became champions when they beat Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) for the titles on the August 15, 2019 episode of NXT.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on when O’Reilly and Fish will get a rematch for the gold.
What are your thoughts on Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle beating The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) for the NXT Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Rhea Ripley will remain as the WWE NXT Women’s Champion.
She retained the title in her latest title defense over Bianca Belair at the WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland event from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
Post-match, Charlotte Flair made her way through the crowd and attacked Belair. She cut a promo about how she’ll see Ripley at Mania.
Before this feud really got started, WWE started a second program for Ripley. WWE had sent Ripley to RAW to confront Flair and vise versa. The belief was that Ripley will defend the title against Flair at WrestleMania 36 and now it’s official.
During the January 15th episode of NXT on the USA Network, WWE held a match that would determine who is next line for a title shot.
Shayana Baszler, Kacy Catanzaro, Mercedes Martinez, Bianca Belair, Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, Vanessa Borne, Kayden Carter, Mia Yim, Santana Garrett, Io Shirai, Shotzi Blackheart and Xia Li competed in a battle royal with the winner becoming the next challenger to the title.
As seen on the show, Belair was victorious, earning the right to challenge Ripley for the NXT Women’s Title.
What are your thoughts on Rhea Ripley retaining the NXT UK Women’s Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Keith Lee keeps on rolling as NXT North American Champion.
As seen at Sunday’s (February 16, 2020) WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland event from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon on the WWE Network, Lee made his first successful title defense as champion when he beat Dominik Dijakovic.
On the February 5th episode of NXT, WWE booked Dominik Dijakovic vs. Killian Dain in a singles match that served as a #1 contender’s match.
This match was expected as WWE teased both Dijakovic and Dain squaring off in the ring after releasing a video earlier today on YouTube where they teased a showdown as both stars wanted a shot at the title. They both thought that they were worthy of a title match.
As seen in the contest, Dijakovic ended up going over. As a result, he will challenge NXT North American Champion Keith Lee at the NXT TakeOver: Portland show. They had a staredown after the match.
Time will tell whether WWE continues this feud going forward.
What are your thoughts on Keith Lee retaining the North American Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
The visit was back in July 2019. Along with the video, the former WWE Champion wrote following in the caption:
“Thank you @wwenxt @wwe students for giving me your time & minds. Challenge yourself to greatness, listen to your gut, check your ego at the door, be kind, be grateful and always block out the noise. These were my principles I applied to my pro wrestling career.
“But I also learned to apply them to something much bigger than wrestling or Hollywood — life. I want you to do the same. Good luck, thank you for your time and always be the hardest workers in the room. And most of all, have fun. #squaredcircleDNA #nxt #peopleschamp”
The Rock is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. He picked up his popularity in the mainstream while working in the WWE from 1996 to 2004. He was the first third-generation wrestler in the company’s history.
The Rock returned to WWE part-time from 2011–13 and continues to make sporadic appearances for the company.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has released a new video with Arn Anderson where he shed some light on the rules for the upcoming steel cage match involving Cody Rhodes.
Of course, Rhodes will battle Wardlow on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite in Atlanta, GA at the State Farm Arena on TNT. If Rhodes wins this match then he’ll secure a match against MJF. This will take place at AEW’s next pay-per-view event, Revolution.
This has been building for months after MJF cost Rhodes the AEW World Title at the Full Gear pay-per-view event in November.
There Will Be No Escape For Cody Rhodes
In Coach’s Corner with the legendary pro wrestler, Anderson revealed that the match can only be won by pinfall or submission. There is no escape.
Some fans will praise AEW for this booking decision as it appears that MJF will not be able to cost Rhodes from escaping through the door or over the top of the cage in order to win the contest.
AEW holds the Revolution pay-per-view event on Saturday, February 29, 2020 in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center. AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley is expected to headline the show.
Co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry made some rather inflammatory comments towards WWE Backstage host CM Punk. This on a recent episode of the Sirius XM show. Henry made it clear that he doesn’t enjoy Punk in the role of ‘analyst’ on the show, saying that he should be out there ‘inciting a riot.’
Henry had interviewed WWE Superstar Aleister Black earlier in the Busted Open broadcast, someone who he feels is “ready for the main event.”
CM Punk had made comments on this week’s episode of WWE Backstage where he believed that the next step for Black should be a run at a mid-card title, specifically the United States. This did not resonate with the ‘World’s Strongest Man,’ who said that stars of much higher stature should be “taking the fight TO Aleister Black.”
“What Punk should say is ‘he’s looking for a fight? Hell, I’ll fight him'” Henry began. “How about that? Let that be the news tomorrow. CM Punk says Aleister Black wants to fight. Take your ass to the ring. And you tell me what day the week it is. And I’ll be there.”
CM Punk has not officially been involved in a professional wrestling bout since he left WWE back in 2014. Punk left the company before WrestleMania 30, forcing the company to change plans for that year’s event. It was rumored that Punk would be facing Triple H at the show of shows.
Mark Henry would then go on to hype how big a Punk vs Black match could be, “listen, you wouldn’t be able to buy a ticket. That’s what CM Punk is supposed to be doing. Inciting a riot. I watched him on WWE Backstage, and I feel like he’s got his hands in his pockets. His arms are folded. I feel like he’s, he’s got to be the focal point, I wish I was on the show, I would challenge him. And I would [say] ‘bro, that’s not who you are. I know you. You’re a fighter. That’s why you quit wrestling. So you could go fight because you wanted to fight. win, lose or draw. What do you like to do in your life? stir the shit and fight. Please do that. That’s what entertains me.’
WWE recently announced that Mark Henry will be joining WWE Backstage for next week’s episode.
You can catch Busted Open Radio every day on Sirius XM as well as their dedicated Podcast show via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Player FM.
The final betting odds have been released for tonight’s WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland event from the Moda Center
The card for the show that takes place tonight (Sunday, February 16, 2020) has been finalized as only 6 matches have been announced.
Make sure to join us tonight for match recaps and our 6 takeaways from this latest pay-per-view event held by WWE.
Some of the more notable odds include the only title change expected with Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne dethroning NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era.
WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland Odds
As a reminder, we will be providing coverage of the show later tonight. The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Here are the final betting odds:
NXT Champion Adam Cole vs Tommaso Ciampa
Adam Cole -110 (10/11)
Tommaso Ciampa -110 (10/11)
NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs Bianca Belair
Rhea Ripley -850 (2/17)
Bianca Belair +450 (9/2)
North American Champion Keith Lee vs Dominik Dijakovic
Keith Lee -1000 (1/10)
Dominik Dijakovic +550 (11/2)
NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era vs Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne
Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne -150 (2/3)
The Undisputed Era +110 (11/10)
Finn Balor vs Johnny Gargano – Singles Match
Finn Balor -160 (5/8)
Johnny Gargano +120 (6/5)
Dakota Kai vs Tegan Nox – Street Fight
Dakota Kai -200 (1/2)
Tegan Nox +150 (3/2)
What are your thoughts on these betting odds? Do you agree with the favorites? Sound off in the comment section.
John Cena is slated to be in action at this year’s WWE WrestleMania 36 event as his opponent has been revealed.
Dave Meltzer was able to confirm that not only will Cena wrestle at this show but he’ll be wrestling Elias. The belief is that the feud will likely kickoff when he makes his return to WWE television. That will be on the February 28 episode of SmackDown as WWE will do an angle for the upcoming match.
Meltzer noted on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio that he was given a name for an opponent. At first, he held on giving it out but stated that it was “so underwhelming, it’s ridiculous.” When Bryan Alvarez guessed Baron Corbin or Elias, Meltzer said it’s not Corbin.
This was when the reveal was made. WWE thinks that Elias will “get the rub from losing to Cena.”
WWE presents the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event on Sunday, April 5, 2020 in Tampa, Florida at the Raymond James Stadium that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming months.
Paul Heyman On John Cena’s Brock Lesnar Comments
What are your thoughts on John Cena facing Elias at their biggest event of the year?
The card for tonight’s (Sunday, February 16, 2020) WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland event has been finalized.
The company has yet to officially announce the main event of this event that takes place in Portland, Oregon at the Moda Center and will air on the WWE Network. There is speculation that this special will be headlined by WWE NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa.
This show marks the first special for the yellow brand in 2020, which features a stacked lineup. There are a total of six matches booked for this show with four of them being championship matches.
As a reminder, we will be providing coverage of this special later tonight. Here’s the final card:
WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland Card
NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa
NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle
Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano
NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair
Street Fight: Dakota Kai vs. Tegan Nox
WWE NXT North American Champion Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic
What are your thoughts on this card and the feuds that WWE is presenting to their fans? Sound off in the comment section.
Kurt Angle appeared on TKO recently while in the UK promoting WWE. According to comments Angle made on the show, he is currently dealing with the physical toll that his career has had on his body. Angle’s last official wrestling match of his career took place last year at WrestleMania. He lost to Baron Corbin on the show.
“I don’t know. I mean, I’m hurting pretty badly,” Angle responded when asked if he’d repeat what he did throughout his career. “My knees, my back, my neck. Sometimes I think about would I go back? My quality of life right now sucks. So, I do have a lot of suffering. I had a painkiller addiction that I overcame about 6 years ago. You know, staying clean and struggling the way I have been, it’s very difficult.”
Angle also spoke about the injuries he dealt with in his amateur career. In the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Angle won a gold medal with a broken neck.
“I couldn’t get passed by any doctor. No doctor would pass me or would allow me to wrestle. So I eventually found a doctor and he said, the only thing you can do, you can’t train so we’ll just stick you in the neck with Novocain. Every match I had at trials and the Olympics I got 12 shots of Novocain in the back of my neck. I couldn’t feel it for about an hour. I go out and wrestle and then an hour later I’d be in a lot of pain.”
Angle went into further detail about his injuries, the Olympics in 96, and his pro-wrestling career. The full interview can be found in the player below:
Bayley turned heel in last September and cut off the trademark ponytail that she had for seven years. This marked a major change in her overall character and persona.
Bayley revealed in an interview with The Sun that she receives a lot of criticism from fans about her looks but she doesn’t care.
“I have always taken a lot of flak, fans are always mean to me, what else is new. But who cares?”
Bayley says that a lot of people have told her that they don’t like her haircut and that they want her to get a manager.
“They have been making fun of my hair too but it doesn’t get to me, these guys can make fun of me all they want.”
Bayley also said that she was never the type of fan who would overstep her boundary with her idol. She asked people to not follow her around when they see her outside.
“I don’t like it when they overstep their boundaries, because I was never that sort of fan. If you bump into me at the gym or in a restaurant and you want to say hi, then it’s OK, just don’t follow me,” Bayley said.
Bayley also talked about achieving her dream of finding success in the WWE. She says that she sometimes wonders if this is the same WWE she used to watch as a kid because she is one of the top stars right now.
Bayley added that this has been her dream since she was ten years old, and she tries not to disappoint her. She tries to snap out of it and tells herself that this is her career and she’s doing great as it is. “If I could get a message to that 10-year-old version of me it would be ‘you’re not crazy and it’s going to be OK.”
Bayley is set to defend her SmackDown Women’s title on Super ShowDown against the winner of the number one contender match which will take place next week at SmackDown, between Carmella and Naomi.
Posted February 15th, 2020 in News, WWE. Tagged: Bayley.
Tama Tonga says that his online feud with Enzo Amore is done for, even though he isn’t sure how it began in the first place.
Last year at the G1 Supercard event held at Madison Square Garden, Enzo Amore and Big Cass jumped the guardrail after a tag team match between Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling talents. Enzo was taken out by Bully Ray and then both were pinned down soon. It seemed all too real and fans wondered if it was a work or if Enzo really tried to invade the event.
Tonga was asked about this in an interview with Wrestling Inc and he said that he was as confused as everyone else was.
“I was just as confused as you. The only difference was that I showed just how confused I was backstage to everybody and my frustrations. But I think we’re good now and we’ve all smoothed it out. We’re in a better place now,” said Tonga.
Tonga was not happy with ROH’s decision to bring in Enzo and Cass for the angle and chastised the company online. “I love the fact that Enzo and Cass came and jumped the losers of our match. @ringofhonor booking at its finest,” he wrote on Twitter.
I love the fact that Enzo and Cass came and jumped the losers of our match. @ringofhonor booking at its finest.
Enzo then cut a scathing, profanity-filled promo on ROH and NJPW for not letting him in their locker room. Tonga replied to this and called Enzo “cancer”.
Speaking on their feud, Tonga said that he had his fun with it but now it’s time to get serious and move on from it.
“It was fun, I’m not gonna lie. I love going on social media and having some fun with it,” admitted Tonga. “But now it’s that time that I’ve got to take myself serious and move on.”
Cathy Kelley announced on February 14 that she has decided to leave WWE after working at the company for four years. Sunday’s NXT TakeOver: Portland will be WWE’s final event that she’ll be appearing for.
She made the announcement on her social media, stating that it was hard for her to make the news public.
According to a report from PWInsider, more details have emerged about Cathy’s decision to leave WWE.
The report states that Cathy decided to leave WWE and gave her notice to the company over the past couple of weeks. Higher-ups were respectful of her decision to leave. It’s not WWE who’s releasing her, but Cathy’s own decision to quit.
Cathy has been part of WWE since 2016 and has hosted many digital programs for the company like WWE Now. She has also worked as a backstage correspondent and done interviews with various WWE stars. Before joining the company, Cathy worked for Championship Wrestling From Hollywood and AfterBuzz TV.
In her announcement to depart from WWE, Cathy wrote the following:
“I’ve typed out and deleted this about 20 times over the past few days, still unsure what to write… I have come to the decision to leave WWE, with Sunday’s NXT Takeover being my last day. If you know me, you know this was more than a job, you know how much I loved it and how difficult this decision was. But sometimes in order to have room for growth, you have to step away.
I am so thankful for getting to live out a crazy dream the past four years. Thank you to the WWE digital team for being a platform that never stifled creativity. Thank you to Stephanie McMahon for being a mentor and inspiration in every way. Thank you to Triple H for heading up the best wrestling show currently on tv and letting me be a part of it. And thank you to everyone who has supported me, whether it’s watching a video I’ve done or sending a tweet of encouragement. Words cannot begin to express how much it means.
I’m not sure yet where my next chapter will take me, but I am damn excited for it. And I promise this isn’t a goodbye, it’s just a see you later – CK”
We have seen women’s matches headline many WWE shows in recent times including the main event of WrestleMania 35. However, so far, none of the NXT Takeover events have been headlined by a women’s match.
During a recent interview with Yahoo Sports! the godfather of NXT Triple H talked about a number of things and he explained what they look for while choosing the main event for the special NXT shows.
Triple H first revealed that people ask him how he feels
about women headlining the Takeover events and claimed that when he looks at
Takeovers, all he looks at is where it lays out from a storyline standpoint.
The Game then said that to him, it’s not a thing about woman
or man and he wants to see the biggest storyline with the most emotional
connection in the last spot:
“To me, it’s not a man, woman thing, not a tag team or singles title thing, not anything else.’ said Triple H. “Whatever the biggest storyline and whatever has the most emotional connection is what I want to see in that last spot.
You don’t put the biggest battle scene in the middle of the movie and then taper it off toward the end. You want to approach this that way.”
Apart from this Triple H also talked about the growth of
Bianca Belair as a performer and how she came in with no experience and has
grown into this role.
The former World Champion said that Belair is feeling it and
6 months ago, it would have been hard to imagine that she would be in this
position.
205 Live has a new tag team. On this week’s episode of the show, Tony Nese and Mike Kanellis made their debut as a new tag team. They faced The Brian Kendrick and Ariya Daivari in the main event, and won the match.
Kendrick and Daivari were addressing the crowd saying that they won’t let people like Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch do whatever they want. They were ready for a tag team match, but what they weren’t ready for was this unlikely pairing of Tony Nese and Mike Kanellis, who was actually making his return that night.
The match saw a bit of back and forth, with Kendrick and Daivari doing their best to take down Nese and Kanellis. Frustrated with not being able to secure a victory, Kendrick and Daivari decided to use steel chairs on their opponents.
However, before that could happen, Lorcan and Burch came over to the ring and that was enough distraction needed for Nese to roll up Daivari to pick up the victory.
The company was testing out partnering Nese and Kannellis together and they were teaming up together on NXT live events. It will be interesting to see what the company does with this new tag team.
Former World Champion and veteran wrestling star, the Big Show is currently scheduled to be a part of this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, according to Pwinsider.
After staying away from in-ring action for more than two years, the Big Show returned to WWE programming last month to help Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe in their ongoing feud against Seth Rollins and AOP.
The former Champion teamed up with Joe and Owens to fight the team of Rollins and the former NXT Tag Team Champions in the first-ever fistfight on WWE TV during the January 13th episode of Raw.
Though they couldn’t win the match against the Architect and the others because Buddy Murphy interfered in the bout. He later joined the group led by Monday Night Messiah.
Big Show was written off TV after this bout but Kevin Owens had later announced on the following episode of the show that the Monster Sized Athlete will eventually return to deal with the heels.
It’s unknown what the company has planned for Show when he
returns on Raw but it’s likely that he will get involved in the rivalry between
these two groups once again, as the former Universal Champion had teased last
month.
Will Ospreay has become the new RevPro British Heavyweight Champion.
Ospreay defeated Zack Sabre Jr. on February 14 at RevPro’s High Stake 2020 event at York Hall in London, England to win the title.
This is the first time Ospreay has held the title. He has previously won the Cruiserweight title twice and Undisputed British Tag Team Championships once. Zack Sabre, on the other hand, has held the Heavyweight four times before.
Ospreay later announced that he will be making the move to the heavyweight division after staying in the junior division for seven years. He has held NJPW’s IWGP NEVER Openweight title before and has faced heavyweight wrestlers in the ring.
“7 years put to rest. New British Heavyweight Champion. I will now officially make the jump and be competing in the Heavyweight division,” he wrote in a Twitter post.
Ospreay and Zack Sabre have faced each other in the ring many times before. They have been feuding for the title for the past few weeks in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Earlier this month in NJPW, on day 2 of New Beginning in Sapporo, Zack Sabre Jr. made Ospreay pass out from a submission move in a match for the title. Ospreay passed out because he refused to tap out. Sabre was able to retain his title.
After that match, Ospreay participated in an elimination match involving CHAOS and Suzuki-gun members. He was able to score a victory over Sabre and then challenged him to another title match.
At High Stakes, the Cruiserweight title also changed hands as Oku defeated ELP, and Gisele Shaw defeated Zoe Lucas to become the new Women’s Champion.
The match will be available to stream on NJPW World and the full High Stakes show will also be available on RevPro Wrestling’s own streaming service soon.
Goldberg will make another appearance on WWE SmackDown Live on FOX next week, just six days before he gets into the ring with WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia.
The company made the announcement during this week’s SmackDown. Hulk Hogan made a return to the show and on the episode, he talked about Goldberg’s upcoming match with Wyatt. Wyatt interrupted Hogan during the segment and said that he could be his next victim after Goldberg.
While Goldberg returned to SmackDown via satellite last week, it appears that he will be appearing in person this time.
Another match that’s announced for next week is the number one contender match between Carmella and Naomi. The winner will go on to face WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley on Super ShowDown. This will be the first-ever women’s title defense in Saudi Arabia.
Next week’s SmackDown will emanate from the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona on Friday, February 21. This will be the final SmackDown episode before the upcoming Super ShowDown event taking place in Saudi Arabia on February 27 where Goldberg will face Bray Wyatt.
