Jeff Cobb was announced as Chris Jericho’s hired gun to face Jon Moxley this week on AEW Dynamite. Cody Rhodes addressed Cobb’s deal with the promotion on a recent media call, noting that Cobb was signed for more dates but nothing full-time or long-term. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer, AEW has offered Cobb a deal that will allow him to still work with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
“Jeff Cobb was offered a deal this past week. Tony Khan had never met him until this week. Cody had been trying to get him since the start of the year. Cobb had only agreed to a few dates,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
“They offered him a deal where he could still work New Japan and that’s where talks left,” the report continued. Being able to work with New Japan is said to be quite important to Cobb.
Jeff Cobb In NJPW
Cobb entered his first-ever G1 Climax tournament in 2019 with New Japan Pro Wrestling. He finished tied for 4th in Block B with 8 points. He still has yet to compete in a New Japan Cup. Cobb is also a former NEVER Openweight Champion in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He defeated Will Ospreay for the title at the G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden before dropping it to Taichi at Wrestling Dontaku.
A new episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown is here and it’s a stacked show.
Several segments and matches have been announced thus far for this show including the return of The Bella Twins (Nikki & Brie Bella) where they will be interviewed by Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross.
Also, WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg will appear in order to further his program with WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt ahead of their title match at Super ShowDown.
SmackDown Lineup
As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for SmackDown. WWE holds this show from Glendale, AZ at the Gila River Arena.
WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Goldberg returns to SmackDown ahead of Universal Title Match
The Bella Twins return this Friday night for “A Moment of Bliss”
Naomi and Carmella collide for the right to challenge Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Title at WWE Super ShowDown
The New Day & The Usos set to collide with The Miz, John Morrison, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode in Eight-Man Tag Team action
Lacey Evans to sit down with Renee Young for an exclusive interview
WWE will also be announcing matches for existing feuds that will take place heading into the Super ShowDown pay-per-view event.
Join us here later tonight for WWE SmackDown Results and Takeaways feature.
Today, New Japan Pro-Wrestling held their New Japan Road event at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. In the main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi won the IWGP Tag Team Championships from the champions, the Guerrillas of Destiny, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa. The match ended when Hiroshi Tanahashi pinned Tama Tonga after a High Fly Flow, and lasted 20 minutes and 10 seconds.
Following the main event, Suzuki-Gun members Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi, who have dubbed themselves as a tag team named “Dangerous Tekkers,” attacked the new champions, and proposed that they would be the first challengers.
The Guerrillas of Destiny’s reign lasted a mere 20 days with zero successful defenses, following winning the championships from Juice Robinson and David Finlay at a New Beginning USA show in Atlanta, Georgia.
This is Kota Ibushi’s first time as an IWGP Tag Team Champion. However, Hiroshi Tanahashi has already been the IWGP Tag Team Champion on two previous occasions in 2003 and 2004. His partners were Yutaka Yoshie and Shinsuke Nakamura, respectively.
The New Japan Road event can be watched on NJPW World with English commentary.
Late last year, Vickie Guerrero appeared on an episode of All Elite Wrestling’s YouTube show Dark. She joined Excalibur on commentary duties. During a recent episode of her podcast, Excuse Me: The Vickie Guerrero Show, Vickie addressed WWE’s reaction to her guest spot. Turns out they weren’t too happy with her decision, as she is no longer allowed to invite WWE Superstars onto her show.
Excuse Me
“They [WWE] didn’t call me for two years. What did they expect me to do? Just to sit here and wait for them to call so I could do some work?” Guerrero asked. “I love wrestling. I love to work in the ring. And if someone is giving me an opportunity to go and show up and have some fun, then I should be able to because I’m not obligated to anybody.”
She argued how promotions should encourage their talent to show off their ability and craft, regardless of who they are signed with. Vickie added how there are now enough jobs and promotions to allow everybody an opportunity to work and contribute to the industry.
“So when someone told me I couldn’t interview the Superstars because I went to AEW, I was just like, ‘Wow. They’re gonna be like that.” So you just quietly move on and you see how they are and you just have to take care of your own business.”
Vickie Guerrero appeared on the 12/11 episode of AEW Dark, which you can watch below:
It appears as though NXT UK Superstar Tyler Bate is dealing with an injury. The Moustache Mountain member was set to perform at an upcoming OTT Wrestling event this Sunday. However, the promotion took to social media to reveal that Bate unfortunately not be present at their Dead On event.
“Due to recent injury, Tyler Bate will no long appear at #DeadOn. This is unavoidable in wrestling, Apologies #OTT.”
Bate and his tag team partner Trent Seven were scheduled to defend the OTT Tag Team Championships against The True Pros.
Tyler Bate On NXT UK
At the time of writing, there are no further details as to what kind of injury Bate is dealing with. He and Seven last appeared on WWE programming on January 25th. They appeared on WWE Worlds Collide, where they lost a matchup to DIY. They also appeared on the WWE Watch Along stream for Royal Rumble. His tag team partner, Seven, would go on to wrestle against Finn Balor on NXT later that same week.
Although Tyler Bate appeared on last night’s episode of NXT UK, it’s worth noting that the episode was pre-recorded in January. The match saw him face off against Joseph Connors. Bate has not yet commented on or addressed the injury reports.
All Elite Wrestling’s Cody Rhodes has revealed which current AEW talent he considers to be the most underrated on the roster. During a recent medial call, Cody pointed to one half of the Hybrid 2 tag team Jack Evans.
“Underrated is a dirty word to me because sometimes it means under pushed or undervalued. But taking the word at face value, I think the most underrated guy in AEW is Jack Evans,” Cody revealed.
He continued, “He walks around backstage super-casual and I don’t think people have any idea what he’s capable of in the ring. He’s just special. He’s someone who I always say that I’d really like to get a singles with Jack. I don’t know if he knows how much we value him, but Jack Evans is underrated.”
Hybrid 2 On AEW Dynamite
Jack Evans and his Hybrid 2 partner Angelico both participated in this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT. They wrestled alongside several other teams, opening the show with a Tag Team Battle Royal. The winners of the match received an AEW Tag Team Championship opportunity at the promotion’s upcoming pay-per-view, Revolution.
Matt Jackson was eventually able to secure the victory for himself and his brother, setting an Elite showdown for the belts between The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega and Hangman Page.
NXT Superstar and former NXT Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush has opened up about his time away from the ring during his hiatus. Speaking with TV Insider, Rush confessed how he had “lost sight” of his WWE goals before his reemergence on the black-and-gold brand. Prior to this, Rush had been appearing on RAW as Bobby Lashley’s hype man.
“Last year was all over the place as far as ups and downs, trials and tribulations to get back to the WWE right now,” Rush confessed. “As far as how I approach WWE right now and my position, I’m setting the goal for myself this year in 2020 to just have fun. I feel like last year I kind of lost sight of that, I lost sight of why I wanted to be in WWE in the first place. I tried to control a lot of things that weren’t in my control.”
He noted how he is focusing on having fun and allowing things to happen organically. He is still working on the things he can control, and it’s a mindset he is bringing with him into WWE.
Lio Rush On NXT
Rush spoke about his surprise at receiving a phone call from Triple H, asking him to be a part of NXT. Despite the surprise, he couldn’t deny his excitement at the opportunity. He stressed how it’s an “incredible” time to be a part of NXT.
“When I got the call from Triple H to be in NXT again, I was a little surprised. At the same time, there was a level of excitement there. A lot of the USA viewers were familiar with me from my time on Raw, so I had an advantage in that sense to be one of a few who have had that exposure before. The level of talent on NXT is incredible. I can’t even wrap my head around how many top-tier athletes are in NXT right now at the performance center training every day.”
Lio Rush recently fell short in a championship match against the current NXT Cruiserweight Championship, Jordan Devlin.
Charlotte Flair has been paving a legacy of her own since she first began wrestling in WWE. Despite her own hard-earned success, some still point to her living in the shadow of her Hall of Fame father, Ric Flair. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Charlotte broached this topic, and how she uses the slight as fuel and motivation.
“I never have a hard time motivating myself. Being known only as Ric Flair’s daughter fuels my fire to keep working harder and becoming stronger,” she said. “Being my dad’s daughter is a huge chip on my shoulder. I think that’s why I’ve had so much success—nothing’s ever good enough. I’ll continue to prove the haters wrong.”
Charlotte Flair On Becky Lynch’s WWE 2K20 Cover
During the interview, she was asked about her long-time frenemy Becky Lynch. Primarily, Lynch being one the front cover of last year’s video game WWE 2K20 alongside Roman Reigns. Charlotte shared how she was excited for her friend, explaining how having Lynch on the cover in her ‘The Man’ t-shirt, positioned in front of Reigns, sends “such a positive message.” She noted how one woman succeeding and doing well means that the entire division is doing well.
WrestleMania 35 Helicopter Entrance
Charlotte Flair made history alongside Becky Lynch and “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey at last year’s WrestleMania 35 event. For the first time ever, women headlined “The Grandest Stage of Them All.” To capture the significance of the moment, WWE gave the competitors a chance to shine during their entrances. Flair, for example, got to enter the arena via helicopter—something she revealed wasn’t her idea.
“That was definitely not my idea,” Flair shared. “Do you think I actually went to the boss and asked for a helicopter? I didn’t even know about the entrance until our last go-home show before ‘Mania. They were like, ‘Hey, we have this idea. What do you think?’ And I was like, ‘That is incredible.’ With so many playbacks to my dad, it was very cool.”
Charlotte Flair is set to challenge NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 36. The event takes place on April 5th from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
SmackDown Superstar Naomi recently returned to in-ring action at WWE’s January event, Royal Rumble. She recently joined the Women’s Weekly Wrestling podcast to discuss a range of subjects. During their conversation, she revealed how she had pitched for WWE to send her to their black-and-gold brand NXT.
“I asked about a year ago to go down to NXT to work,” Naomi revealed. “I just think NXT is awesome. I love NXT and also, the time I wasn’t being used much on the main roster so, I was like, ‘Dang, can I go down there and just see what I can get into, what could happen, and the talent down there is just so good.’”
Naomi had one NXT Superstar in mind if she had been granted her request: Bianca Belair. For her, it didn’t matter if they were feeding or teaming together. She revealed she had a dream of them making history as the first-ever African-American WWE Women’s Tag Team champions.
“I love Bianca, and her personality and her spirit is even more beautiful so, that was one idea I had,” she explained. “I either wanted to go work against her or to be with her or to do this story but it wasn’t the right time and also, ‘B’ is a star all on her own and I think they want her to be that and come into her own but, it’s just a dream of mine because we’ve never officially had two African-American tag team champions.”
Despite Naomi’s interest in becoming a part of NXT, WWE obviously didn’t allow her to move brands as they have for other Superstars. Following her Rumble appearance, Naomi has since returned to action on Friday nights for SmackDown.
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War. AEW won in total viewers. It was close in every demographic group except Adults 50+, where NXT tied with AEW with a 0.38.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 794,000 viewers, which is up from 757,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.25 rating, up from the 0.24 rating the previous week.
The episode featured The Velveteen Dream vs. Roderick Strong, NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin defended against Lio Rush, Kayden Carter vs. Chelsea Green, and the fallout from NXT TakeOver: Portland.
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 893,000 viewers, up from the 817,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.31 rating, up from the 0.30 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured matches such as Cody Rhodes vs. Wardlow in the first-ever Steel Cage Match in AEW history, Jeff Cobb vs. Jon Moxley, #1 Contenders’ Tag Team Battle Royal, and AEW World Team Champions Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. The Luca Bros.
Soon to be two-time WWE Hall of Famers Scott Hall and Kevin Nash recently appeared on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast. The former ‘Outsiders’ tag team were discussing the nWo faction on the show amid the group’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in April.
Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Syxx, Hulk Hogan and ?
Hall and Nash are being inducted alongside Sean ‘Syxx’ Waltman and Hulk Hogan, two of the bigger members of the eventually inflated group (Hogan of course being the main star and initial leader). During the show Graves asked the pair who they would consider should be appearing with them on stage at the ceremony. Scott Hall mentioned Eric Bischoff, who has been a name brought up by fans and critics alike recently. Kevin Nash however had a more intriguing suggestion:
“Kevin Sullivan. Though this was Eric’s idea, Sullivan was the one that made sure… there’s always been this equation; that if you’re heels, in order for you to be successful…it’s like a hot air balloon. The more you ‘heat’ that balloon the higher it goes.”
Driving Force Behind The ‘Heat’
Nash elaborated further, confirming that Sullivan was one of the driving forces behind the nWo group keeping their ‘heat’ every week. “Sullivan just really battled day in day out to make sure that they didn’t take heat off us. Nobody got to the nWo. And so he [Sullivan] always books heat, his booking of that heat is what made the nWo.”
Scott Hall would then eco Nash’s thoughts, saying “I want to concur Corey. Kevin Sullivan, who I’m a huge fan of, it was like what we call back in the day like a heel Booker. I’m gonna pile on with what Kev said. We were hot coming in the door because we came off Vince’s [McMahon] TV. We were Razor [Ramon] and Diesel, and what are they doing here!? This is before [the] internet, this was before anybody had a cell phone. People thought it was real, people thought Vince sent us there to destroy WCW.”
The nWo will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this April as part of WrestleMania 36.
You can catch the After The Bell podcast every Thursday through Endeavour Audio.
Outspoken former WWE and WCW Superstar Kevin Nash made some intriguing comments on this week’s edition of the After The Bell podcast. Nash answered a hypothetical question from host Corey Graves; indicating what ‘could’ have happened if ‘Big Daddy Cool’ hadn’t of gone to WCW back in 1996.
Kevin Nash and Scott Hall in WCW
Both Kevin Nash and his ‘Outsiders’ tag team partner Scott Hall completely changed the landscape of professional wrestling when they left the WWF in 1996 to join the rival company: World Championship Wrestling. When it was revealed that Hulk Hogan was also part of their group; the nWo was formed and completely changed WCW’s fortunes at the time. This led to WCW having an impressive 83 week win streak over the then WWF. This with the nWo at the helm.
WrestleMania
“I wouldn’t have dropped the belt” Kevin Nash began. This referring to the WWF Championship that he won in 1994 and eventually dropped in 1995 after indicating that he was leaving the company. “I wouldn’t of dropped the belt to Bret, who would then give it to Shawn [Michaels], unless I was guaranteed to win at WrestleMania. I really wouldn’t have done it. It would have been three big losses in a row. I needed a big win right there.”
The match that Nash is referring to is of course his WrestleMania 12 bout against The Undertaker. This would of course meant the end of Taker’s streak. However, it is worth noting that back in 1996 the ‘streak’ was not being referred to on television. “That could have been a possibility” Nash stated. Nash also claimed that Undertaker would’ve likely been happy to “do business” at the time.
How Things Could’ve Changed
“I’m not saying that would have happened, I’m not saying Vince [McMahon] wouldn’t have put me over, but I definitely wouldn’t have crossed up without something. [But] I was leaving, so man it was just like ‘alright.’ there’s a lot of things that could have changed.”
For fans of Undertaker’s streak it seems advantageous that Nash would leave for the competition at the time. Nash also wanted to make it abundantly clear that he did not want to leave WWF at the time. However the seemingly open chequebook of Turner Broadcasting made it almost impossible for he and Scott Hall/Razor Ramon to stay in the WWF.
You can catch After The Bell every Thursday through Endeavour Audio.
Samoa Joe could potentially be on the shelf for an extended period of time due to an injury suffered at a recent WWE commercial shoot. According to a report from Pro Wrestling Sheet, Joe hit his head on a table while filming a stunt for a commercial last week. While there is no timetable for Joe’s return, it is being reported that he could be out of action for “a considerable amount of time.”
Joe was recently pulled from a tag team match on RAW due to potentially suffering a concussion as well. The injury occurred on the January 27th, 2020 edition of RAW from the AT&T Center in San Antonio. Joe returned to action on a February 8th, 2020 house show. He also missed some time with a broken thumb in late 2019.
Samoa Joe Out of Action
Joe recently took part in a podcast with Fightful where he mentioned that Vince McMahon didn’t initially want him in WWE.
“Everywhere that I’ve gone—ROH I remember walking into and Gabe Sapolsky telling me, ‘listen, we can’t afford to fly you in from California, you’ll never work here again, but thanks for coming tonight,’ and shortly afterwards ‘hey, you’re working every show from here until forever,’” Joe said.
Samoa Joe Championship Statistics
WWE Championships:
NXT Champion (2x)
United States Champion (2x)
TNA/Impact Wrestling:
TNA Heavyweight Champion (1x)
Tag Team Champions (2x) w/Magnus (1x) w/himself? (1x)
NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley recently spoke to Metro in the UK about her friendship with Simone Johnson. The 18-year-old daughter of the Rock was recently announced as a new signee at the WWE Performance Center.
”I’m very, very excited for Simone. She’s one of my close friends, and I’m so happy that she’s here at the Performance Centre with us,” Ripley said of Johnson.
Ripley would continue to talk about advice she has already given Johnson.
“The main thing I always tell her whenever I do see her is to just ignore the drama, stay in your own lane, work the hardest and try your best. Just succeed and excel within your own brackets of talent.”
Ripley continued to talk about advice she’s given to Johnson. She says she is helping her stay away from the drama that comes with the business.
“Just try and not let everything get to you, because that’s the hardest bit in any sporting background. It’s just the drama that comes with sport unfortunately, and the one thing I’m trying to get her to stay away from.”
The full interview with Rhea Ripley from Metro in the UK can be found here.
Many fans noticed that Raven could be seen attending last night’s Dynamite show in Atlanta. The former leader of the Flock was seated not far from where Evil Uno and the Dark Order spokesperson appeared in the live crowd during the tag team battle royal.
AEW posted the following Tweet with the caption “Did you see it? The exalted one is always watching.” Raven is sitting ominously in the crowd acting very unfazed by the brawling Stu Grayson and Scorpio Sky next to him in the video.
Did you see it? The exalted one is always watching.
Raven has been the leader or apart of several factions with a similar dark cult-esque type feel to them as the Dark Order has. There is perhaps nobody in wrestling history more closely associated with such angles.
In ECW, Raven led a stable of lackies known as “the Nest” which featured the Dudleys, Stevie Richards, Cactus Jack, and several others throughout its history. When he first brought the Raven character to WCW, he then debuted a similar faction known as The Flock with Perry Saturn, Billy Kidman, Lodi, Kanyon (though he was somewhat separate from the other members) and many others. Later in WCW, he was apart of the Dead Pool/Dark Carnival with the Great Muta, Vampiro, and the Insane Clown Posse.
In TNA Wrestling, Raven debuted “the Gathering.” This group included Alexis Laree, CM Punk, Julio Dinero, and Cassidy Riley. Later in TNA Wrestling, Raven would change things up a bit and debut a faction with A Clockwork Orange styled gimmick named Serotonin. This faction featured Johnny Devine, Frankie Kazarian, and Michael Shane.
Arn Anderson was interviewed backstage following the conclusion of Dynamite last night. Anderson is the official manager of the Nightmare Family and is now accompanying Cody to the ring for his matches.
AEW posted the following “Coach’s Corner” video with Anderson:
Arn Anderson On Steel Cage Match Between Cody Rhodes And Wardlow
“Well, I got to tell you and I didn’t want to say this to him, I’ve been proud of Cody all along. Tonight, I’m really proud of him. He crawled into that ring with a monster, he was in for the fight of his life. Wardlow is untested, he didn’t know anything about him. You lock a man in a cage, he’s going to get violent a lot of times and he’s going to overachieve.”
“Cody Rhodes stepped up to the plate, he didn’t get a single, double, or a home run, he had a grand slam. Nothing but proud of him, can’t believe what an excellent job he did overcoming all that adversity. Man, I just feel good tonight.”
Anderson also commented on Cody’s post-match comments.
“Well, if you were Mickey Mantle’s kid and showed up at a Little League ballpark there would be some expectations, I would think,” Anderson said. “Cody has always had people that were hard on him, people that were judging him, people were thinking that he’ll never be his Dad. Cody Rhodes is his own man and tonight he showed he’s a leader, he’s a battler, he’s a fighter, he’s a man that when he tells you something, you can believe it.”
Jon Moxley was the first guest on the new official AEW podcast with Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards. During the conversation, Moxley spoke about his early days on WWE’s main roster with the Shield.
“I was really lucky to have a good starting off point being in the Shield,” Moxley said during the podcast.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better start,” he continued. “You can’t ask for a much better start than that.”
“It was a lot harder to break in back then. When we were in development, we had a real chip on our shoulder because we were like we’re as good as anybody up there but we’re stuck down here.”
He continued to say that NXT felt like an island where most people don’t get off.
“Even if you got the chance to go up and get on TV that you would actually break through and be successful was a lesser chance I think,” he continued.
Moxley continued to talk about how that mentality stayed with the members of the Shield when they were brought up to the main roster.
“So, same kind of mentality, when we got this tiny shred of an opportunity, we’re like nobody is taking this away from us,” Moxley said. “It was a real all for one mentality.”
Cody Rhodes defeated Wardlow in the main event of AEW Dynamite last night. The show emanated from Cody’s hometown of Atlanta, GA from the State Farm Arena. Cody climbed the cage and delivered a moonsault from the top onto his opponent for the win. After the match, Cody addressed the live crowd.
AEW posted the following video of Cody’s post-match comments:
“We’re off the air?” Cody asked before beginning his speech. “That was the best episode of Dynamite yet.”
Cody then asked the live crowd to keep up their energy for the matches taped for Dark. He also asked the live crowd to cheer for the camera operators and the behind-the-scenes crew.
Cody Thanks Atlanta For Cheering His Father
“I want to tell you the shortest story and then we’ll get Dark started,” Cody continued. “It’s about 200 yards away, it’s a street called Baker street and it’s the exact spot I fell in love with wrestling. And I’m going to tell you why. I came to a show, I couldn’t have been eight years old, I knew that my Dad was famous but I didn’t know why, I didn’t grow up in his prime, I didn’t get to see a lot of the classics.”
“I didn’t get to see you break his leg,” Cody said to Arn Anderson.
“And I came to the show and at the end of the night on Baker street is where the fans will gather right by where the boys and girls go out and Sting, Sting went out and you guys gave him such a great reception and I didn’t think anything and I went to step out myself to go to my Dad’s truck and he put his hand across my chest and he said ‘never steal another man’s pop’ and I didn’t know what he meant and when he walked out in that parking lot all of you cheered so loud for my Dad.”
The crowd began to chant for Dusty.
“I didn’t know I wanted to be a wrestler but I knew I wanted to be famous like he is and when I got into wrestling at 15, when I debuted in 2007, you guys were pretty hard on me and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate being hard on me. It made me come back week after week.”
With the win last night, Cody is now officially scheduled to face Maxwell Jacob Friedman at Revolution.
WWE has added the return of Bella Twins, Nikki Bella and Brie Bella for a talk show segment to an already stacked line up for this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown.
The company has announced that the twin sisters will be
taking part in the “A Moment of Bliss” segment hosted by former
Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross.
The Bellas are not the only big name announced for a return
on Friday Night and former Universal Champion Bill Goldberg is also expected to
appear live on the show.
The company has also announced a few matches for the episode with the most interesting one being a #1 contenders match between Carmella and Naomi.
The winner of this bout will then go on to challenge the
current SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley for her title at the upcoming Super
Showdown event.
Though this isn’t the only announced bout and they have also confirmed that the Usos will be teaming up with The New Day to take on John Morrison, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode in an 8 men tag team match.
There is no word yet on why the Bella Twins are returning to SmackDown but they are expected to be inducted into Hall Of Fame this year and it’s possible that the company confirms this news during the upcoming segment.
While WWE has announced the NXT Championship match between Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair for WrestleMania, there are chances of this match being altered into a triple threat bout, with Bianca Belair being added to the mix.
Ripley successfully defended her title against Belair at Sunday’s NXT Takeover: Portland but in the post show interview, Triple H had indicated that the EST of NXT might not be done with the NXT Champion.
The former NXT UK star was asked about Bianca possibly being added to her WrestleMania match during a recent interview with Sportskeeda and replying to it, the current champion said that she won’t mind it:
“If they add Bianca Belair to it, I honestly don’t
mind,” Ripley said. “I love fighting Bianca, and if she got put into
the match, I’d be all for it.
I’m not going to argue about it and say that she doesn’t
deserve it, because she does deserve it. She deserves her WrestleMania moment
and, if she gets added to it, I’m not going to complain.”
Triple H had also indicated that the idea for Flair to challenge for the NXT title may have come from Vince McMahon himself and commenting on this, Rhea Ripley said that it’s insane to think that the higher-ups think so highly of her.
She explained that The Game was one of the people who inspired her to get into wrestling and to have people like him and Vince McMahon believe in her is a wonderful feeling.
AEW Dynamite aired live from the State Farm Arena tonight. The build towards AEW Revolution continued as Cody battled Wardlow in a Steel Cage match in the main event of the show.
Dynamite Results (2/19)
The Young Bucks won the Battle Royal to earn a title shot at Revolution
Kris Statlander def. Shanna
Jon Moxley def. Jeff Cobb
Hangman Page & Kenny Omega def. Lucha Bros to retain the titles
Cody def. Wardlow in a Steel Cage match
Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s episode of Dynamite:
Young Bucks Earned A Title Shot At Revolution
Young Bucks, SCU, Best Friends, Hybrid2, Private Party, Jurassic Express, Butcher & Blade, T-Hawk & Cima, Dark Order, Santana & Ortiz competed in a Battle Royal to determine the #1 contenders for the AEW Tag Team Championships.
Match Recap: Jack Evans was the first man eliminated. Private Party elimated T-Hawk after Kassidy connected with a DDT. The host of the Join the Dark Order commercials interrupted from in the crowd and distracted SCU by saying the Exalted One is near. Dark Order eliminated SCU and Young Bucks quickly eliminated Dark Order. Cima was eliminated by Luchasaurus.
Evil Uno offered Cima a Dark Order mask. Butcher eliminated Nick Jackson and had a staredown with a Luchasaurus. Santana and Ortiz sent Private Party over the top rope. Hybrid2 and Jurassic Express were eliminated. Bunny booted Orange Cassidy in the groin and Trent was sent to the outside to eliminate Best Friends. Matt Jackson eliminated Butcher. Santana & Ortiz hit Matt with the Street Sweeper and tried to eliminate him but Matt held on. Sammy Guevara tried to interfere but Matt caught him with an awesome Superkick. Matt then eliminated Santana and Ortiz to win the match.
The Young Bucks will get a shot at the AEW Tag Team Championships at Revolution.
Kris Statlander defeated Shanna tonight on Dynamite. After the match, AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose was interviewed by Tony Schiavone tonight on Dynamite. Rose scolded the crowd for booing her and said it wasn’t a proper greeting for a champion.
Nyla stated that she should be the highest paid woman in the locker room and that this championship is justice. Rose added that she got hungry waiting to become champion and when she is hungry she breaks b*tches.
Rose claimed that nobody can beat her and that nobody is a beast like her. Statlander interrupted and pointed at the AEW Women’s Championship. Big Swole joined the party and flexed in Nyla’s face. Security broke things up to end the segment.
Opinion: Statlander and Shanna had a great match tonight and I really enjoyed Nyla’s promo as well. Statlander vs. Big Swole vs. Nyla Rose sounds like a great match.
Jeff Cobb squared off against Jon Moxley as AEW Champion Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, and Jake Hager were in the front row.
Match Recap: Jeff Cobb dominated the match early and beat Moxley down. Jon battled back and wrapped Cobb’s leg around the ropes. Moxley hit his knee with a Dropkick and followed it up by slamming Jeff’s knee on the ring post. Moxley went for a Splash off the top rope but Cobb caught him and connected with a Suplex outside the ring. Back in the ring, Cobb hit a German Suplex but Mox hopped right up and connected with a Clothesline. Jeff hit a Superplex but Moxley rolled through and pinned Cobb for the win.
After the match, Inner Circle attacked Moxley from behind. Dustin Rhodes made the save for a moment but the numbers caught up to him. The lights went out and Darby Allin showed up to an awesome reaction from the crowd. Allin skateboarded down the ramp and cleaned house as Dustin Clotheslined Hager to the outside. Moxley hit Cobb with the Paradigm Shift and traded some punches with Jericho. Le Champion retreated out of the ring as Moxley and Allin stood tall.
Opinion: Darby Allin got an awesome reaction from the crowd and has become a star in AEW. This whole segment was a lot of fun and the match between Moxley and Cobb was solid as well.
Hangman Adam Page & Kenny Omega defended their AEW Tag Team Championships against Lucha Bros tonight on Dynamite.
Match Recap: The crowd chanted “cowboy sh*t!” before the match started. Hangman leveled Fenix with a boot to the face and tagged in Omega. Lucha Brothers took control and beat the hell out of Omega in the corner as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Page hit Pentagon with a Fallaway Slam and then delivered a Suicide Dive to Fenix. Pentagon planted Omega with an amazing Destroyer as the crowd went crazy. Fenix hit Omega with a Hurricanrana off the apron and then Pentagon got leveled by Moonsault from Hangman. Hangman Page accidentally hit Omega with the Buckshot Lariat.
Pentagon capitalized with the Pentadriver for a near fall as the crowd loudly chanted “AEW!”. Omage hit the V-Trigger and followed it up with a Tiger Driver 98 but Fenix kicked out at two. Page then tagged back in and hit the Buckshot Lariat & V-Trigger combo for the pinfall victory. Hangman Page & Kenny Omega will defend their AEW Tag Team Championships against the Young Bucks at Revolution. Matt and Nick Jackson came down to the ring after the match and checked on Omega as Hangman drank some beers outside the ring.
Opinion: Hangman Page & Kenny Omega versus Young Bucks should be epic at AEW Revolution. Page, Omega, Pentagon, and Fenix put on an excellent tag team match tonight.
Match Recap: Wardlow dominated early and leveled Cody with a shoulder block as MJF cheered him on. Cody was busted open as Dynamite went to a commercial break. When Dynamite returned, Cody planted Wardlow with a Cutter and followed it up with punches to the face in the corner. Wardlow hit Cody with a low blow and Cody collapsed to the canvas. MJF dared Arn to slam the cage door on Cody’s face but Anderson opted to bash MJF in the face instead.
Cody connected with a Powerslam but Wardlow kicked out at two. Wardlow launched Cody into the steel cage and then made his way to the top rope. Wardlow connected with a Senton and went for the cover but Cody kicked out at two. MJF threw the Dynamite Diamond to Wardlow but Cody hit him with a low blow. Brandi hit MJF with a chair and Arn threw him over the barricade. Cody took the Dynamite Diamond ring and put it on. Cody hit a couple punches with the ring and followed it up with the Cross Rhodes for a two count. Cody then climbed to the top of the cage and hit him with an insane Moonsault for the pinfall victory. Cody will now face MJF at Revolution.
Opinion: I thought last week’s episode of Dynamite was great but this week’s show was even better. The build towards Revolution has been excellent and there are several matches I cannot wait to see. Cody’s Moonsault was insane and him standing on top of the cage shouting at MJF was an epic way to close the show. This week’s episode of Dynamite absolutely flew by because it was so entertaining.
BROserweights (Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle) def. Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan.
Keith Lee def. Kona Reeves
Chelsea Green def. Kayden Carter
The Velveteen Dream def. Roderick Strong
Here are the 4 takeaways from this week’s show:
The Velveteen Dream vs. Roderick Strong
Two weeks after The Velveteen Dream made his return to NXT TV, the company booked them in a singles match against Roderick Strong on this show.
It was a fun back and forth affair with Dream going over in the contest. It was nice to have Dream back in action after being sidelined with a back injury for months. After the match, The Undisputed Era beatdown Dream.
Clearly, Dream is one of NXT’s top stars and one that many people think can be a big star. Putting him in the ring with such a great talent as Strong gave him a good platform to remind fans of the type of performer that he is.
It will be interesting to see where this feud goes from here. It appears that it will continue but perhaps WWE officials have different plans.
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin made his latest title defense on this show against Lio Rush.
As expected, WWE gave these two guys plenty of time to go out there and tell the story that they wanted to share with the fans both in attendance and watching at home on the USA Network.
These types of matches are exactly what originally made the cruiserweight talent special back in WCW as well as when they were around in WWE. Obviously, the times have changed and this type of style can be used by a small or big wrestler.
Devlin just got the title and most people probably and rightfully so thought that he would retain over Rush, who is headed back to the end of the line.
Kayden Carter vs. Chelsea Green was booked again and to some, it was an interesting rematch to be done.
A few weeks ago, Green, a former TNA Wrestling star, made her in-ring debut on NXT television while being managed by Robert Stone.
In an upset, Carter went over despite WWE hyping up Green and giving her a manager. Typically, WWE likes to have the talent who is being pushed win their matches but NXT officials went in a different direction in that case.
Fast forward to this contest, it was fine and pretty much the same as their original match. Green got the win this time. It will be interesting to see where Green goes from here.
Tommaso Ciampa walked out to the ring before Austin Theory was about to wrestle. He did so to cut a promo about how he had some feelings weeks before NXT TakeOver: Portland.
He talked about how he stopped listening to the voice in his head which was a mistake while trying to get goldie back. Ciampa isn’t asking himself why Johnny Gargano turned on him and it’s clear.
This is when Theory tried to attack him but Ciampa knocked him down. Ciampa noted that in order to get his life back, meaning the NXT Title, then there can no longer be Gargano in NXT. Ciampa ended the promo then went on an assault of Theory.
This was a nice follow up from Sunday’s heel turn by Gargano, who cost Ciampa the NXT Title in the headliner against Adam Cole.
It appears that Ciampa vs. Gargano will be saved for NXT TakeOver: Tampa during WrestleMania 36 weekend.
Cody Rhodes vs. MJF is official as AEW (All Elite Wrestling) has confirmed the match booking.
The promotion did so on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT in Atlanta, GA at the State Farm Arena. This comes after Rhodes completed all of the stipulations that MJF demanded including lashing Cody and Rhodes beating Wardlow in a Steel Cage match.
Chris Jericho remained as AEW World Heavyweight Champion when he successfully retained the title over Rhodes in the headliner of the AEW Full Gear pay-per-view event.
The stipulation coming into this match was the fact that if Cody didn’t beat Jericho then he would never allow himself to challenge for the AEW World Title again. This was when the rivalry started between MJF and Cody.
MJF threw in the towel while Jericho had Cody in the Walls of Jericho. Post-match, MJF kicked him in the nuts and stood over Cody.
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 will mark the fourth AEW PPV event. AEW will be announcing more matches for the show in the coming days.
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
Kenny Omega and Adam Page have received their opponents for the next AEW pay-per-view event, Revolution.
AEW booked a Tag Team Battle Royal on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite in Atlanta, GA at the State Farm Arena on TNT with the winners becoming the new #1 contenders for the straps.
The match featured The Young Bucks vs. SCU vs. Private Party vs. Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus vs. Best Friends vs. Santana & Ortiz vs. The Butcher & The Blade vs. Jack Evans & Angelico vs. Alex Reynolds & John Silver vs. Cima & Michael Nakazawa.
As seen on the show, The Young Bucks ended up winning the contest. Now, they’ll challenge Page and Omega for the AEW Tag Team Titles at AEW Revolution.
AEW presents the Revolution pay-per-view event on Saturday, February 29, 2020 in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center.
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.
AEW Revolution Card
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley
AEW Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega and Adam Page vs. The Young Bucks
Jake Hager vs. Dustin Rhodes
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley took to social media where he made his belief about one match at WrestleMania 36 known.
WWE has already confirmed Rhea Ripley will make her next title defense as WWE NXT Women’s Champion against Charlotte Flair at this show.
Foley expressed his belief that this match could steal the show in a recent post on his official Twitter account. He wrote the following:
“The war of words between @RheaRipley_WWE & @MsCharlotteWWE has escalated QUICKLY! Depending on the TV build and where it’s placed on the card, #RheaVsCharlotte COULD steal the show at #WrestleMania. Just one legend’s opinion,” Foley wrote.
As of this writing, Ripley and Flair have not responded to Foley’s comments.
Flair earned this title opportunity for a championship match when she won the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble Match last month.
Since that time, the two stars have traded words on both television – RAW and NXT – as well as social media to further hype this program.
The latest build in this program came at the WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland event from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon this past Sunday night. This is where Ripley retained the NXT Women’s Title over Bianca Belair. Post-match, Flair attacked the champ.
