Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards recently welcomed Billy Gunn on the AEW Unrestricted podcast where they talked about the DX member’s wrestling career in detail.
Gunn was trained by Jerry Grey and he started his wrestling career in 1985. He wrestled in the independent circuit for almost 8 years before being offered a WWE contract in 1993.
However, despite the time he had spent in the business, the former Champion did not know much about the wrestling world and during the podcast; Billy Gunn revealed his interesting response to Vince McMahon when the Boss first offered him a contract:
“Being as green as we were, we went literally from the
ring they said, ‘hey, Vince would like to talk to you.’ We went to Vince’s
office. He goes, ‘we’d like to send you a contract. Look it over. See what you
think.'”
“So I looked at Vince and go well I have a job. Can I do this on the weekends? “recalled Billy Gunn.”And I’m not kidding you he did his little Vince laugh and looked at me and he goes, ‘I think you’ll be alright.'”
The former WWE star continued by recalling how he didn’t know how things worked in the business. He didn’t know that the wrestlers worked all the time and they can make actual money if they were good.
Apart from this, Billy Gunn talked about his first match in WWE, his tag team with Bart Gunn where they were dubbed as The Smoking Gunns and more.
A confidential settlement has been reached in the $110 million lawsuit Hulk Hogan had brought in against Cox Radio, Cox DJs Mike “Cowhead” Calta and Matt “Spiceboy” Loyd, and a few other defendants, according to reports from BayNews9.
The WWE Hall Of Famer had accused the defendants of conspiring to leak his private sex tape with Heather Clem. Heather is the ex-wife of Bubba “The Love Sponge” Clem.
The tape in question is the same video which was leaked to National Enquirer in 2015 and led to the story of Hulk Hogan using a racial slur in the footage.
The story sparked a lot of controversy and the former World Champion lost several business contacts due to the debacle. He was even removed from the WWE Hall Of Fame in July 2015, before being reinstated in July 2018.
Hulk Hogan had originally filed a lawsuit against Gawker for publishing the tape. A Pinellas County jury found Gawker guilty of invading the WWE star’s privacy and ordered them to pay more than $140 million in damages in March 2016.
The site ended up going bankrupt and settled with Hogan for $31 million. The wrestling star had then filed a case against the other mentioned defendants, seeking the remainder of the balance, $110 million.
The defendants had denied the allegations made by the Hulkster and fought him in court for almost 4 years before quietly settling this week. The settlement was reportedly reached on Thursday. A jury tiral of the case was scheduled to begin in January 2021.
AEW has announced that they are postponing the special “Blood & Guts” edition of Dynamite to a later date because the timing and circumstances for it are not right.
The company president Tony Khan released a statement on the
matter on Twitter saying that their goal with Dynamite is to produce great
shows for their fans.
He continued by announcing that the Blood and Guts match
which was originally planned for next week’s episode of the show will happen
when the time is right:
“We plan to continue answering that calling with live
weekly shows every Wednesday night on TNT, but the time and circumstances
aren’t right for the card we had planned next week for Blood and Guts.
That show will happen when the time is right, but what you
can count on instead this coming Wednesday night is a great live episode of AEW
Dynamite.”
While this match has been postponed, the company has announced a confrontation segment between Chris Jericho and the newest AEW star Matt Hardy for the next episode of their TV Show.
Matt is expected to join the Elite and face off against the Inner Circle when the Blood And Guts match finally happens. No word yet on if the other announced matches for the show will take place as planned or if they have been postponed as well.
You can check out the company’s full statement below:
world is coping with, and hopefully we gave them a well-deserved escape during these trying times. Everyone at AEW is very proud of what we delivered and humbled by the response and the kind words we’ve received from fans and partners throughout the world.
That show will happen when the time is right, but what you can count on instead this coming Wednesday night is a great live episode of AEW Dynamite featuring @IAmJericho confronting @MATTHARDYBRAND, face-to-face, one-on-one, for the first time ever
WWE SmackDown aired from the Performance Center in Orlando. Goldberg and Roman Reigns signed the contract for their Universal Championship match at WrestleMania tonight.
WWE SmackDown Results (3/20)
Rob Gronkowski suggested a match for WrestleMania
Drew Gulak & Daniel Bryan def. Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura
Paige announced Bayley’s opponents at WrestleMania
Miz & Morrison def. Heavy Machinery via DQ
Goldberg & Reigns signed the contract to make their Universal Championship match official
Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
King Corbin Confronted Rob Gronkowski
Michael Cole and Mojo Rawley welcomed WrestleMania host Rob Gronkowski down to the ring to begin the show. Gronk stated that he has been watching wrestling since 2nd grade and was watching at the FCW arena to support Mojo.
Gronk joked that he was still hyped to be here in front of zero people and is ready for anything. Mojo told Gronk that he was here to watch Rob’s back. Gronk hit Mojo with a couple chops for fun before King Corbin interrupted.
Corbin told Gronk that he is setting himself up for failure if he is going to take advice from Mojo. King Corbin demanded Gronk to get his knees and bow down and Rob said he doesn’t get on his knees.
King Corbin brought up his NFL past and pointed out that we do not wear pads in WWE. Corbin threatened Gronk to fall in line like everyone else or he will make sure Rob’s little party is over.
Elias joined the party and said he has a new song for Corbin. Rob and Mojo danced behind Baron as Elias sang that Gronk is going to rip Corbin’s head off. Corbin interrupted and took off his robe. Corbin got in Gronk’s face and continued to threaten him.
Mojo set up behind Corbin and Rob shoved Corbin over. King Corbin walked towards Gronk but Elias intervened and sent Corbin over the ropes. Gronk suggested that Corbin and Elias have a match at WrestleMania.
Opinion: While I don’t have the slightest interest in Elias versus Corbin at WrestleMania, I thought Gronk handled himself well on the microphone tonight and was entertaining.
Match Recap: Bryan and Gulak controlled the match early and isolated Shinsuke in the corner. Nakamura battled back and Cesaro tagged himself in. Bryan knocked Shinsuke out of the ring and hit him with a Suicide Dive. Back in the ring, Bryan went for a Crossbody but Cesaro caught him and hit a Backbreaker. Cesaro knocked Gulak off the apron as SmackDown went to a break.
When SmackDown returned, Nakamura connected with a Snap Suplex and followed it up with a knee to Daniel’s face for a two count. Gulak tagged in Nakamura went for a Dragon Sleeper but Drew broke free. Cesaro tagged in and leveled Gulak with an uppercut but Bryan broke up the cover. Bryan tagged in hit a Sunset Flip into a roll-up for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Sami Zayn confronted Bryan and Gulak and claimed that they squeaked out a win. Sami told Bryan to start listening to him instead of a nobody like Gulak. Bryan told Sami that he was barely Intercontinental Champion. Bryan wanted Sami to defend his IC Title against him and Gulak at WrestleMania. Sami said if Gulak can defeat Shinsuke next week he will agree to the match.
Paige Announced A Six-Pack Challenge For The SD Women’s Title At WrestleMania
Paige. Image Credit: WWE.com
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley and Sasha Banks marched down to the ring as Paige was on the jumbotron via skype. Bayley told Paige to get on with what she was going to see so everyone can forget about her again.
Paige called Bayley and Banks bullies and added that they lack courage. Bayley bragged about being the most dominant SmackDown Women’s Champion in history and joked about Paige being forced to retire.
Paige acknowledged that her is career is over and her passion has been taken away from her. She told Bayley that she cannot wait to see who takes her title at WrestleMania and that she asked her friends at Fox if she could announce her match. Paige announced that Bayley will defend her title against Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans, Tamina, and Naomi.
Sasha Banks grabbed the microphone and called Paige a bitch. Paige announced Sasha Banks also be in the WrestleMania Six-Pack Elimination Challenge for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. So at WrestleMania, Bayley will defend the title against Sasha Banks, Lacey Evans, Dana Brooke, Tamina, and Naomi in s Six-Pack Elimination match.
SmackDown Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz came to the ring for an episode of The Dirt Sheet. Miz joked that they should ask the audience who they think they should face at WrestleMania for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
Miz and Morrison were shown dressed up as the New Day, The Usos, and Heavy Machinery in the crowd and poked fun of them. Miz and Morrison dressed as ham to portray Tucker and Otis. The Miz and Morrison concluded that they should probably just take WrestleMania off. Heavy Machinery interrupted as SmackDown went a break. When SmackDown returned, Otis & Tucker battled Miz & Morrison.
Match Recap: Otis shook his belly to start things off and Morrison responded with a boot to the gut. Tucker tagged in and planted Morrison with a Suplex for a two count. Miz tagged in and ran into an Arm Drag from Tucker. Otis got back in the action and leveled Miz with a shoulder tackle. Otis then Clotheslined Morrison to the outside and Tucker followed it up with a Cannonball off the apron.
Back in the ring, Morrison hit Tucker with an Elbow Drop for a near fall. Dolph Ziggler showed up on the entrance ramp and distracted Heavy Machinery and joined commentary as SmackDown went to a commercial break. The glitch appeared once again when SmackDown returned.
Otis did the Caterpillar but Ziggler interrupted. Dolph showed Otis some pictures of him spending time with Mandy. Ziggler told Otis better luck next time and Otis left the ring. Otis caught him at the barricade and slammed him to the floor. Otis grabbed a steel chair but Miz and Morrison attacked him from behind.
Otis slammed Miz’s face on the announce table several times before slamming Morrison into the ring post. Otis then drove Miz and Morrison through the barricade before grabbing another chair. Tucker pleaded with Otis to stop so they can win the match. Otis ignored him and beat the hell out of Miz and Morrison to end the match in DQ.
Opinion: It appears that this loss has eliminated Heavy Machinery from contention for the tag titles at WrestleMania. It was announced later on the show that New Day vs. The Usos will go down next week and the winners will face Miz and Morrison at WrestleMania. I thought this segment was very well done and I’d like to see Otis face Ziggler at WrestleMania. I’m sure Mandy will play a role in that match and maybe we will find out who sent Otis the text that caused him to arrive late to their date.
Goldberg and Roman Reigns had the contract signing for their Universal Championship match at WrestleMania in the final segment of this week’s show.
Reigns and Goldberg quickly launched their chairs out of the ring and refused to sit down. Goldberg said he was hoping Reigns would accept his challenge but didn’t think he would have the balls to face him.
Roman brought up all the greats that have chosen to face him before and that they have all lost to him. Reigns told Goldberg that he wasn’t going to be any different. Cole brought up a tweet that Reigns sent in January about Goldberg being stupid for slamming his head into a door during his entrance.
Reigns called Goldberg “a little bitch bulldog holding my title that he never earned”. Roman signed the contract and Goldberg did as well after declaring that Reigns is going to be his next victim at WrestleMania. The two got in each other’s face and had a stare down to end the show.
Opinion: I don’t think this segment convinced anyone to be excited for this match that wasn’t already looking forward to it. The promo was only a couple of minutes, so likely double the length of their match at Mania. Overall, I still thought this was a solid episode of SmackDown. WrestleMania is going to be odd this year with no audience but there is enough on the card to keep me tuned in both nights.
A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE WrestleMania 36 PPV and it involves Bayley.
During Friday Night SmackDown, WWE had former WWE Divas Champion Paige make an appearance via Skype where she did a segment with WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley and Sasha Banks.
This is where it was announced that Bayley would defend her title against Banks, Dana Brooke Tamina, Naomi, Lacey Evans in a Six Pack Challenge Match. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on which night this match will take place.
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.
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 – Singles 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. Dana Brooke vs. Tamina vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks – Six Pack Challenge
Baron Corbin vs. Elias
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
With CM Punk watching WWE programming again through his work on the WWE Backstage show that airs weekly on FS1, there have been some rumors about his status with the company.
For those who are wondering whether WWE has contacted CM Punk for a return at WrestleMania 36, there is no truth to any rumors going around about this possibility, according to PWInsider.
Last year, Seth Rollins had called out Punk for a match. This was around the time that Punk signed with FOX Sports for a role on WWE Backstage. For whatever reason, rumors started up again recently that WWE could book Punk vs. Rollins at WrestleMania but that’s not true.
In fact, the report states there has been zero communication between WWE officials and Punk. This includes a match or an appearance on television let alone WrestleMania.
WWE never made an offer to Punk and the rumored talks never took place. Also, there has been no internal talk about using Punk in WWE
WWE hasn’t even promoted Punk’s appearances on the FOX Sports show in recent months after some comments he has made on social media. To be clear, he is not signed with WWE but rather he is signed to FOX.
Rollins is slated to wrestle Kevin Owens at WrestleMania. Despite his recent jab at Roman Reigns over WWE holding WrestleMania 36 in an empty venue is one way to guarantee no boos for “The Big Dog,” things haven’t changed between Punk and WWE.
Matt Hardy made an appearance on Talk is Jericho for a new interview after making his promotional debut on Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite.
His debut took place after the main event that saw The Inner Circle beat The Elite in a six-man tag team match. This is where we saw Vanguard 1 fly into the crowd and Hardy standing in the bleachers.
Hardy talked about the original plans for Vanguard 1. Dynamite was supposed to be in Rochester, NY but had to be moved to Jacksonville, Florida due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Vanguard wouldn’t have been able to be used inside of the arena due to FCC regulations if the event had been held in Rochester.
“It’s definitely different. Once again, if you have a Vanguard 1 drone flying in, it’s an inanimate object,” Hardy said. “Originally, the drone was going to fly back to me, and we were gonna get a really cool beauty shot, but that didn’t happen. I went ahead because we’re doing live TV. It was kind of like an audible.”
Matt Hardy Shares AEW Backstage Vibe
Hardy also talked about how AEW is such a laid-back atmosphere. He brought up knowing some talent in AEW from previous promotions. He noted how it was different from WWE as he didn’t have to ask Vince then go through all those different levels of authority.
Hardy said that it was easy to get things done in AEW and even did some promos and vignettes at the end of the night.
“It was very easy, and it was very not to have any kind of restraints on you and just go and be creative and do your thing and do you because nobody does themselves better than them.”
Hardy stated that when the talent knows their strengths and weaknesses and you gravitate towards your strengths then that’s where the magic is.
“I think basically, the whole framework of AEW, from what I’ve seen so far, is there’s like an outline, this is where we want to go, this is what we want you to do to get there, how do you suggest we get there, and the talent fills in the blanks. That’s magic. That’s the beauty of this business.”
Hardy will join The Elite to take on The Inner Circle next week in the Blood & Guts Match.
The card for WrestleMania 36 is far from being finalized.
While the company has announced several matches for the show, Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the belief is the show will change in some ways. However, those changes have yet to be confirmed.
Per the report, the original plans of having 16 total matches might be back in place. This plan had changed due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, but that was before the decision to split the show into two nights was made.
The belief is that plans for WrestleMania 36 will likely be finalized this week.
Potential matches that could be added to the show include RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits, John Morrison and The Miz’s SmackDown Tag Team Titles, WWE Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn, Andrade’s WWE United States Title, and The Kabuki Warriors’ WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles.
Regarding Asuka and Sane, there had been plans for a Triple Threat with Natalya and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix as well as Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. Andrade could make a title defense against Rey Mysterio, who beat Andrade in a non-title match on Monday’s RAW.
The plan had been for Bayley to defend her title in a six-woman match against the likes of Sasha Banks, Carmella, Lacey Evans, Naomi, and one other. This match is up in the air.
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.
An update on WWE’s taping schedule for Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown has surfaced online.
Following the news on Thursday that the company is planning an “ambitious” taping schedule for the shows, Dave Meltzer shared some additional details in a recent post on F4Wonline.com.
It’s believed WWE will tape the two SmackDown episodes over the next two days, then air a live RAW episode on Monday and tape the March 30th show on Tuesday. It’s also possible that WWE will air older content on these shows in order to fill time.
This would be done as a way to reduce the amount of in-ring matches due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. This would keep physicality between the talents to a minimum.
Regarding WrestleMania 36, POST Wrestling was the first to report that WWE had considered taping both nights of WrestleMania while another source was unsure if that was the plan.
The latest on the status of WrestleMania is that it will likely be taped but it was noted that decision is being kept secret. In fact, very few in the company are in the loop on the WrestleMania live vs. taped decision including most of the talent.
POST Wrestling is now reporting that there has been an internal memo going around WWE HQ about how to promote WrestleMania 36 on the WWE Network.
This memo notes to avoid tag lines such as “live on WWE Network” and/or “streaming live.” Instead, WWE wants to promote the event as “Too Big for One Night.”
Clearly, WWE wants to leave the word “live” out of promotional material. Just because this memo was sent out doesn’t mean that the decision to tape has been made just yet.
WWE Superstar Baron Corbin appeared on this week’s episode of After The Bell with host Corey Graves. The outspoken SmackDown star tackled numerous topics on the show, with one of the most prominent being how he deals with fans online. Particularly, as Corbin puts it, “morons” on social media.
Baron Corbin Owns Neckbeards
Corbin argues that vocal ‘Internet fans’ only represent a 5% sliver of the WWE audience and don’t know what they’re talking about when they’re critical of him.
“It is crazy, it’s never ending, it’s crazy to me,” Corbin began. “We say social media, like that’s like 5% of our audience. Because the little kids and the parents out there? They don’t understand the terms that these morons use. You have these idiot neckbeards that want to critique everything that you do and then be like ‘you’ve got four moves.’ Actually I can do about 600 but when I do four it irritates you more.”
“‘That irritates you? Now I’m going to wear two. Thank you.’ Like, it’s so simple.”
Baron Corbin
Baron Corbin would elaborate further, discussing how he uses the comments he gets online to further his character building.
“I actually can use social media as a cheat code” Corbin stated. “Because they’re literally going, you know @John4576213 on his 12th profile is like ‘hey man, your vest looks dumb.’ and I go, ‘okay that irritates you? Now I’m going to wear two. Thank you.’ Like, it’s so simple.”
Do The Fans Understand ‘Heat?’
Corbin finished by discussing his reaction from the live crowds as well as those fans online. “They want to say, like, ‘oh he’s got go away heat.’ When I walk out that curtain? Everybody is booing me. That’s, like, they just don’t understand about heat. ‘This bad guy is getting boo’ed or he must not be good because I would like him if he was good.’ THAT’S NOT THE POINT. You know what I’m saying? They just don’t understand it and I, and it blows my mind I’m like, you people can’t be this stupid. Like my job is to make you literally hate me and I’ve had been in the ring with guys on all levels, and standing there and hearing the boos, and they’ll go ‘hey man, and they’ll turn the microphone so people can’t hear him and they’ll whisper ‘this is Vickie Guerrero heat I haven’t heard this in five years.’
What do you think of Baron Corbin’s presentation in WWE? Let us know in the comments
Many fans expected Scurll to wind up in AEW after a short run with the NWA but that wasn’t the case. This is something that Scurll talked about.
He noted that AEW was the expected destination for him because of his friendship with The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson). He stated that they are his best friends and he loves them as well as what they’re doing.
“When it came to my decision though, I, like them, had my own vision, my own dreams, and the opportunity to create a promotion in my own vision was something I always wanted and couldn’t turn down. I’ve been wrestling for a long time and it was time to do something new and set a new challenge for myself. ROH have always been amazing to me, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be more involved.”
Scurll talked about how ROH has trust in him and it really gives him the chance to be creative. This is something that he has enjoyed the most.
He stated that he has great relationships with AEW President Tony Khan, Cody Rhodes, and Kenny Omega.
Scurll added that it’s cool that they’re all doing their own thing by making a splash in the wrestling world.
A new episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown is here and it’s slated to be another interesting show.
With just hours until bell time, it’s time to look ahead starting with tonight’s episode of SmackDown. This marks the second straight week that the show will be held with no fans in attendance.
Two things have been announced thus far for this show including an appearance by former New England Patriots player Rob Gronkowski and RAW Superstar Mojo Rawley. Gronkowski has already been confirmed as the host of WrestleMania 36, which will be split into a two-night event but in front of no fans in attendance.
The former New England Patriots star will be here to hype the show as well as potentially announce his signing with the company, which has been heavily reported about.
WWE holds this show from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
An appearance by Rob Gronkowski and Mojo Rawley
WWE Universal Champion Bill Goldberg and Roman Reigns to sign their WrestleMania 36 contract
WWE could also be announcing matches for the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event.
Join us here later tonight for WWE SmackDown Results and our post-show SmackDown Takeaways feature.
Many fans believe that WWE should have postponed WrestleMania instead of moving forward with the show but it appears that the WWE Hall Of Famer Edge believes otherwise.
The former World Champion recently had an interview with Metro.co.uk where he expressed the importance of broadcasting WrestleMania in the current situation.
Edge first said that we are in the midst of something the world has never experienced before and it needs outlets like books and movies to have fun and remember what it is to be a human. He then explained that in his job, his responsibilities are to make you forget your responsibilities and claimed that moving forward with WrestleMania is very important:
“Here’s how I’ve always looked at this job. My responsibility is to make you forget your responsibilities for two or three hours a day, or during that show, that is a huge responsibility, and it’s a privilege.” said Edge. “I don’t look past it. I didn’t have it for nine years. Now I come back, and the gravity of that responsibility is not lost on me.
“Sure, it’s entertainment. Yes, we’re jumping around in tights. But a time like this, it’s very, very important. I truly believe that.”
– Edge
Edge made his in-ring return after being retired for 9 years at the Royal Rumble PPV earlier this year. He delivered an extraordinary performance during the show but was attacked by Randy Orton the night after that. He challenged The Viper for a last man standing match on Raw this week and the two are expected to meet at WrestleMania.
Despite having CM Punk as the analyst and other special guests on the show, WWE Backstage has seen a decline in the ratings in recent times and just last week it made a new record for the lowest viewership in the show’s history.
During his recent appearance on Swings & Mrs. show, the
Straight Edge star talked about a number of things and also commented on the
plummeting ratings of the show.
Punk said that WWE Backstage is an interesting show. He knows many people who don’t watch it, but he is not sure if Fox officials are concerned about the ratings very much:
“It’s an interesting show. I know a whole bunch of
people don’t watch it, but I’m not so sure they’re concerned about ratings. I
think they just want to have a discourse about the show and see what we can
talk about to make things better in a way. I have a ton of fun with the show;
me and Booker get along great. I love working with Renee.”
CM Punk continued by mentioning how the show has allowed him to meet many WWE stars who were not in the company when he was there like Ember Moon and more.
Apart from this, the former WWE Champion also said that he would be open to a wrestling return against the right opponent. You can check out his comments about potential in-ring return at this link.
WWE has entered uncharted territory with their decision to broadcast shows without any audience. This leaves the performers in frenzy as they have to perform live but have no fan reaction to know how they are doing.
Baron Corbin appeared on the After The Bell podcast before last week’s episode of SmackDown where he talked about things like the effects of coronavirus and more.
During the discussion, he also talked about WWE’s decision to put on shows without an audience and said that the part he is most nervous about is his entrance:
“The part I am most nervous about is the entrance because the second my music hits, everybody in that building is booing.” said Corbin. “For the most part I’m getting that instant reaction. These people are here to have a good time; they’re ready to have fun.
That’s the fear everybody has is there is no reaction and now we know for a fact that there will be no reaction to what we’re doing. So it’s really tough to wrap my mind around it.”
Apart from this Baron Corbin also talked about his current
position in the company and expressed his frustration with his current role in
the promotion.
The former US Champion said that WWE officials are not giving him the ball and he wants to become a bigger star. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.
WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray has shared his thoughts on Matt Hardy’s recent AEW debut. Hardy appeared during the closing moments of this Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite, aligning himself with The Elite. Bully Ray noted how debuting in an empty arena actually suited Matt Hardy’s broken character.
“I think Matt Hardy debuting last night in front of no people was just as impactful of debuting in front of a full house,” Bully Ray said. “It kind of fit Matt Hardy. Just seeing Vanguard fly in, and then just hearing the piano… the Broken character—it works with no people there.”
Bully Ray stated how it worked with no crowd noise and just the soft piano playing in the background.
“It actually fit his debut really, really well. And think about a pop that character will get the first time it’s in front of an audience… So I had no problem with Matt Hardy last night, it definitely worked.”
Bully Ray On AEW’s Trust In Its Performers
Bully Ray then complimented AEW’s ability to allow their wrestlers to connect with audiences. He stressed how their wrestlers get themselves over organically thanks to this trust. He added how “AEW is going to allow Matt Hardy to push himself to the moon.”
Matt Hardy joins Elite members Kenny Omega, Cody, Hangman Page and Matt Jackson for their Blood & Guts matchup against The Inner Circle. This matchup will take place on the next episode of Dynamite.
If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.
Sasha Banks and Bayley have both commented on being left off this year’s WrestleMania event. Responding to a tweet from WWE Hall of Famer Edge, Banks joked how she would be headlining the pre-show. She was interjecting her joke into a twitter exchange between Edge and Roman Reigns.
Sasha Banks & Bayley On WrestleMania
“That’s cute Mr. Wolf and Mr. Dog. But this Panther will be main eventing the pre show. I left my mark at the @WWEPC. Just ask the eagle @itsBayleyWWE. She was there for 5 years so technically that’s her land and she wants you off her yard! #TheMainEventbeforeTheMainEvent”
That’s cute Mr. Wolf and Mr. Dog. But this Panther will be main eventing the pre show. I left my mark at the @WWEPC Just ask the eagle @itsBayleyWWE She was there for 5 years so technically that’s her land and she wants you off her yard! #TheMainEventbeforeTheMainEventhttps://t.co/cc64UFGEya
— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) March 19, 2020
Bayley also saw Reigns’ initial tweet, which was hyping the now two-day event. Answering Reigns’ question over who would claim one of the night’s, she replied “NOT ME!!! hahahahahahahahahaha Have fun Big dog woof woof”
Sasha Banks would see Bayley’s response and reply to her friend, writing “Oops I mean, we will not be on. Let’s go gather some sheep baaaaahaha”
Both Sasha Banks and Bayley performed to an empty crowd in the WWE PC for last week’s episode of SmackDown Live. They competed against Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss. Banks and Bayley would walk away with the win.
WrestleMania 36 has been relocated from Raymond James Stadium due to coronavirus concerns. It will now take place in multiple locations, including the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
Originally set to take place on Sunday, April 5, the show has now been split across April 4 and April 5 and may even be pre-recorded.
Ring of Honor (ROH) star Silas Young has issued an apology following a Tweet where he underplayed the impact and dangers of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
His apology reads:
“Part of being a man is being able to admit when you’re wrong. I always try to downplay things or situations. perhaps I have done this with covid19. for anyone I may have offended I apologize.”
Silas Young’s original tweet has since been deleted. In it, Young suggested how people were too easily scared into giving up their rights. He pointed out how New Jersey has passed a curfew until further notice, stating how the coronavirus was a form of the flu before telling people to “Grow up.”
Part of being a man is being able to admit when your wrong. I always try to downplay things or situations. perhaps I have done this with covid19. for anyone I may have offended I apologize
Like many promotions worldwide, ROH has been forced to cancel events due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
The promotion has cancelled all of their events through May 31. Affected shows included Supercard of Honor, Pure Excellence, Battlestar 2020, Quest For Gold and the joint show between ROH and NJPW, War of the Worlds. The coronavirus outbreak has caused several industries to postpone, reschedule and cancel events and conventions.
WrestleMania 36 was recently announced to have been relocated from Raymond James Stadium. It has also been split into two days across April 4 and April 5. The show will now emanate from multiple locations and may even be pre-recorded.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling acted quickly as the coronavirus pandemic first started taking hold. The promotion cancelled their annual New Japan Cup tournament in order to help protect their fans and talent. Speaking with Sports Illustrated, NJPW President Harold Meij discussed how he intends to help get business back to normal.
“The Coronavirus has impacted the entire world,” Meij said. “However, throughout our 50-year history we have experienced and overcome numerous crises, not only emerging stronger as an organization, but also as a good social beacon bringing hope and excitement worldwide. NJPW sincerely believes professional wrestling will once again unite us all very soon, sharing our passion for wrestling together.”
Harold Meij On NJPW’s Alternative Content
Harold Meij reiterated how all New Japan events have been cancelled up to and including their March 21 show. He noted how eagerly everyone involved wants to get back to “business as usual.” According to Meij, NJPW officials are actively working towards that ambition. He acknowledged that the continuous situation is “fluid” and so they have to act responsibly with every decision.
“The Coronavirus has dramatically affected how sports and events-based businesses worldwide are able to operate,” Meij continued. “Being the biggest professional wrestling organization in Japan put a spotlight upon us and gave us a significant social responsibility. It has been our duty to not just act in the best interests of our fans, wrestlers and staff, but of society at large.”
In the wake of the New Japan Cup cancellation, the promotion has attempted to deliver alternative content to fans worldwide. NJPW has been releasing videos for their NJPW Together Project via NJPW World. The videos bring stars together to talk, entertain and provide wrestle commentary over matches.
SmackDown Superstar Daniel Bryan has acknowledged his recent wardrobe malfunction. Speaking with the Bella Twins’ on their podcast, Bryan opened up about the moment that took place during WWE’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
Bryan explained how he didn’t find out about what had happened when he came backstage. He shared how most people were either complimenting his matchup or concerned about his neck. “[…] so not a single person mentioned it. I went to sleep [that] night not even knowing that it was a thing. I didn’t feel anything, and you’d think because that’s a sensitive area, you’d think you’d feel a breeze or something like that, you know? But [that] night it wasn’t even a thing.”
Daniel Bryan’s Reaction
It wasn’t until the next morning when he got text messages from some friends that he realized what had happened. Bryan stated how he’s a terrible texter, so most people don’t bother texting him. “So that meant when I got two text messages from people saying, ‘Dude, I saw your balls!’ [laughs] I was like, ‘What?’ I didn’t know what was going on.”
He admits his first reaction was some natural embarrassment. That being said, he soon found the funny side to the situation. “[…] if your boobs come out … And then all these guys — I don’t want to say all these guys, but traditionally men — are like, ‘Boobs, yay!’ I didn’t see when I looked on social media, nobody said, ‘Balls, yay!’ [laughs]”
Daniel Bryan competed against Drew Gulak in a hard-hitting matchup during Elimination Chamber. Bryan would eventually walk away with the victory. At the time of writing, Daniel Bryan doesn’t have a scheduled match at WrestleMania 36, which now takes place on April 4 and April 5 from multiple locations.
WWE Hall of Famer Lita recently joined the Women’s Wrestling Weekly Podcast. During their conversation, she addressed WWE’s decision to not follow up with another Evolution or May Young Classic event. Given the feedback those shows received, Lita shared her disbelief at WWE holding back.
“Dude, why is it not back? So Mae Young got so much positive feedback, Evolution was sold out, granted, you can’t look at your own timeline for how people feel because they’re like, ‘You’re so great,’ and I’m like, oh, everyone loved it, but from what I got, everybody responded really positively to it, even just financially, it was sold out, I don’t understand why there is not another Evolution, why it didn’t make the regular PPV cut, was really shocking to me.”
Lita competed during the Evolution pay-per-view. She teamed up with Trish Stratus. The duo defeated the team of Mickie James and Alicia Fox.
Lita’s Wrestling Mount Rushmore
Lita was then asked which female wrestlers would adorn her personal wrestling Mount Rushmore. She listed names from the industry’s past and present. Alongside Chyna, Lita included the current WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and Luna. She explained how she always found Luna really cool and believed her to be underrated, “[…] she doesn’t get the love that she deserves.”
Adding onto the conversation of legacy recognition, Lita noted how Chyna should be added into the WWE Hall of Fame as a solo entrant.
Jake “The Snake” Roberts has shared some harsh words regarding Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. During an interview with FlipDaScript, Roberts revealed how he felt that Michaels and Hart were “chumps” who needed the title to be relevant. He claimed the two were the worst champions WWE could have had and that neither man drew any money.
When asked which Superstars needed a championship to be relevant, Jake Roberts was quick to name Michaels and Hart. “Those chumps needed the title. Nobody paid attention to them. [Michaels] was in a tag team and they were pretty good and they made the girls say, ‘Oooh!’ But that’s about it. [Michaels] worked his ass off. I’ll give him that. He performs his ass off. But was he a good champion? Hell no. Did he put asses to seats? Not that many. Check the books.”
He continued, “Bret Hart & Shawn Michaels were the worst champions of all. They did not put money in the bank. Shawn Michaels had the ‘It’ factor but he was 215 pounds and in my day, you’re getting in the ring with 275, 300, 350 pound guys. Then you go Andre who’s 550. Can you imagine Shawn going up against Andre? My case is closed.”
Jake Roberts is currently a part of All Elite Wrestling. After teasing a new association with a key talent, Roberts soon revealed former New Japan Pro-Wrestling star Lance Archer was his new client.
Former WWE Superstar Matt Hardy is now All Elite. Hardy debuted for the company during this Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite during the close of the show. Reflecting on his debut in front of zero fans in an empty arena due to the coronavirus pandemic, Hardy shared how he is proud to be a part of AEW.
“Considering the uncertainty of the current world we’re all living in, last night’s @AEWonTNT was the best audience-free pro wrestling TV broadcast yet.. And I’m ready to fight over it. Proud to be a part of @AEWrestling.”
Considering the uncertainty of the current world we’re all living in, last night’s @AEWonTNT was the best audience-free pro wrestling TV broadcast yet..
And I’m ready to fight over it. Proud to be a part of @AEWrestling.
Matt Hardy was revealed to have sided with Elite members Kenny Omega, Cody, Hangman Page and Matt Jackson. Hardy will be the fifth man in their upcoming Blood and Guts matchup against the Inner Circle, comprised of the former AEW World Champion Chris Jericho, Santana and Ortiz, Jake Hager and Sammy Guevara.
This week on Dynamite, the Inner Circle were able to pick up a victory of members of The Elite. This win gives them an edge going into their Blood and Guts match. Blood and Guts is set to take place during the next episode of AEW Dynamite.
With the current climate, however, it is unclear at the time of writing whether that will take place next Wednesday on TNT when Dynamite usually airs.
We have seen a number of wrestling shows getting new TV deals in recent times like NXT on USA, AEW Dynamite on TNT and Impact Wrestling moving to AXS TV.
This has made many wonder if other wrestling promotions such
as ROH could also be looking to launch weekly episodic TV series anytime in the
near future.
During a recent interview with WrestlingInc, ROH COO Joe
Koff discussed these possibilities and confirmed that they have plans for a
weekly series. Though he also explained that the ripple effects of coronavirus
could force them to move their plans back:
“We are always looking at that and we have a plan on
the table to look at a more weekly version. We don’t have a start date yet but
it is this year,
Those rumors are not necessarily rumors as they’re closer to fact than not.” said Coff. “But we’ll have to see how [the ripple effect of COVID-19] transpires and if they affect us moving back that date. But it’s definitely one of our goals.”
The ROH COO also discussed their decision to cancel all ROH shows untill May 31 saying that it’s not just pro wrestling and the whole world is being affected right now.
He claimed that wrestling is his business and he loves it very much but the hindrance seems small compared to the bigger picture. You can check out his full interview at this link.
While AEW officials including Cody Rhodes have taken credit for the improved pay rate of WWE talents, they have repeatedly said that the company will not be signing each and every wrestler that leaves WWE.
However, after the recent debuts of Matt Hardy and Brodie Lee, fans have once again started showing concerns over the company filling their roster with ex WWE employees.
One such fan took on his Twitter and responded to Cody Rhodes’ tweet where he welcomed Matt Hardy to AEW, by criticising the company for bringing in more former WWE stars.
Cody Rhodes responded to this fan with a tweet and he wrote: “Talent is talent. Merit based company. We have a great roster from all types of places (mainly blossoming independent stars). It’s a great balance.”
Another fan then posted a list of ex WWE employees which are working for AEW and in response; Cody Rhodes posted a list of his own featuring names who have never signed with the company. You can check out the whole exchange below:
After weeks of rumors and speculations, AEW finally revealed the name of the Exalted One and it turned out to be the former WWE Intercontinental Champion Brodie Lee.
Matt Hardy also made his debut during the same episode of Dynamite and he was revealed to be the final member of The Elite for their upcoming Blood and Guts match against the Inner Circle.
