Impact Wrestling has announced it will not be hosting the planned Rebellion PPV from New York. The event was to emanate from the Terminal 5 venue. Tickets for the event had been taken down over the weekend. The promotion is still looking for alternative ways to produce the show, however.
Additionally, the promotion has canceled its planned shows in Toronto on April 17th and a set of tapings on April 24th and 25th scheduled for Columbus. Impact’s statement suggests they are looking at alternative ways to produce these shows as well.
As a result of the coronavirus outbreak, IMPACT Wrestling will not be hosting “Against All Odds” on April 17th, the April 19th "Rebellion" pay-per-view event at New York City's Terminal 5 and the April 24 & 25 TV tapings in Columbus, Ohio.
Impact Wrestling Statement On Rebellion PPV Status
“As a result of the Coronavirus outbreak, IMPACT Wrestling will not be hosting “Against All Odds” on April 17th in Toronto, the April 19th “Rebellion” pay-per-view event at New York City’s Terminal 5 and the April 24th & 25th TV tapings in Columbus, Ohio,” the statement from Impact Wrestling reads.
“We are monitoring the situation closely and are looking at alternative ways that we can produce the events. All tickets will be fully refunded from point of purchase.”
“The safety of our fans, talent and staff is of utmost importance and we will continue to adjust plans as necessary while still delivering as much IMPACT Wrestling as possible.”
Rey Mysterio and Dana Brooke are both off WrestleMania 36 due to being in quarantine. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, both wrestlers are off the WrestleMania 36 cards as a result.
No other details are immediately available regarding their medical conditions but it is said that people are being cautious if they are feeling sick due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Dana Brooke had been scheduled in the multi-person match for the Smackdown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania. Her involvement in the match had been announced on Smackdown last Friday.
Mysterio had not been announced for a match at WrestleMania. He wrestled on the March 16th edition of Raw, defeating US Champion Andrade in a non-title match.
Andrade has since been announced as teaming with Angel Garza against the Street Profits for the RAW tag team championships at WrestleMania. Garza and Andrade defeated Ricochet and Cedric Alexander last night on RAW. The Street Profits defeated Brendan Vink and Shane Thorne on the show as well.
Updated WrestleMania 36 Lineup
WWE Championship Brock Lesnar (c) vs Drew McIntyre
NXT Women’s Championship Rhea Ripley (c) vs Charlotte Flair
RAW Women’s Championship Becky Lynch (c) vs Shayna Baszler
WWE Universal Championship Bill Goldberg (c) vs Roman Reigns
Smackdown Women’s Championship Bayley (c) vs. Lacey Evans vs. Tamina vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks
John Cena vs Bray Wyatt
Boneyard Match The Undertaker vs AJ Styles
Last Man Standing Edge vs Randy Orton
Kevin Owens vs Seth Rollins
Smackdown Tag Team Championships John Morrison & the Miz vs The Usos or the New Day
RAW Tag Team Championships The Street Profits vs Andrade & Angel Garza
The NXT Takeover: Tampa Bay event that was set for WrestleMania weekend is not taking place due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
According to Sports Illustrated, matches originally scheduled for Takeover: Tampa Bay will take place on NXT’s weekly Wednesday night TV show on the USA Network:
“Beginning Wednesday, April 1, NXT will add some additional excitement to its weekly TV programming by airing the matches planned for TakeOver on a weekly basis.”
Only one match had been confirmed for NXT Takeover: Tampa Bay at the time of the show’s cancelation: a ladder match to determine the #1 contender to the NXT Women’s Championship.
In addition to the women’s ladder match, other bouts that were all-but-confirmed include NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Velveteen Dream and Johnny Gargano vs. Tomasso Ciampa.
All of these matches are expected to be taped this week, as part of WWE’s marathon taping schedule from the Performance Center.
WWE.com has since confirmed that ‘NXT founder’ Triple H will take part in this week’s NXT broadcast to address this news.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling has announced further cancellations amidst the coronavirus pandemic. They had previously cancelled their annual New Japan Cup tournament. Now NJPW has been forced to cancel both Sakura Genesis and their Road to Dontaku shows. Sakura Genesis was scheduled to take place on March 31 from Ryogoku Sumo Hall. The Road to Dontaku tour was intended to start from Sagamihara on April 11.
NJPW Official Statement
In an official statement, New Japan addressed how their decision is in line with the guidelines laid out by the Japanese Ministry of Health. They apologized to fans who were looking forward to the events but noted the importance of ensuring the safety of their fans, staff, and talent.
“We deeply apologise to fans who were looking forward to these events. Ultimately, the health and safety of our fans, wrestlers and staff, as well as society at large is our utmost concern, and we will make announcements about events scheduled after April 11 upon careful monitoring of this developing situation.”
“We will soon announce refund procedures for the affected events. Programs like the NJPW Together Project will continue to see wrestlers and staff come together to bring the best possible content to fans while we eagerly await the opportunity to entertain live crowds once more.”
NJPW has been putting on a range of alternative content in place of their cancelled shows via NJPW World. The Together Project brings stars together to talk, entertain, and provide wrestling commentary over matches.
All Elite Wrestling’s Cody Rhodes will be pulling double duty at this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. Not only will Cody be facing off against Jimmy Havoc, he will also be providing guest commentary duties throughout the night alongside Tony Schiavone.
“This Wednesday I’ll be joining @tonyschiavone24 on commentary LIVE for #AEWDynamite (I have a bad habit on commentary that I’ll be totally leaning into, and hopefully it turns into something fun for the fans watching at home) More info to come…”
His opponent, Havoc, responded to Cody’s tweet, promising that he won’t be able to deliver any commentary if he takes his tongue during their matchup.
At the time of writing, it is unknown whether Jim Ross and Excalibur will also be delivering commentary with Cody and Schiavone. Like last week’s episode of Dynamite, this week’s will be performed with zero fans in attendance due to the coronavirus outbreak.
WWE Hall of Famer Edge has revealed the only time he has been nervous during his pro wrestling career. Opening up to Digital Spy, Edge pointed to his recent return to the ring at this year’s Royal Rumble matchup where he was a surprise entrant.
“At the Royal Rumble, that was the first time I ever felt nerves,” Edge confessed. “Once the music hit, then it was just… you can’t explain it. You can’t do it justice.”
He continued, “There is no way to explain this melting pot of things that all came together, after nine years being off and being forced to retire. It is a story that has never happened before and to be in the center of that is just overwhelming, it really is. I don’t know if I have fully wrapped my mind around the whole thing.”
Edge was sadly forced to retire from in-ring action 2011 due to severe neck issues. Having made his triumphant return to WWE, however, he is now scheduled for a matchup at WrestleMania 36. Edge will face off against Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing matchup.
WrestleMania 36 takes place on April 4 and April 5 from multiple locations including an empty WWE Performance Center. The “Show of Shows” will be pre-recorded in a controlled environment due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Posted March 24th, 2020 in News, WWE. Tagged: Edge.
WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart reflected on recommending Steve Austin to WWE during their recent conversation on Austin’s show, Broken Skull Sessions. He also spoke about how Austin warned him about joining WCW prior to his jumping to the promotion.
“You know, this is a true story that people don’t know. I was going to Vince all the time trying to bring new guys in,” Hart shared. “I remember talking about you. You, I think, had just signed with ECW. And I said ‘Why didn’t you guys grab Steve Austin? He was free, he was available. You’re looking for new guys all the time, he’s one of the best guys down there.’ I talked to Vince about it, and I remember the next week, you were sitting in the dressing room.”
Bret Hart Remembers Austin’s Warning
Bret Hart then opened up about Austin’s WCW warning. He recalled how Austin told him that WCW didn’t know what they were doing. “Guys that had been there [in WCW], including Kevin Nash and different guys who had been there before, said ‘Don’t ever go there. They are the dumbest idiots in the world.’ I kind of knew that before I went. But I mean, they really proved that to me – that they were the stupidest people that could ever run a wrestling business.”
He named some of the talents he could have worked with, noting how WCW didn’t know what to do with him. Hart stated that he and Hogan should have worked together straight away, believing they would have done big numbers together.
Bret Hart joined WCW following the infamous Montreal Screwjob in November 1997. He would signal the letters WCW in the air following his last WWE match and debut for WCW a month later.
WWE’s Charly Caruso has shared one of the safety measures WWE has put into place to protect its staff and Superstars during the coronavirus pandemic.
Caruso uploaded an Instagram Story to her account, showcasing how backstage staff are now wearing surgical masks as a precaution.
Hair and makeup artist Valentina Costa can be seen wearing a surgical mask while doing Caruso’s makeup for last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW.
“Look at her. She’s as protected as they come; she’s even got the glasses going,” Caruso said in the video.
WWE’s Added Safety Procedures During Coronavirus Pandemic
WWE is reportedly making all talent and staff participate in requisite medical testing. This testing has to be done before an individual is allowed to enter the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
Tapings for RAW, SmackDown, NXT, 205 Live and even WrestleMania 36 are all set to take place there during the coronavirus pandemic. The company are also limiting the number of people allowed into the building.
WrestleMania 36 will now be shown across two days on April 4 and April 5. It will emanate from the WWE Performance Center as well as other locations and, as mentioned, will be pre-recorded. It is expected that WrestleMania 36 will be recorded this week on March 25 and March 26.
Returning WWE Superstar Edge has defended WWE’s decision to deliver WrestleMania 36 amidst the current coronavirus pandemic. Speaking with Digital Spy, Edge detailed how entertainment is now more important than ever to help distract people from their fears and concerns. He added how it’s a “privilege” as much as it is a responsibility to perform and help entertain during such a turbulent time.
Edge Considers WrestleMania A Privilege, An Honor, And A Responsibility
“This year more than any year we are all in the midst of something we have never experienced before, the world really needs outlets,” Edge said. “Whether that is books, whether that is movies, whatever it is, just to be able to try and forget and laugh and have fun and remember what it is to be human. That’s why we’re doing this. There’s one reason. That’s the reason.”
Edge continued, “If we can do that and if people watch and can have fun for a few hours then our mission is accomplished. It’s a privilege, it’s an honor, it’s also a responsibility – and it’s one that I know all of us don’t take lightly. There’s a reason the show is going on. Those are the reasons why.”
He noted how WWE will “try and be as responsible and as safe as we can” in delivering WrestleMania 36. Edge is set to face off against his former-Rated RKO tag team partner Randy Orton. The two will clash in a Last Man Standing match.
The “Show of Shows” now takes place on April 4 and April 5. It will take place from multiple locations and will be pre-recorded due to the current coronavirus pandemic.
Posted March 24th, 2020 in News, WWE. Tagged: Edge.
Drew McIntyre had high praise for his WrestleMania 36 opponent Brock Lesnar during an interview with TalkSport.com, claiming that he hasn’t met another Superstar that “gets it” the way Lesnar does.
He also touched on Jon Moxley’s negative comments on “The Beast Incarnate.” Moxley, formerly WWE’s Dean Ambrose, and Lesnar tangled in a matchup back at WrestleMania 32.
“I don’t know what happened with Ambrose and their situation,” said McIntyre. “He’s somebody that I’m friends with and I had so many great matches with, so I don’t know what happened there. But, in my experience, Brock has gone above and beyond to ensure I look as good as I can possibly look.”
Drew McIntyre: Lesnar is on an “Elite Level”
Reflecting on Lesnar’s instruction for him to pick up the WWE title during a recent RAW segment, McIntyre shared how he was “so into it!” He explained how Lesnar felt that the moment was right and gave him the nod to grab the belt.
“The camera just picked it up, but that’s how much he’s invested in this. He made that call because he felt the crowd. Nobody one, sells like Brock Lesnar and two, feels a crowd like Brock Lesnar.”
McIntyre continued, “In my experience of anyone I’ve been in the ring with – and even talking with him backstage – in terms of learning it’s like wow… this guy gets it more than anybody I’ve ever spoken to. There’s a superstar level and being over level, and then there’s the elite level that very few people get to.”
Drew McIntyre got caught up in the moment of beating down Brock Lesnar, but watch Brock tell Drew "pick up the title!" while he's selling, making sure they got the angle across properly.
Drew McIntyre earned his opportunity against Lesnar by winning the Men’s Royal Rumble matchup back in January. He faces Brock Lesnar in a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 36, which takes place on April 4 and April 5.
The show will take place from multiple locations and will be pre-recorded due to the current coronavirus pandemic.
WWE RAW aired from the Performance Center in Orlando. Randy Orton answered Edge’s WrestleMania challenge during tonight’s show.
WWE RAW Results (3/23)
Heyman & Lesnar delivered a message to Drew McIntyre
AJ Styles challenged The Undertaker to a Boneyard match
Andrade & Angel Garza def. Cedric Alexander & Ricochet
Street Profits def. Shane Thorne & Brendan Vink
Aleister Black def. Leon Ruff
Seth Rollins mocked Kevin Owens for his failures at WrestleMania
Randy Orton accepted Edge’s challenge
Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s RAW:
Paul Heyman Claimed That McIntyre Has No Shot Against Lesnar
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman kicked off this week’s show. Heyman said we live in most uncertain times right now but Brock defeating Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania is a certainty.
Heyman claimed that there is nothing McIntyre can do to change that fact. It does not matter how much he trains, Drew cannot defeat Brock at WrestleMania. Paul added that God’s prayer line is only going to give Drew McIntyre a busy signal right now. He then said that McIntyre is going to be “just another wannabe that got douched out” at WrestleMania.
AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson came down to the entrance ramp to begin the 2nd hour of this week’s episode of RAW.
Styles said that he is not sure when Undertaker’s wife, Michelle McCool, lets him come out of the house so he isn’t sure what night their match will be on. Anderson suggested that Undertaker wears diapers and AJ added that he wore maternity pants.
AJ joked that Undertaker looked like a gothic version of the Tiger King (Joe Exotic) last week. They poked fun at Undertaker swimming with a tiger at Myrtle Beach Safari as well.
He claimed that Undertaker hasn’t been the same since he lost to Brock Lesnar and it seems like his wife has already taken his soul. AJ said he wants the Undertaker of old and not the one that is posting selfies on Instagram.
Styles said he was going to bring back the Dead Man at WrestleMania and suggested that they fight in a Boneyard Match. Styles closed the show by saying the match will take place in the same plot that Michelle McCool buried Undertaker’s career.
Opinion: I thought this promo was incredibly awkward and I have absolutely no idea what a Boneyard match is. I’m assuming it is along the lines of a Buried Alive match and will be taped in a different location than the Performance Center.
Andrade & Angel Garza squared off against Ricochet & Cedric Alexander tonight on RAW. Zelina Vega was ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Before the bell, Ricochet fought off Angel & Andrade and sent them to the apron. Cedric rushed the ring and the match began. Ricochet hit Andrade with a couple chops to the chest. Andrade battled back and leveled Ricochet with an elbow to the face. Andrade Clotheslined Ricochet out of the ring and Garza threw him into the apron.
RAW Tag Team Champions Street Profits joined commentary as the show went to a break. When RAW returned, Andrade and Garza will still in control. Garza hit Ricochet with a knee to the face and followed it up with a Headlock. United States Champion Andrade tagged in and continued to beat Ricochet down in the corner.
Cedric finally tagged in planted Garza with a Flatliner for a near fall. Cedric rolled up Garza for a two count. Angel hit Cedric with a knee to the face for another near fall. Garza followed it up with a Moonsault and went for the cover but Alexander kicked out at the last moment. Andrade tagged in and walked into a Michinoku Driver for another two count. Andrade hit Cedric with an elbow to the face for the victory. Street Profits will defend their titles against Garza and Andrade at WrestleMania.
Becky Lynch with the Raw Women’s Championship. Image Credit: WWE.com
Shayna Baszler appeared on this week’s episode of RAW for an interview segment. Charly Caruso said that Baszler may already be the most dominant woman in WWE and earned the right to face Becky Lynch at WrestleMania.
Baszler was asked how she intends to conduct herself as champion if she defeats Becky at WrestleMania. Shayna didn’t answer but instead asked Charly why she was nervous. Shayna joked that she wasn’t going to bite her and said that Lynch should expect to lose at WrestleMania.
Shayna stated that she wants the RAW Women’s Championship because she wants to destroy Becky Lynch. RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch then attacked Shayna from behind and hit her with a steel chair twice.
Kevin Owens said that Seth Rollins was nowhere to be found last week but has heard he was here tonight. The Monday Night Messiah Seth Rollins made his way to the entrance ramp and stated that he had a couple of questions for Kevin.
Rollins walked down the ramp and said that Owens doesn’t have the home field advantage in the Performance Center. Seth noted that Owens earned his job in WWE in this building but the PC was built on his blood, sweat, and tears.
Seth added that when he arrived in WWE he was told that everything he had done in the past didn’t matter. Rollins told Owens that he had to succeed for people like him so they could get an opportunity to train in a beautiful facility like the PC. Rollins scolded Owens for refusing to fall in line and claimed that NXT, and the Performance Center wouldn’t exist without Rollins.
Rollins claimed that there would be no Gargano, no Ciampa, no Undisputed Era, and no women’s evolution without him as well. Seth boasted about his track record at WrestleMania and mocked Kevin for failing at the biggest show of the year. He pointed out that Owens wasn’t even good enough to be on last year’s WrestleMania card. Rollins claimed that he becomes a god under pressure and Owens doesn’t stand a chance.
Opinion: Rollins delivered a very good promo tonight and continues to excel as a heel. This is one of the matches I’m looking forward to the most at this year’s WrestleMania.
Randy Orton closed this week’s show and claimed that what he has done to Edge and Beth Phoenix came from a place of love. Orton looked directly into the camera and said that there was something he needed to get off of his chest.
Orton claimed he lied to Beth when he said Edge was a junkie for the roar of the crowd. He accused Adam Copeland (Edge) of being a junkie for his own ego. Randy added that just because he was handed an opportunity from his father doesn’t ensure a Hall of Fame career.
Randy boasted about becoming the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history and stated Mick Foley didn’t hand the torch, he took it from him. Randy said that grit isn’t sitting at home for 9-years, it is longevity and being the one constant in the WWE locker room.
He noted that there is nobody in the locker room that has accomplished as much as him and nobody has as much grit. Orton once again said that everything he has done was out of love for Edge and his family. Randy accepted Edge’s challenge and vowed to end Edge’s story at WrestleMania.
Opinion: Edge versus Randy Orton has a fantastic story behind it and should be able to overcome the lack of an audience at WrestleMania. Given the circumstances, this week’s episode of RAW was a solid show. Rollins’ promo was the best part of the night but Orton’s was very good as well.
After several weeks of speculation, WWE has indeed confirmed Edge vs. Randy Orton for WrestleMania 36. The company did so on Monday’s episode of RAW as Orton accepted Edge’s challenge to a match at the biggest event of the year.
This came after Edge addressed Orton’s attack on him and his wife on RAW last week. Edge’s challenge to the former fellow WWE Champion was a Last Man Standing Match.
A few weeks ago on RAW saw Orton attack Edge’s wife and fellow WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix in the final segment of the show.
This match was expected as Edge has been off TV for several weeks after receiving the beatdown by Randy Orton after making his return to the ring in the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match.
WWE presents the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event as a two-night event on Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5 in Orlando, Florida.
Updated WWE WrestleMania 36 Card
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair
AJ Styles vs. The Undertaker – Boneyard Match
Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins – Singles Match
WWE Universal Champion Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt – Singles Match
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Lacey Evans vs. Tamina vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks – Five Pack Challenge
Baron Corbin vs. Elias
Bobby Lashley vs. Aleister Black
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. Angel Garza & Andrade
WWE has added a stipulation to the upcoming match between AJ Styles and The Undertaker at WrestleMania 36.
During Monday’s episode of RAW, Styles cut a promo about how he has the perfect match for their upcoming contest and it was right in the wheelhouse of Taker.
He challenged the legendary pro wrestler to a Boneyard Match. Styles also poked fun at Taker recently appearing in a Save The Tigers video during his promo. For those who are wondering what this match is, WWE has yet to confirm the exact rules.
In related news, WWE has changed the SmackDown Women’s Title match at WrestleMania 36.
Last week on Friday Night SmackDown, Paige announced that Bayley would defend the SmackDown Women’s Title in a Six-Pack Challenge Elimination Match with Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans, Tamina Snuka, Naomi, and Sasha Banks.
WWE edited their WrestleMania 36 match listing on the official website that now shows it being a Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match. Brooke is the star who was removed from the listing.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on why Brooke was removed from the match.
WWE presents the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event as a two-night event on Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. Both nights start at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT will air on the WWE Network.
WWE has just announced two new matches for the WrestleMania 36 card.
First, the Raw Tag Team Championships will be on the line when The Street Profits, Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford, put their titles on the line against Andrade and Angel Garza, who will be accompanied by Zelina Vega. Also, it has been announced that Aleister Black will be taking on Bobby Lashley in a singles match. Lashley will be accompanied by Lana.
This year’s WrestleMania will be very different from year’s past. Due to the fact that it’s taking place smack in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak, some major changes have been implemented. WrestleMania 36 has been moved from its original venue, expected to hold around 70,000 inside the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.
WrestleMania will have no audience for the first time ever, as all matches will take place in front of an empty crowd. Also, WrestleMania will be a two-night event. The festivities start on Saturday, April 4, and the second half of the card will take place on Sunday, April 5. Lastly, the show will not be live. Most of the matches and segments will be filmed this week. It’s certainly a big change the company has had to make given the state of the world during the coronavirus pandemic.
With all that being said, you can check out the updated WrestleMania 36 card below.
WrestleMania 36 Card
WWE Championship: (C) Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre
NXT Women’s Championship: (C) Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair
WWE Raw Women’s Championship: (C) Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler
WWE Universal Championship: (C) Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns
John Cena vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt
The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles
Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins
WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship – Six-Pack Challenge: (C) Bayley vs. Lacey Evans vs. Dana Brooke vs. Tamina vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships: (C) The Miz and John Morrison vs. TBD
WWE Raw Tag Team Championships: (C) The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. Andrade and Angel Garza (with Zelina Vega)
WWE sent in the following press release Monday afternoon, a nice move as much of their audience is on lockdown at home due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
WWE OFFERS FREE ACCESS TO WWE NETWORK
Beginning today, WWE is pleased to unlock a vast portion of the WWE Network library and extend free access to thousands of hours of extraordinary on-demand content, including every WrestleMania in history, countless pay-per-view spectaculars, original documentaries and more, for a limited time.
This unprecedented offering to WWE fans worldwide includes each epic installment to date of WrestleMania, plus, every Royal Rumble, SummerSlam and Survivor Series event; every NXT TakeOver and NXT UK TakeOver; and groundbreaking originals such as the entire WWE 24 docuseries, Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions interview show, the recent five-episode hit, WWE Ruthless Aggression, and its 20-episode predecessor, The Monday Night War series.
Also included:
Recent episodes of Monday Night Raw
Recent episodes of Friday Night SmackDown
Every episode of WWE Untold
A Future WWE: The FCW Story
Much, much more
We’ve already doubled down with an historic WrestleMania this year that’s Too Big for Just One Night, streaming on WWE Network next Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5 at 7 ET/4 PT. The two-night WrestleMania event is only available to WWE Network subscribers.
Now, in the lead-up to The Show of Shows, you can relive classic matches, re-experience sports-entertainment’s defining moments and celebrate WWE’s greatest Superstars, past and present. Just create your account and stream on your favorite device.
It’s been a wild few days for the WWE roster as they’ve been in Orlando, Florida for the last week to tape various programs at the Performance Center.
PWinsider.com reported on Monday that WWE has talent in town and those stars in the city to work the tapings are locked down at one hotel.
In fact, the whole hotel is full of WWE people ranging from talent, creative, and production as they have completely taken over with morning production meetings in a conference room.
It was also noted that WWE has only brought in producers who already live in Florida and did not bring in producers who live in other parts of the country. Jamie Noble, Adam Pearce, Road Dogg, and Shawn Michaels have been at the tapings.
The multi-day marathon taping schedule at the training kicked off on Saturday with two episodes of SmackDown. Taping for future episodes of NXT took place on Sunday from Full Sail University.
Monday will see a live broadcast of Monday Night RAW on the USA Network while Tuesday will see the March 30th and April 6th RAW episodes be taped. Moving forward to Wednesday and Thursday, WWE will tape both nights of WrestleMania 36.
WWE is trying their best to prevent someone from possibly contracting coronavirus, which has seen an outbreak in the United States over the last two weeks.
Clearly, if someone would get the virus while working the tapings then it would not be good as it could spread to other people.
With WWE not having any fans in attendance and only essential people at the shows, the company is staying within the CDC recommendations.
For the second straight week, WWE’s flagship show, RAW, will not take place in front of a live crowd.
Thus, it’s time to look ahead starting with tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW. The company has yet to announce any matches for the show.
We do know of a few segments that will take place on the show. One includes the response of Randy Orton to the challenge of a Last Man Standing Match at WrestleMania 36 from WWE Hall of Famer Edge.
Edge made the challenge last week on RAW. The belief is that this is the way WWE is going to make the match official.
WWE holds this show in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for RAW.
WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman to appear to further program with Drew McIntyre
Randy Orton to respond to Edge’s WrestleMania 36 challenge
WWE will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds that will take place heading into the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event.
Join us here later tonight for our WWE RAW Results and post-show Takeaways feature.
Former WWE Superstar Stu Bennett/Wade Barrett recently appeared on Colt Cabana‘s Art of Wrestling podcast. The former ‘Bad News’ giver would discuss a plethora of topics from his career. Including when he ‘knew’ he had to leave WWE.
“2016 is when I left. I think it was April or May 2016, and I told them ‘okay my contract coming up. I’m not re-signing” Stu Bennett began. “They [WWE] made me a couple of offers, ‘doesn’t matter what you offer me I need to leave, I f*cking hate it here.’ I needed that change.”
Stu Bennett on Leaving WWE
Stu Bennett would elaborate further, discussing how he fell out of love with WWE. “I loved my job probably until the end of 2014 beginning of 2015” Bennett revealed.
“Because I had done some exciting things and then some not so exciting things. But I felt I at least I had this carrot in front of me and I was excited about, you know, if I keep improving. Improve my physique? I’ll try and get ripped that’ll convince [them]. Oh no, maybe I need a catchphrase? And I got a catchphrase. Or maybe I need a T shirt that’s a big seller? Maybe I need to work on my in-ring skills? There was all these things; there was always something in my head on how I can improve them and improve this, improve that.”
“I became King of the Ring, which sounds like it should be impressive, but what it was followed up With? Zero writing”
– Stu Bennett
King of The Ring
Barrett would also discuss how the ‘accolades’ he was gifted ended up having diminishing returns. “I was sliding down the card and getting opportunities that I thought were kind of wasted. Like I became King of the Ring, which sounds like it should be impressive, but what it was followed up with? Zero writing.”
He continued in frustration, “You know, 30 seconds of writing. ‘Just have them wrestle for three minutes’ and ‘Have this guy go over Stu whatever.’ Yeah, there was that level of writing, week after week after week. And suddenly after putting in the effort I had to climb up the card and get to where I want it to be? I’m rewarded with what I thought was pretty disappointing to say the least.”
“It doesn’t matter what I’m doing here. I’m completely out of control with this”
– Stu Bennett
He finished by saying, “For me it was a realization that it doesn’t matter what I’m doing here. I’m completely out of control with this, I’m waiting for one man to give us a thumbs up or a thumbs down and I’m spending my whole career waiting and hoping that I get a thumbs up next week, next week, next week.”
Stu Bennett currently serves as a broadcaster for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
It sounds like the possibility of having CM Punk jump back in the WWE ring is getting less and less likely.
Recently, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer discussed Punk’s current relationship with the company. Meltzer noted how often Punk has been featured on the WWE Backstage program on FOX. It was noted that Punk’s contract is through FOX, not WWE, meaning he is not an employee of the Vince McMahon-owned company. It was also speculated that the former WWE Champion’s contract is likely for one show a month.
With that being said, ever since Punk came back into the WWE fold, there has been a lot of speculation regarding whether or not he’ll return to the ring. Meltzer noted that WWE is actually “very negative” on the idea of Punk wrestling for them again. This is due to a mixture of several reasons. First, WWE believes they already have enough part-timers with the likes of WWE Hall Of Famers Goldberg and Edge, amongst others.
Also, there is still bitterness between the two sides given how toxic of a falling out they had all those years ago. However, Meltzer added that there appears to be “more bitterness on WWE’s side.”
All that being said, it doesn’t sound like the highly-anticipated WWE return is in the cards for Punk anytime soon. Of course, crazier things have happened in the professional wrestling business. Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before all the chips fall into place.
Punk departed WWE back in early 2014 shortly after the Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV). He cited several issues with the company as his reason for leaving, and has since gone on to do more acting, comic book writing, and even dabbled in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) with two UFC fights under his belt.
Scott Dawson of the popular WWE tag team The Revival is teasing that he might finally be free from the company.
Dawson, along with partner Dash Wilder, has turned down multiple offers to re-sign with WWE. Quoting the country music song “Amarillo by Morning by George Strait, he cryptically wrote on Monday, “I AIN’T GOT A DIME, but what I got is mine. I ain’t rich, but Lord I’M FREE!”
I AIN’T GOT A DIME, but what I got is mine. I ain’t rich, but Lord I’M FREE! #FTR
We have reported over the last few months that The Revival have been looking to leave WWE. Although, this is not something new. The tag team have reportedly been unhappy with their stature in the company for quite some time; apparently turning down huge deals in the region of $750,000 per year each to leave WWE.
The duo have also been attempting to copyright several of their trademarked names. This is likely so that they can be used outside of the WWE bubble, presumably somewhere such as AEW.
Recent Booking For The Revival
Dave Meltzer recently reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the tag team were being ‘phased’ off television. Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder were originally slated to be featured in SmackDown Tag Team Title Elimination Chamber Match. This at the namesake pay-per-view event. Plans are subject to change in WWE, however the plan is believed to be to keep them in the same ‘spot’ as performers. Such Jon Moxley and Matt Hardy before they left the WWE.
We do not currently know exactly how much longer Dash Wilder has on his WWE deal; however it is believed that it is around 10 weeks beyond when Dawson was slated to leave. It is also not confirmed if Dawson took a ‘buy out’ on his WWE contract or if he simply chose to not renew. “I AIN’T GOT A DIME” seems to indicate that he may have ‘bought’ himself out of his last few months. However this is just conjecture and we cannot currently confirm.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman evidently had quite the high school experience. The #2 ranked wrestler in AEW’s male single’s rankings recently boasted on Twitter that he sang in both an acapella group and choir while attending high school. Footage of him singing an acapella version of Sugar Ray’s “Someday” has recently surfaced online.
The name of MJF’s group was the “Acafellas.” He is featured prominently in the group’s rendition of the Sugar Ray song. MJF comes in around the 4:08 mark of the below video:
MJF noted on Twitter in response to the video that he is the only graduate of his high school to be All-State in football.
Only Plainview JFK graduate to be All State in football (middle linebacker)
All-round nice guy and salt-of-the-Earth Maxwell Jacob Friedman holds a 5-0 record in single’s matches.
2/10/19: defeated Brandon Cutler on AEW Dynamite #1
11/27/19: defeated Adam Page to win the Dynamite Diamond Ring on AEW Dynamite #9
1/21/20 defeated Joey Janela on AEW Dynamite #16
2/12/20 defeated Jungle Boy on AEW Dynamite #19
2/29/20 defeated Cody Rhodes at AEW Revolution
He is 3-0 in tag matches:
7/13/19: Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Sammy Guevara & Shawn Spears defeated Darby Allin, Jimmy Havoc & Joey Janela at Fight for the Fallen
1/15/20: The Butcher And The Blade (The Blade & The Butcher) & MJF defeated Diamond Dallas Page, Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall at AEW Bash at the Beach
3/11/20: MJF & The Butcher And The Blade (The Blade & The Butcher) defeated The Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus & Marko Stunt) on AEW Dynamite #23
He is 1 win and 2 losses in multi-person matches.
5/25/19: 21-Man Casino Battle Royal won by Adam Page
6/29/10: Adam Page defeated Jimmy Havoc, Jungle Boy, and MJF at Fyter Fest
11/20/19: Adam Page & MJF were the final two left in the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal and advanced to their single’s match for the ring the next week.
All Elite Wrestling has announced another intriguing bout for Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite. Kenny Omega of The Elite will battle “Spanish God” Sammy Guevara. This will be a championship match, but not for AEW gold.
In addition to being one half of the AEW Tag Team Champions with “Handwash” Adam Page, Kenny Omega also holds the AAA Mega Championship. He won that title from fellow AEW star Rey Fenix at AAA Heroes Inmortales XIII back in October. You can watch that match in full below:
AEW Dynamite Preview
This week’s AEW Dynamite was originally scheduled to be the Blood and Guts episode from Newark, NJ. As a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, AEW postponed Blood and Guts until further notice. A fan on Twitter complained about AEW’s decision, but Le Champion Chris Jericho set him straight:
First off, pull your head out of your ass and realize these are crazy times. Secondly, we aren’t allowed to gather more than ten people together at a time. B&G has 11 inside the cage and that’s with no camera men or crew. https://t.co/GYfQeLC7Yb
AEW has yet to confirm the location of this week’s Dynamite, but it’s expected that Daily’s Place Amphitheater in Jacksonville, FL will remain the home of Dynamite until things get back to normal.
The following is an updated preview for this week’s AEW Dynamite on TNT:
AAA Mega Campeón Kenny Omega vs. Sammy Guevara
Cody vs. Jimmy Havoc
Confrontation between “Broken” Matt Hardy and Chris Jericho
Catch up on last week’s Dynamite below with our popular Takeaways feature:
Major League Wrestling presented an episode of Fusion this weekend on BeIN Sports and YouTube. The show emanated from Philadelphia’s famed 2300 Arena and featured an 8-Man tag-team main event.
The full episode of the show can be viewed in the player below:
MLW Fusion 3/21/20 Quick Results:
El Lindaman defeated Zenshi
The Blue Meanie defeated Richard Holliday via count-out
Killer Kross, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Ross & Marshall Von Erich defeated Tom Lawlor, Dominic Garrini, Erick Stevens, & Kit Osbourne
The main event of Fusion this week featured an 8-man tag team match as Tom Lawlor’s Team Filthy took on the Von Erich brothers, Killer Kross, and Davey Boy Smith Jr. Last week on Fusion, Lawlor was disqualified in his singles match against Kross setting up this week’s main event.
It was noted on commentary that at times this match resembled the old Philadelphia Flyers games from back in the team’s Broad Street Bullies days.
The Von Erich’s would take control early before Ross missed a knee in the corner which allowed Team Filthy the advantage. A hot tag would later bring in Kross, however, and he would suplex all of Lawler’s cronies.
Kross accidentally hit the referee, however, taking him out of action. This allowed the former Rip Von Erich, and Team Filthy yoga instructor Kit Osbourne to land a low blow on Davey Boy Smith Jr. This brought in Marshall Von Erich who gave the imposter Von Erich an Iron Claw Slam followed by a moonsault to get the pin.
The end of the match did little to stop the brawl, however, as the babyfaces continued to take it to Team Filthy member Osbourne after the match.
It was right in the show’s closing moments when King Mo attacked Killer Kross from behind backstage and announced that he and American Top Team have joined Team Filthy.
It was announced this week on Fusion that Mance Warner had been attacked at the pay window by Maxwell Jacob Friedman recently, and MLW officials banned MJF from the 2300 Arena as a result.
It was also arranged that Richard Holliday would face a mystery opponent this week, something Holliday’s lawyer/father was likely not pleased about.
Warner chose someone with a lot of history in the former ECW Arena as the Blue Meanie would take on the current possessor of the Caribbean Championship.
Holliday was distracted by Warner at the commentary booth, however, and it would end up costing him the match. He took the time to pour out one of Warner’s light beers but the Southern Psychopath would then blow beer mist in his face and prevent him from getting back in the ring in time to meet the referee’s count. As a result, the Blue Meanie picked up a victory inside the ECW Arena via count-out. The loss will no doubt not sit well with the members of the Dynasty.
MLW fans were also treated to a special cooking show this week featuring LA Park and El Hijo de LA Park. The Father and son combo cooked up sausage and eggs while stating they are after some championship gold in MLW.
The segment ended when LA Park grew upset about not having his chopping board or being able to add onions to the meal.
This week’s show kicked off with a high-paced match between El Lindaman and Zenshi. Zenshi came into the match with a taped-up shoulder and El Lindaman was not shy about focussing on his opponent’s injured limb throughout the match. In the end, however, it was the member of OVE’s vicious suplexes that would earn him the victory here. He hit a blue thunder bomb followed by a tiger suplex to get the win.
Brian Pillman Jr. Faces Jordan Oliver Next Week
Back to Back Rookie of the Year!!! Wish me luck as I plan to do the same in 2020!!! pic.twitter.com/8F4oTJKYKK
It was also announced on MLW Fusion this week that Brian Pillman jr. will take on Jordan Oliver next week. Pillman and Injustice have been at odds since the Opera Cup last year. The members of Injustice were alternates in the tournament and attacked Pillman backstage at the venue. Pillman made it all the way to the finals, eventually losing to his Hart Foundation stablemate, Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Pillman has since said he is going to be dropping weight so that he can compete in MLW’s middleweight division. He will be looking to earn a shot against middleweight champion Myron Reed. He’ll get his chance to show what he can do as a middleweight next week when he takes on Reed’s stablemate Jordan Oliver.
That match is in addition to King Mo vs Low-Ki also scheduled for next week’s show.
With much of the world on lockdown due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, many people have turned to streaming services looking for a new show to binge-watch. One documentary currently on Netflix is Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.
The documentary focusses on Joseph Maldonado-Passage, best known as Joe Exotic, a tiger breeder and former Presidential candidate now serving 22 years in federal prison for a murder-for-hire plot and animal abuse violations.
Joe’s a character straight out of pro wrestling. As it turns out, he was actually involved in wrestling a few years back. He promoted Texacoma Pro Wrestling, NWA Texoma Wrestling (2016), did some commentary for NWA Texoma.
Some of Joe Exotic’s wrestling past can be found on his official YouTube channel:
A link to the Netflix documentary series is here. The series currently has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes 4 out of 5 stars on IMDB.
“A zoo owner spirals out of control amid a cast of eccentric characters in this true murder-for-hire story from the underworld of big cat breeding.”
Podcast kingpin Conrad Thompson noticed that Joe Exotic bares a striking resemblance to wrestling legend Michael P.S. Hayes.
— Conrad the Mortgage Guy (@HeyHeyItsConrad) March 22, 2020
Undertaker & Michelle McCool’s Love of Big Cats
Recently, a video surfaced online of The Undertaker and Michelle McCool touting their love for tigers and the need for people to protect the endangered species.
The video was filmed at the T.I.G.E.R.S. Preservation Station in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a wildlife refuge prominently featured in the Joe Exotic Netflix docuseries.
WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry believes that wrestling fans need to show WWE Universal Champion Goldberg “respect.” Henry shared his thoughts during a recent episode of Sirius XM’s Busted Open Radiowhere he was discussing the upcoming WrestleMania clash between Goldberg and Roman Reigns.
“So Roman Reigns goes and does business. When will be the next time you see Bill Goldberg? You won’t see him very much because I don’t think that he’s going to work a full workload. […] primarily the whole thing is, we got to respect Bill Goldberg for who he is.”
Henry reflected on Goldberg’s infamous matchup against The Undertaker. The two wrestled during the controversial Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia. Goldberg would suffer a concussion during the matchup, leading to dangerous moments and botched spots between the two veterans. Mark Henry argued that the chance to move on from that match is a huge motivating factor behind Goldberg’s current run.
“He [Goldberg] wanted to get that horrible taste out his mouth,” Henry stated. “From having a bad performance. And here he is given substance to the business, and he’s doing exactly what he needed to do to get rid of that. Like people will remember him being involved in a hell of an angle and going out at WrestleMania.”
Goldberg will attempt to defend his WWE Universal Championship against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36. “The Show of Shows” takes place on April 4 and April 5. It will be pre-recorded from multiple locations due to the coronavirus pandemic.