As expected, Jon Moxley vs. Jake Hager delivered. 

Moxley made his latest title defense as the AEW World Heavyweight Champion against Hager in an Empty Arena No Holds Barred Match on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite on TNT.

Moxley went over in the contest to successfully retain the championship. It was a hard-hitting affair as both wrestlers used weapons and battled around the arena. The finish saw Moxley hit his DDT finisher to Hager on a chair. 

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross called the match on his own. It served as the headliner of the show. 

Moxley’s reign as the  AEW World Heavyweight Champion began when he dethroned Chris Jericho in the main event of the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center back in February. 

Hager signed with the promotion when he made his on the October 2, 2019 episode of AEW Dynamite from Washington, D.C., at the famed Capital One Arena on TNT. 

Hager beat Dustin Rhodes in a singles match that marked his in-ring debut with All Elite Wrestling at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event.

• Jon Moxley Discusses Being A ‘Different Person’ In AEW

AEW Dynamite aired on TNT tonight. Jon Moxley defended the AEW Championship against Jake Hager in the main event of this week’s episode.

AEW Dynamite Results (4/15)

1. Lance Archer def. Colt Cabana to advance in the TNT Championship Tournament
2. Britt Baker def. Cassandra Golden
3. Sammy Guevara def. Suge D
4. Kip Sabian def. Chuck Taylor
5. Shawn Spears def. Justin Law
6. Jon Moxley def. Jake Hager to retain the AEW Championship

Here are takeaways from this week’s show:

Lance Archer Advanced In The TNT Championship Tournament

Colt Cabana faced Lance Archer in the Quarter Finals of the TNT Championship Tournament.

Match Recap: Archer leveled a wrestler in the crowd before making his way to the ring. Colt hit Archer with a chop and Lance responded with a massive shoulder tackle. Cabana knocked Archer out of the ring and then rolled to the outside when Lance got back in. Archer went for a Splash but Colt got out of the way. Lance connected with a slam and went for the cover but Cabana kicked out at two.

Cabana battled back with a few chops to Archer’s chest but Lance shrugged them off and hit a Clothesline as Dynamite went to a commercial break. When Dynamite returned, Archer was still in control and had Cabana trapped in the corner of the ring. Archer hopped to the middle turnbuckle and went for a Splash but Colt got out of the way.

Cabana hit a Splash of his own and went for the cover but Archer kicked out at two. Lance leveled Cabana with a shoulder tackle and followed it up with a Chokeslam. Archer then hit the Blackout for the pinfall victory. Lance Archer advanced to the Semifinals of the TNT Championship Tournament.

Sammy Guevara Vowed To Defeat Darby Allin

Sammy Guevara faced Sugar D tonight on Dynamite.

Match Recap: Sammy controlled the action early and applied a Headlock. Suge D escaped and connected with an Arm Drag. Jericho continued to call Suge D “Pineapple Pete” as Sammy hit a knee to the face.

Sammy hung up Suge D in the ropes and hit a kick to the back. Guevara followed it up with a Suplex for a two count. Suge D tried to battle back but Sammy caught him in the Torture Rack into a GTS for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Guevara grabbed a microphone and vowed to kick the shit out of Darby Allin in the first round of the TNT Championship Tournament. Guevara then beat Suge D down some more before Darby Allin rushed the ring. Sammy retreated to the outside as Darby stood tall in the ring.

Kip Sabian Picked Up A Win

Kip Sabian squared off against Chuck Taylor tonight on Dynamite. Penelope Ford and Orange Cassidy were ringside for the match.

Match Recap: Chuck controlled the action early and beat Kip down in the corner of the ring. Sabian battled back with a knee to the face that sent Chuck to the outside. Kip followed him out there and paid for it with a Suplex on the apron. Chuck gave the thumbs up to the camera before rolling Kip back in the ring.

Kip connected with a Dropkick and went for the cover but Chuck kicked out at two. Sabian hit an Enziguri and followed that up with another boot to the face for a two count. Penelope hit Chuck with a couple cheap shots as the referee was distraction. Chuck planted Kip with a Powerbomb and followed it up with another one for a near fall.

Penelope Ford hopped up on the apron for a distraction but Chuck ignored her. Jimmy Havoc hopped over the barricade and planted Orange Cassidy with a Cradle DDT. Penelope hit Chuck with a Hurricanrana and Sabian capitalized with a roll-up for the victory.

Jon Moxley Retained

Jon Moxley defended his AEW Championship against Jake Hager in a No Holds Barred Empty Arena match tonight. Jim Ross was on commentary for the match.

Match Recap: Moxley drove Hager to the corner of the ring to start the match off. Jon applied an Arm Bar but Hager broke free with a right hand to the face. Hager drove Moxley to the corner and bounced Jon’s face off the top turnbuckle. Moxley battled back with some chops to the face and went back to the Arm Bar in the middle of the ring.

Hager escaped and hit a knee to the midsection. Jon launched Hager to the outside and hit him with a Crossbody. Moxley once again locked in an Arm Bar on the floor outside the ring as Dynamite went to a commercial break. When AEW returned, Moxley threw Hager over the barricade and the action spilled into the empty seats.

Moxley locked in the Figure Four around the steel railing but Hager refused to quit. Hager took control and launched Moxley back over the barricade and to the ringside area. When Dynamite returned from commercial, Moxley and Hager were back in the ring. Hager hit a Splash in the corner but Moxley battled back and hit a Clothesline.

Jon rolled up Hager for a two count. Hager beat the hell out of Moxley in the corner and the champion rolled out of the ring. Hager grabbed a steel chair and set it up in between the ropes. Moxley ran towards Hager but Jake got out of the way and Jon slammed into a steel chair.

Jake bashed Moxley in the ankle with a steel chair and followed it up with the Ankle Lock. Moxley shouted at Hager to “break my f*cking ankle!” before escaping the hold. Moxley hit Hager in the head with the chair and followed it up with the Paradigm Shift for the pinfall victory. Jon Moxley is still the AEW Champion.

Opinion: I really enjoyed this match and it was great to hear Jim Ross on commentary again. Moxley cursing several times during the match was hilarious and I’m for a title match in a Waffle House parking lot at this point.

For the foreseeable future, the lack of a crowd is going to significantly hamper every wrestling show and that is something I’m still having trouble with. Even simple things like a crowd reaction to a dominant move by Lance Archer or a pop when Darby Allin rushed the ring would have helped this show. Overall, Dynamite was still decent this week. The main event and “The Bubbly Bunch” were the highlights.

WWE is planning to hold WrestleMania 37 next year in Los Angeles but the likelihood of the event taking place in the state of California is in question. 

All businesses, countries, and states are being impacted right now due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. Thus, there is uncertainty surrounding almost everything including pro wrestling is high. 

While WWE is still advertising holding WrestleMania in the city, more uncertainty looms over next year’s event.

A report by the LA Times has come out that states an internal Los Angeles Fire Department email was issued by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who suggested that large gatherings could be put off for at least a year. This would obviously impact concerts, sporting, and pro wrestling events.

“Large gatherings such as concerts and sporting events may not be approved in the city for at least 1 year,” said Garcetti. “It was also noted in the email that Garcetti would like to start reopening the economy, starting with “essential businesses and small businesses … phased in over a period of time (6-10 months).”

WrestleMania 37 will take place on March 28th, 2021 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. 

The stadium holds 70,000. The belief is that seating can be expanded for an event like WrestleMania to hold upwards of 100,000 fans.

WWE isn’t likely to make an announcement of whether the event would need to be moved to a different location until it gets closer. 

• Roman Reigns Teases Interest In WrestleMania 37 Match Against The Rock

WWE managed to be deemed an essential business in the state of Florida thanks to Governor Ron DeSantis.

Now, WWE is free and clear to hold TV events at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. 

The news was made official by Orange County, Florida Mayor Jerry Demings at a press conference earlier this week. This was after WWE was originally deemed non-essential. The Mayor claimed that the change happened after some talks with the office of DeSantis.

State Attorney of Palm Beach County Dave Aronberg appeared on ESPN West Palm (106.3 FM) to discuss how this came about. 

“I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that the McMahon family is very tight with the Trump’s and the fact that Linda McMahon is raising $300 million dollars for Trump’s Super PAC, and the governor is very tight with the President,” Aronberg stated sarcastically. “You know, I’m sure it had nothing to do with that, right?”

President Trump also named Vince McMahon along with other sports commissioners to advise him on getting the economy back up and running. 

Aronberg realizes that pro wrestling business brings a lot of elements with it as there are more than ten people to put on a show. However, having no fans in attendance helps WWE’s cause to run the show. 

“Putting on the shows in a closed building where everyone is tested and there’s medical staff there and social distancing except for the competitors in the ring; I don’t think there is a threat to public safety and what they are doing,” Aronberg said.

He added that there’s another way to look at the situation as some people will ask how WWE got an exemption. He thinks asking that question is haphazard in the process. 

• Kurt Angle Among Stars To React To WWE Talent Releases

On Wednesday, WWE decided to release or furlough several wrestlers as well as producers from their contracts with the company. 

This came after WWE had announced via a press release that they had plans to cut back on talent expenses in addition to other areas of business expenses. 

These cuts will include reducing executive and board member compensation, decreasing operating expenses, and deferring spend on the build-out of the Company’s new headquarters for at least six months.

Unfortunately, there was a long list of notable people who were let go by the company such as Lio Rush and Kurt Angle. 

Talent released by the company included Deonna Purrazzo, Aleksandar Jaksic, Rusev, No Way Jose, Mike Kanellis, Maria Kanellis, Primo, Epico, Rowan, Sarah Logan, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, EC3, Drake Maverick, Curt Hawkins, Heath Slater, Eric Young, and Lio Rush.

Procedures who were let go included WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, Billy Kidman, Mike Rotunda, Pat Buck, Fit Finlay, Shawn Daivari, Scott Armstrong, Sarah Stock, Shane Helms, and Lance Storm. 

Several wrestlers and producers took to social media to give their reactions to the news. You can see their reactions here. 

WWE Releases 15+ Superstars (Updated)

The WWE has been forced to make several layoffs due to the current coronavirus pandemic.

It was announced that the company has cut ties with several talents already, including Kurt Angle, EC3, Drake Maverick, Gallows & Anderson, and more. The company has now been forced to get rid of several producers.

You can check out the full list (so far) below; which is highlighted by notable names such as Mike Rotunda, Fit Finlay, Shane Helms, and more.

• Billy Kidman
• Mike Rotunda
• Dave Finlay
• Pat Buck
• Shawn Daivari
• Scott Armstrong
• Sarah Stock
• Shane Helms
• Lance Storm

Of course, it’s very likely that this is only the beginning of more backstage cuts to come. The coronavirus pandemic continues to destroy the United States economy, and the WWE has obviously been affected as well. The company’s first COVID-19-related hurdle came with their biggest show fo the year. WrestleMania 36 was forced to be relocated from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida to WWE’s own Performance Center in Orlando.

Also, for the first time ever, WrestleMania took place in front of an empty crowd. No fans were allowed due to gathering restrictions, after the event was initially expected to draw over 70,000 fans. The card was also dramatically changed due to health concerns.

Now, WWE has been forced to let go of several talents, backstage personal, and more as the pandemic rages on. We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

• WWE Releases Gallows & Anderson, EC3, Heath Slater, More

WWE has announced that several members of its roster have been released. The company noted today in a press release that budget cuts were coming and would include talent releases.

The following talent was let go on Wednesday by WWE:

• Drake Maverick
• Luke Gallows
• Karl Anderson
• EC3
• Curt Hawkins
• Lio Rush
• Heath Slater
• Eric Young
• Kurt Angle
• Aiden English
• Erik Rowan
• Sarah Logan
• Mike Chioda
• Primo & Epico Colon
• Mike Kanellis (Bennett)
• Maria Kanellis
• Zack Ryder
• No Way Jose
• Deonna Purrazzo

In addition to on-screen talent, many backstage WWE producers were also released.

• WWE Releases Lance Storm, Fit Finlay, Shane Helms & More Producers

Reactions to WWE Releases

Kurt Angle posted the following after news of his release broke:

Maverick had just been confirmed for the upcoming NXT Cruiserweight tournament that is scheduled to begin airing on NXT tonight. He sent out the following on Twitter:

Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson had just signed new deals with the company last summer.

This is the second time EC3 has been released from the company. He was let go in 2013 after signing with the company in 2008. He made a name for himself in TNA Wrestling and then returned to the company in 2018. EC3 is a 4x 24/7 champion on the main roster.

This is also the second time that Curt Hawkins has been released from the company. He was let go from his contract in 2013 and then returned to the company in 2016. Hawkins is a 2x WWE tag team champion along with Zack Ryder. Hawkins sent out the following:

Lio Rush signed with the company in 2017 and is a former Cruiserweight Champion. He posted the following statement:

Eric Young signed with WWE in 2016 and had been working backstage as a producer as well.

Heath Slater becomes the 3rd member of 3MB to get fired from WWE at one point in their career. The other two have since comeback to win world titles.

• Vince McMahon Says Talent Cuts, Reduced Operating Expenses Are Coming

Dolph Ziggler posted the following in relation to the releases:

Will Ospreay had the following to say on the news:

Lance Storm closed to the Storm Wrestling Academy to begin working as a producer in WWE was also let go today. He posted the following:

Fit Finlay is someone largely credited with the success of WWE’s women’s divisions. He was let go today and posted the following:

Vince McMahon and WWE have announced that some major cuts are coming the company’s way.

This is due to the current coronavirus outbreak and how detrimental it has been to the United States economy. WWE released an official press release, noting the coronavirus and current government-mandated impacts on the company will force several changes. The changes read as follows:

• Reducing executive and board member compensation;
• Decreasing operating expenses;
• Cutting talent expenses, third party staffing and consulting;
• Deferring spend on the build out of the Company’s new headquarters for at least six months

To recap, WWE will be reducing executive and board member salaries. Also, operating expenses, talent expenses, and third party staffing/consulting will be cut. This means that some roster cuts are coming, and there will be select WWE stars who will be given their walking papers soon. “The Company also identified headcount reductions and made the decision to furlough a portion of its workforce effective immediately.”

It might only be a matter of time before the news begins pouring in that some talents are now free agents. Once the coronavirus pandemic begins to wind down, hopefully things will slowly return to normal and those who have been furloughed will return to work. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.

Update: WWE Releases Gallows & Anderson, EC3, Drake Maverick & More

Impact Wrestling aired the go-home show before the 2-episode Rebellion show set to begin airing next week. Josh Matthews and Madison Rayne were on commentary and continued to be completely unaware that they are married to one another.

Impact Wrestling 4/14/20 Quick Results:

1. Johnny Swinger defeated Mike Jackson
2. Fallah Bahh & TJP defeat The Rascalz (Dez & Wentz) and Reno SCUM (Adam Thornstowe & Luster The Legend) and XXXL(Acey Romero & Larry D)
3. Hernandez defeated Rohit Raju
4. Ace Austin defeated Trey
5. Tenille Dashwood defeated Taya Valkyrie

Sami Callihan Continues ICU Mind Games With Ken Shamrock

Sami Callihan and Ken Shamrock engaged in a contract-signing segment this week to close out the show. Callihan spent the opening moments of the segment antagonizing the legend but when Shamrock went to attack, the lights went out. When they came back on Callihan was gone but mystery people with signs over their faces were all around ringside. Shamrock went to the back to look for Callihan and chased after one of the mystery ICU people. Shamrock hopped in a car and hoped to follow the mystery person but received a call on his cell from Sami who told him to tip his driver. Then a bunch of the ICU-sign-faced people began trying to tip over the car he was in to end the segment.

It’s not clear what Callihan has instore for Shamrock next week but one can only assume he’ll continue the mind games. Their match will headline next week’s show.

Taya Valkyrie Assaults Tenille Dashwood, Jordynne Grace Makes The Save

Taya Valkyrie has a Full Metal Mayhem Knockouts title match upcoming against Jordynne Grace at Rebellion. She dropped a match this week to Tenille Dashwood, however. Taya was upset after hitting Road To Valhalla and Dashwood getting her hand on the rope to break the pin. Dashwood then rolled up the former champion and scored the upset win.

Valkyrie lost it after the match and assaulted Dashwood with a series of weapons. Even John E Bravo implored her to stop. Finally, Jordynne Grace came out to make the save with a kendo stick. All the weapons used will be legal when these two face off for the belt at Rebellion.

Kylie Rae Isn’t Always Happy

“Smiley” Kylie Rae was the guest this week on Madison Rayne’s “Locker Room Talk” (along with Johnny Swinger). Rayne tried to get Kylie to say something negative about Hogan but it wasn’t happening. Hogan then interrupted and told Kylie she is going to show her that there are no friends in the Knockouts division. This caused Kylie to stop smiling, get angry, and tell Kiera that she doesn’t think she’s very nice. This should add a new element to the Kylie Rae vs Kiera Hogan showdown scheduled for Rebellion.

Ace Austin Picks Up Win Over Old Rival

Trey from the Rascalz confronted Ace Austin backstage this week. Trey said that Austin is trying to do the same thing to Willie Mack that he did to him and his mother, leading to a brawl between the two and this match here. Austin picked up the win, albeit with a handful of trunks.

After the match, an interview with Willie Mack was shown. Mack told Austin he’s going to have his own magic trick prepared for him at Rebellion, he’s going to make Austin’s title belt disappear.

Rob Van Dam & Katie Forbes Happy To Practice “Social Distancing” From The Deaners & Fans

Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes were shown in a hot tub this week. Their segment aired just after a vignette for Cancel Culture that Joseph Ryan insisted be played. RVD and Forbes said they are happy to practice social distancing from the Deaners and their toxic masculinity. RVD and Forbes then made out to end the segment.

Johnny Swinger Defeats “Young Buck” M. Jackson

Johnny Swinger promised last week that he would face a “Young Buck” named M. Jackson this week. The wrestler was not Matt Jackson from the Young Bucks, however, but rather 70-year-old Mike Jackson. Jackson provided a surprisingly large challenge to Swinger, who had to resort to underhanded tactics to pull out the win. Swinger put Jackson in a pinning combination and used the ropes for leverage to get the 3-count.

TJP & Fallah Bah Headed For Another Shot At Tag Gold\

The North defeated TJP and Fallah Bah in a tag title match back in February but it looks like these two teams will meet once again. On this week’s episode, TJP and Fallah Bah won a fatal 4-way tag match. They defeated Reno Scum, the Rascalz, and Team XXL this week. After the match, the North hit the ring and engaged in a staredown with TJP and Fallah Bah to close the segment.

Hernandez Returns, Picks Up Win Over Rohit Raju

Super Mex has returned to Impact Wrestling. He returned at the TNA One-Night-Only event recently and took on Rohit Raju this week. He defeated Raju with the Border Toss.

Rebellion Lineup For Nights 1 and 2

Rebellion will be a 2-show episode beginning next week. Here is the lineup for the shows:

Rebellion Night 1:

• X-Division Championship
  Ace Austin (c) vs Willie Mack
• Kylie Rae vs Kiera Hogan
• Tommy Dreamer, Rhino & TBD vs OVE (Madman Fulton, Dave & Jake Crist)
• Ken Shamrock vs Sami Callihan

Rebellion Night 2:

• Suicide vs Chris Bey vs Trey vs Rohit Raju
• More matches TBD

Major League Wrestling won’t be running any live events until there is no risk to wrestlers, employees, or the general public from doing so. In a recent interview with Entrepreneur, MLW’s Court Bauer referred to other promotions filming content at this time as “grotesque.”

“I’ll say this succinctly: That my competitors are putting on events in empty arenas and exposing their talent, crews, staffs and families to the potential [of] contracting the coronavirus I think is, frankly, grotesque,” Bauer said during the interview.

Asked about his call not to run events during the pandemic, Bauer stated it was not a difficult decision.

“I have to do the right thing for the people in my company. It’s kind of the easiest decision I’ve ever made managing this company. There’s no discussion. This is what you do. And I sleep great at night.”

Currently on MLW Fusion, the promotion is airing matches filmed in Tijuana on March 13th. The company has no plans to produce more content until it is safe to do so.

• MLW Fusion Results & 6 Takeaways (4/11/20)

Bauer also said during the interview that MLW has a 16-month strategy for programming mapped out. He would continue to say that his company has produced 3-models based on when they could return.

“We have three models: one that would have us return in the summer, one in the fall and one 18 months from now,” Bauer said.

“I have an incredible team with a financial background that helps us navigate this. We don’t have the substantial overhead that a lot of companies have, and our revenue’s very strong and steady.”

Bauer would continue to talk about how the ongoing situation will likely change the landscape of pro-wrestling. Live events might not be as essential to wrestling companies as they once were.

“Live TV is exciting, but is it essential and necessary to operate in 2020 and beyond? I think people should rethink that. And if you’re a company built on promoting events weekly, this kind of disruption might cause you to pause and think: What if this happens again?”

The full interview with Entrepreneur Media can be found here.

The Undertaker is auctioning off a one-of-a-kind experience to help raise money for charity. Proceeds from the auction will go to Feeding America, Meals On Wheels, World Central Kitchen and No Kid Hungry. The winning bid will be awarded a trip to Austin, Texas to enjoy a private dinner with Taker. The person will also be gifted a ring-worn Undertaker jacket.

“WWE legend The Undertaker wants to fly you and a friend out to Austin, Texas, for a private dinner. The night will consist of amazing food and the can’t miss opportunity to reminisce with The Phenom over your favorite matches and moments throughout his career,” a description of the auction reads.  

As of this writing, the current leading bid is $4,700.00 after 8 bids have been made.

Undertaker announced he was taking part in the “All In Challenge” through his social media channels:

Undertaker Accepts All In Challenge For Charity

“You know when I was first starting out in the wrestling business there were times where I didn’t know where my next meal was coming from,” Taker says in the video. “There were a lot of times where I didn’t have enough money for that meal. So on a small scale, I can understand what a lot of these people are going through and are going to go through. So, it’s up to us to reach back and pull some people forward.”

“What I’m going to bring to the table is dinner with the Undertaker. We can talk all things wrestling and along with that dinner I’m going to bring one of my iconic ring jackets that I’ve worn at one of the PPVs that I’ve performed in.”

Taker then nominated Post Malone and Jesse James from West Coast Choppers to also take part in the challenge. You can submit your bid for Taker’s charity auction through the Fanatics website here.

• The Undertaker Opens Up About Boneyard Match At WrestleMania 36

AEW has released its weekly rankings for April 15th, 2020. The promotion releases new top-5 rankings every Wednesday for its men’s, women’s and tag team divisions. 

AEW Men’s Division

World Champion: Jon Moxley (8-0)

1. Jake Hager (4-0)
2. Cody Rhodes (6-1) (+1)
3. Chris Jericho (0-1) (-1)
4. Kenny Omega (3-0)
5. Darby Allin (4-2)

The only movement in the men’s single’s rankings this week was Cody moving ahead of Chris Jericho. Cody defeated Shawn Spears in the 1st round of the TNT Championship tournament this week while Chris Jericho worked the commentary booth with Tony Schiavone.

Jake Hager and Jon Moxley were each featured in videos building up their title match on this week’s Dynamite. Darby Allin didn’t wrestle and Kenny Omega teamed with Michael Nakazawa in a loss to the Best Friends.

AEW Women’s Division

Champion: Nyla Rose (4-1)

1. Hikaru Shida (7-1)
2. Kris Statlander (2-3)
3. Yuka Sakazaki (1-1)
4. Riho (3-3) (+1)
5. Britt Baker (2-3) (-1)

There was just one match in the women’s division this week but it was an important one. #1 ranked Hikaru Shida once again retained her top-ranking in the division. She defeated Britt Baker who went into the match ranked #4 but with the loss drops below former champion Riho. Shida is really on fire as of late. In addition to beating Baker this week and Anna Jay last week, she won a fatal 4-way match against Kris Statlander, Penelope Ford, and Riho on March 18th. She also won a fatal 4-way against Big Swole, Shanna, and Yuka Sakazaki on February 26th.

AEW Tag Team Division

Champions: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (6-0)

1. The Dark Order (5-0)
2. The Young Bucks (2-2)
3. Best Friends (4-3) (+2)
4. SCU (2-3)
5. Lucha Bros (1-2)

The Best Friends move up two spots in the rankings this week after defeating Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa. There was a lot on the line in the match, as the winning team would carry the “Best Friends” name moving forward. There was no other movement in the tag division this week.

• AEW Rankings Released For 4/8/20

All Elite Wrestling has provided an update on its upcoming AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view.

There has been some uncertainty surrounding the event due to the Coronavirus pandemic. According to AEW, the show will still take place on Saturday, May 23rd. However, it will no longer take place from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. A new location has yet to be announced, but there will be no fans in attendance.

The new location will be revealed in the weeks ahead, with the specifics to be determined using the latest guidance of national and global health authorities.

AEW Double or Double or Nothing will be available for purchase via BR Live, iN DEMAND cable operators, DirecTV, DISH. AEW fans outside the United States can order via the FITE streaming service.

Refunds are being issued for people who purchased tickets to Double or Nothing and the AEW Dynamite taping scheduled for the following Wednesday.

A statement issued by AEW reads:

“As illustrated in our mission statement, the safety and well-being of our fans and talent is always our top priority. AEW is grateful to MGM Grand Hotel and Resorts and everyone close to and within the AEW family – including fans – for their patience and understanding, and sends thanks around the world to healthcare and other frontline workers who are answering the call to protect and serve their communities.”

The MGM Grand website lists AEW Double or Nothing as being postponed to May 29, 2021.

Double or Nothing Impacted

As of this writing, the only match announced for AEW Double or Nothing is the finals of the AEW TNT Championship tournament.

AEW has not revealed the next challengers to its top champions. As of this writing, Jake Hager (4-0 this year) is the #1 contender to Jon Moxley’s AEW World Championship. Hikaru Shida (7-1) is the top ranked female, while The Dark Order (5-0) are the top-seeded tag team.

Many of AEW’s storylines have been up-ended due to the Coronavirus situation. The Blood and Guts double cage match scheduled for last month was postponed indefinitely. The consequences of that battle between The Elite and The Inner Circle would have certainly impacted AEW storylines in the build to Double or Nothing.

AEW recently held Dynamite TV tapings from Georgia. The company has many more weeks of shows ready to air, however, they worked with a skeleton crew. This also certainly impacted what was originally planned for the pay-per-view.

AEW on-air personality and former WWE agent Arn Anderson recently answered questions from fans on the ARN podcast. One of the queries centered on a potential film adaption of the Four Horseman. Co-host of the podcast Conrad Thompson asked Arn Anderson who would play Ric Flair in the film, and Arn replied with Joe Exotic. If you haven’t been following the hype about Exotic? He is the ‘star’ of the recent Tiger King series on Netflix.

Anderson would then compare the series to pro wrestling. There have been points where the eclectic nature of the big cat owners and the ‘carny’ sensibilities of old-school ‘wrasslin’ promotors have maybe intermeshed.

Arn Anderson on The Tiger King

“You know what’s what’s hilarious about that series is?” Arn Anderson began. “I mean this thing has blown up. People are stuck at home and they’re looking for a different alternative viewing and all that and this. We heard about it and heard about it before we decided to watch it. That’s Erin and I, we watched that. We watched the whole series over, you know, a couple, three days, whatever it was.”

Arn would then hilariously reveal that his wife Erin didn’t think that the personalities in the series were all that weird. “She said, you know what horrifies me? I don’t think all those people are that weird!? Now she’s grown up in the wrestling business, right? She’s seen some, some crazy stuff being around Ric [Flair] all these years. She is so jaded just like me that, that whole thing just didn’t come across as being that out of bounds! Now once you see the whole series and you go back and look at it you go ‘well something was really quirky about everybody in that show. Then it starts to pile on you a little bit but, it was it was entertaining, that’s for sure.”

In case you missed it, we had some further information on Joe Exotic’s foray below:

Tim Storm On Joe Exotic’s Wrestling Shows

• NWA’s Tim Storm Describes Meeting Joe Exotic

The former NWA World Heavyweight Champion recently spoke about his experience working with Joe Exotic. He noted that he was shocked by what he was charged and convicted of in a video posted to the NWA YouTube channel.

Vice recently spoke to promoter Robert Langdon from Texoma Pro Wrestling who worked with Joe to promote multiple shows. The events served as a fundraiser for Joe’s zoos. Joe Exotic served as the color commentator for the shows which were streamed on his official YouTube channel. Check out the full story here.

New Japan Pro Wrestling star Will Ospreay recently addressed CM Punk’s comments on the ‘Aerial Assassin’ being a potential match up he would consider. In a recent interview, CM Punk stated that if the “conditions were right” then he would consider discussing potential matches against John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio and Will Ospreay.

Obviously, Ospreay is the only name on that list that does not currently work for WWE. This has lead many to believe that not only does Punk keep up with New Japan Pro Wrestling, but that it might be a consideration.

Will Ospreay vs CM Punk?

Whilst there’s no confirmation of this whatsoever, Will Ospreay has publicly stated that he would like the match at Wrestle Kingdom in January next year. Appearing recently on the Chris Van Vliet podcast; Ospreay said that the ball is completely in Punk’s court when it comes to the potential match.

“It can happen and the only person that can make it happen is him” Ospreay began. “We live in this world of possibility. Anything is possible and the whole ‘Never Say Never’ thing? But like whenever someone goes ‘Will are you ever going to go to WWE?’ like my natural reaction is to go like ‘no.’ But the reality is it IS never say never.”

Punk Has Left Wrestling?

Will Ospreay would elaborate further, saying how he really never considered facing CM Punk a possibility, due to the way he left WWE initially. “But like, Punk? I didn’t really consider this a possibility at all. Because the way he talked in the Colt Cabana interview? He was DONE with wrestling. And when he showed up in the UFC it was ‘all right so this is him just pretty much done with wrestling.’ It was only when I saw that (aforementioned) interview.”

“Because my phone just went off on a random day, my phone just started going off. And when Punk did that interview and he said like, ‘I would listen to your idea if it was John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Daniel Bryan or Will Ospreay!?’ and I was like, ‘dude those three are legends right there. That’s the cream of the crop stuff. So no matter what you say about my confidence in ability or whatever? Like, they’re there (up in the echelons). I’m here, I’m not even on the screen down here (laughs).”

The Pipebomb

Ospreay also mentioned that whilst he was taken aback by the suggestion, he knows that Punk is at least aware of what is happening in Japan. “I thought, If he’s coming back he’s going to WWE. But then I always remember that promo where he sat cross legged, and he was like, ‘maybe when I’m done here I could go to New Japan Pro Wrestling, maybe I could go to Ring of Honor.’ So he does watch. And that was back in 2011. He’s still watching (New Japan), because I wasn’t around in 2011.”

Do you think that we could see Punk vs Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom? Let us know in the comments

Also Check Out:

• CM Punk Says It’s Impossible To Watch Wrestling Without An Audience
• CM Punk: “It’s Completely Strange’ For WWE To Hold WrestleMania Right Now
• NJPW President Pens Open Letter To Fans Regarding Event Cancelations
• CM Punk On How Brock Lesnar Is In Real Life

It’s widely known that AEW taped matches in Jacksonville and QT Marshall’s gym in Norcross, GA last month that will air on future Dynamite episodes. 

It’s been reported that the promotion has enough content taped to last them through mid-May. 

A new report by Wrestling Inc notes that MJF, The Young Bucks, “Hangman” Adam Page, Nyla Rose, PAC, The Lucha Bros, SCU and Big Swole did not work the most recent TV tapings in Georgia. 

Thus, fans shouldn’t expect to see them on future episodes of Dynamite. For now, Georgia is currently under a “shelter in place” order that will last the remainder of this month. 

AEW does have the option of returning to Florida but they won’t be able to run Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. 

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has deemed pro sports leagues as “essential services” as long as they have essential people working, no fans in attendance, and production with a national audience. 

This covers MMA and pro wrestling. Just like with WWE, AEW would be allowed to run TV tapings in the state. 

AEW President Tony Khan has told talent and staff that if they don’t feel comfortable with working the tapings then they won’t face punishment over it.

Talent from states like New York and California were also not used at the TV tapings. 

Viewership data is in for this week’s episodes of Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night RAW. 

Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

RAW Viewership

Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.913 million viewers, which is down from the 2.010 million viewers last week. 

This was the lowest-rated episode of the show for the year. Here is the hourly viewership breakdown:

• Hour 1: 1.994 million (2.311 Last Week), 0.59 Demo (0.78 Last Week)
• Hour 2: 1.913 million (2.063 Last Week), 0.57 Demo (0.69 Last Week)
• Hour 3: 1.832 million (1.925 Last Week), 0.52 Demo (0.64 Last Week)

RAW featured Asuka vs. Ruby Riott, Kairi Sane vs. Nia Jax, and Sarah Logan vs. Shayna Baszler in Money in the Bank qualifying matches, Aleister Black defeats Oney Lorcan, The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) defeat Cedric Alexander & Ricochet, and Drew McIntyre defeats Andrade in the main event. 

• WWE RAW Results & Takeaways (4/13)

SmackDown Viewership

SmackDown averaged 2.317 million viewers on FOX in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. This is down from the 2.398 million viewers that the show did for the previous week’s episode of SmackDown.

The show averaged 2.304 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was down from the 2.375 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets. 

The first hour drew 2.372 million viewers while the second hour did 2.235 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.407 million viewers while the second hour did 2.342 million viewers. 

SmackDown pulled in a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demos, the same from the 0.60 rating as last week’s show.

• WWE SmackDown Results & 8 Takeaways (4/10)

Arn Anderson sounds excited at the prospect of former WWE tag team The Revival joining All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

The latest episode of the Arn Show podcast featured AA fielding questions from his readers. Co-host Conrad Thompson asked Arn about his reaction to Dax Hardwood (Scott Dawson) and Cash Wheeler (Dash Wilder) becoming free agents. Arn replied, “What do you think?” This triggered a laugh from Conrad. Arn said he also reacted with laughter when he heard about WWE releasing The Revival.

“The laugh you just had is exactly what I did,” Arn began. “As a matter of fact, I got a message from Dawson the night before. He said, ‘About 9am, there will be some good news show up.’ And that’s all he said.”

Arn Anderson continued, “Well, 9am, it hit. It surprised me a little bit, that they would let ’em go scot-free. That’s the way it should be.”

Conrad said that WWE’s decision to grant The Revival their release is an ‘interesting story’ and not the way the company typically does business. He said that’s The Revival’s story to tell and he’ll leave it at that.

He added that The Revival becoming free agents is a remarkable situation. It seems logical that they will eventually wind up in AEW. They have been teasing a feud with The Young Bucks for years on social media. Arn Anderson is a natural fit to work with them. It will be tremendous to see them in AEW, However Conrad thinks we need to see them in an NWA ring at least once.

Arn feels The Revival are now the hottest commodity in the business. Companies all over the world will be vying for their services. Whoever signs them will be much better off.

Arn continued praising The Revival. He called them the most unselfish, giving guys he’s seen come along in a long time. They have the same mentality that he, Tully and the original Four Horsemen had. Every night, they go out steal the show and make everybody in the arena go nuts. They have the talent, the ability and whoever gets them will be very lucky.

Head over to WestwoodOnePodcasts.com to listen to the full episode.

• Jim Ross Also Wants the Revival in AEW

Below, you can listen to what The Solomonster has to say about WWE releasing The Revival.

Refunds are reportedly being issued to those who purchased tickets for WrestleMania 36. This comes via a report from PWInsider.

Initially, WrestleMania 36 was to go down from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the event was forced to make a huge change. WWE moved their “Show Of Shows” to their own Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Also, for the first time ever, no fans were allowed in the arena for the show.

WWE aired WrestleMania 36 over a two day period and featured more off location matches than usual. In addition to the show facing a ton of hurdles this year, it wasn’t without controversy either. Drew McIntyre’s WWE Championship win over Brock Lesnar was criticized for being too short. Also, Edge and Randy Orton’s Last Man Standing match, the second-longest in WrestleMania history, was believed to have lasted too long.

The match also featured a spot that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. During the match, Orton choked Edge with a machine in the weight room similar to the one Chris Benoit killed himself with in 2007. With WrestleMania now behind them, WWE is focused on continuing to tape their weekly programs live. Florida has now deemed WWE “essential,” thus allowing them to continue broadcasting live weekly rather than pre-taping shows.

• Eric Bischoff Commends WWE For Delivering WrestleMania 36

Jerry Lawler returned to the RAW broadcast booth last night and is currently garnering backlash online for a joke he made during the Austin Theory vs Akira Tozawa match.

Tozawa hit Theory with a diving senton during the match. As the replay aired, Lawler remarked that the move was a “ramen noodle moonsault.”

Lawler’s comment was edited off the Hulu version of RAW. Twitter user @GetDaTables posted footage of Lawler’s comment in the Tweet below:

Lawler’s comment is receiving backlash online:

Jim Cornette Defends Jerry Lawler

Jim Cornette posted the following in defense of Lawler’s comment:

Cornette is no stranger to online backlash from comments made at the announce booth. The NWA and Cornette agreed to part ways shortly after he made a joke in reference to the Ethiopian famine of the mid-80s during an episode of Powerrr.

“He’s the only man I’ve ever known that can strap a bucket of fried chicken on his back and ride a motor scooter across Ethiopia.”

• Jim Cornette Gone From The NWA (Statement)
• NWA Pulls Powerrr Episode For Racially Offensive Comment By Jim Cornette

The Ethiopian famine led to massive global fundraising efforts including the Live Aid festival in 1985. Cornette defended the line on his podcast, stating that decades ago similar jokes were made on-air.

“It’s a starvation joke, not a race joke,” Cornette said. “Whether it’s a good joke or a bad joke, it was a joke that has been told on TBS, USA Network, broadcast television stations across America over a variety of locations for the past 30 years.”

Discussion: Was Jerry Lawler’s joke in bad taste, or are people overreacting?

Wrestling legend Jim Cornette recently weighed in on the ongoing situation regarding Ronda Rousey.

To recap, the former WWE RAW Women’s Champion recently indicated that she is very unlikely to return to the company, largely due to unappreciative fans.

Rousey said on ‘Jackass’ star Steve-O’s Wild Ride podcast, “I love performing. I love the girls. I love being out there … but, at the end of the day, I was just like, ‘F*ck these fans, dude.’ My family loves me and they appreciate me and I want all my energy to go into them.”

Ronda Rousey vs Nia Jax

It was recently revealed by Nia Jax that she had to go to WWE management regarding a WWE talent who was legitimately roughing up her friend Alexa Bliss during matches. Although not confirmed, it was heavily indicated that it was Ronda Rousey.

Nia recently commented on the situation, saying “I can’t wait for Ronda 2 one day return 2 WWE. Even if WWE orders me to make Ronda look good in the ring, which is the ONLY way for Ronda 2 look good in the ring w/me. I’ll risk my job 2 go down in history as the one from this biz that knocked her the F**K out! #TestMeBitch”

“So why did they put her in with Ronda Rousey? I have no f*cking idea”

-Jim Cornette

Jim Cornette Comments

“I can see why they [WWE] didn’t want to put Ronda Rousey in with Nia Jax,” Jim Cornette stated on his Drive Thru podcast. “Because they were trying to get Rousey over and she would not be able to do all of her sh*t and throw Nia Jax around like a rag doll etc.”

Cornette then questioned why WWE chose to put Alexa Bliss in a programme with Rousey initially. “I’ve seen that Alexa Bliss. She’s gorgeous girl but you know she is five foot nothing and doesn’t weigh 100 pounds or whatever the f*ck. She looks the furthest thing from physically intimidating. So why did they put her in with Ronda Rousey? I have no f*cking idea. Because they should have known a little lady like that cannot be f*cking thrown around.”

Cornette continued, “I don’t think Alexa Bliss has ever fought in a cage, I don’t think she’s been in any contact sports, she might have been a cheerleader whatever the f*ck. I would have picked one of the larger, more physically equipped ladies to work with Ronda Rousey especially if she was that f*cking dangerous.”

It looks as though this won’t be last that we’re hearing about Ronda Rousey and her time in the WWE.

Also Check Out:

• Recent Ronda Rousey Comments Reportedly Not A Work
• Hulk Hogan Reacts To Ronda Rousey’s “Work Yourself Into A Shoot” Tweet
• Mark Henry Defends Ronda Rousey, Believes She Is Due More Respect

Former WWE Smackdown Executive Director Eric Bischoff recently commented on the ‘Monday Night War’ that saw TNA head to Monday nights back in 2010. On March 8th 2010, TNA would air on Monday nights head to head with WWE’s flagship RAW program. The experiment would only last until late April, when the company would move back to their Thursday night slot after losing a hefty chunk of their audience against WWE.

Eric Bischoff would claim on his 83 Weeks podcast that the move to Monday was never permanent. In fact, it was designed to give TNA a ‘kick start’ and market the product and get the wrestling audience to potentially ‘sample’ something they hadn’t seen previously.

Eric Bischoff on Competition

“It’s another strategy that we created” Eric Bischoff began. “It’s competition, it’s a way to get people to sample your product and that’s all it was. How do we make the biggest impact? How do we maximise the addition of Hulk Hogan to the TNA brand? Can we exploit that to the maximum potential? How do we do it?”

Bischoff would then describe how the ‘peripheral’ wrestling media would be instrumental to the ‘sampling.’

“We thought going head to head because we knew it would make noise. We knew that the ‘peripheral’ wrestling audiences or ‘peripheral wrestling industry’ would be buzzing about it. They’d either be ripping it apart or they’d be putting it over, one or the other. It did not matter, as long as they were talking about it, they would be encouraging people one way or the other to at least sample it out. Either to validate the criticism for going head to head or to validate the choice to do it.”

Small, Niche Product

Although some fans would argue that the pre-Hogan era of TNA was working, Eric Bischoff would comment on how the company needed to make a ‘big move.’ “TNA needed to make a big move. They were quite successful as a small niche product is in a certain segments of the country, right? TNA had some of the same problems that WCW had early on, in that they weren’t real popular on the West Coast. They didn’t have a lot of Upper Midwest kind of success. They were very popular in certain pockets of the country.”

“But for the most part it wasn’t a national kind of brand. They were pretty niche. And bringing Hulk Hogan in with Ric Flair was a way to change that perception, and that’s all going head to head was. It was ‘let’s let the world know we’re here, and we’re here to put on a good show.’ And there’s no better way to do it, in terms of getting an audience and attracting curiosity; if nothing else, it was to make a big move and go slap the giant [WWE] in the face and see what happens.”

As mentioned, TNA would eventually move back to Thursday nights on Spike TV as the experiment had failed. Or had it? Do you think that TNA were right to take the gamble? Let us know in the comments

If you use any of the quotes from this article please credit 83 Weeks Podcast with a h/t to SEScoops.com for the transcription.

Also Check Out:

• Hulk Hogan Reacts To Ronda Rousey’s “Work Yourself Into A Shoot” Tweet
• The Rock Still Loves Wrestling & Reveals What He Misses Most About It
• Kurt Angle Comments On The Coronavirus Pandemic

New Japan Pro-Wrestling President Harold Meij has written an open letter to fans regarding event cancellations. Like several other wrestling promotions, NJPW has been forced to reschedule and cancel a number of events. This was done due to the coronavirus pandemic. Most recently, New Japan’s Road to Dontaku tour was canceled, prompting Meij to connect with the NJPW fanbase.

Meij highlighted how their recent 12 cancellations from April 19 to May 4 join previously canceled events dating back to March 1. He revealed that the promotion is monitoring the situation closely regarding events scheduled from May 4 onwards.

He shared how the promotion has been taking the global situation “very seriously from an early stage.”

According to Harold Meij, 90% of their employees are currently working from home as they do all they can to help stop the spread of COVID-19. “We, like you, are disappointed and frustrated at not being able to present the best professional wrestling on the planet on a live basis at the current moment in time.”

Harold Meij Thanks The Fans

Harold Meij urged fans to do what they can to prevent the further spread of the disease. He noted how, unless you are in essential work, you should stay home and enjoy entertainment via NJPW World. He thanked the fans for their support and stressed that “we will get through this together.”

Meij added how the fighting spirit of NJPW is something that can overcome any opposition and that he looks forward to the day they can begin delivering shows once more.

As the world continues to self-isolate and struggle with the coronavirus pandemic, Kurt Angle has offered some words of encouragement to the WWE Universe. 

The WWE Hall of Famer took to his Twitter account to connect with his fans, acknowledging how the future is uncertain at this time. He stated how many are struggling right now due to the pandemic.

Kurt Angle then stressed how “this is the calm before the storm” before adding how humanity will eventually bounce back. He believes that we “will end up in a better place than we were before” before imploring his fans to believe. The former Superstar accompanied the tweet with hashtags for prayer, faith, hope, and positivity. 

WWE Being Declared “Essential Bussiness”

Despite coronavirus concerns, it was recently revealed that WWE will be going ahead with live broadcasts of its shows. This comes in the wake of Mayor of Orange County, Jerry Demings, declaring that WWE is considered an essential business.

“I think initially there was a review that was done and they were not initially deemed an essential business,” Demings stated before giving the explanation. “With some conversation with the Governor’s office regarding the Governor’s order, they were deemed an essential business. Therefore, they were allowed to remain open.”

Since retiring from in-ring competition at WrestleMania 35, Kurt Angle has segued into a backstage produce role with WWE. It is unknown if Angle will be in attendance for WWE’s live broadcasts.

Former WWE Superstar Aron Stevens has opened up about his time working for the promotion as Damian Sandow. Catching up with Lilian Garcia on her podcast Chasing Glory, Stevens divulged the self-doubt he suffered during his WWE career. 

Aron Stevens shared how he didn’t leave WWE on the note he wanted to. Following his release, Stevens revealed he became a lot more self-aware. According to him, he underwent a lot of self-analysis to look inward and “get to where I wanted to get.” He explained how he is no longer so linear in his thinking and is more open to allowing things to happen. 

If he could go back and change his time in WWE, Stevens stated he would have been more patient. He believes this would have helped him to “handle things better.” He did acknowledge, however, that it was only by leaving WWE that he would have had his personal epiphany. 

Aron Stevens On Creeping Self-Doubt

One thing that plagued Aron Steven’s during his WWE tenure was self-doubt. He described it as something that “crept” into him over time. When his music hit, however, Stevens noted that he would have no doubt at all. 

“That’s what I think allowed me to have the career that I’ve had. Because when I’m out there [in the ring], I don’t make a wrong decision, I don’t,” he explained. “As a performer, you listen to the crowd and you start making adjustments. I am fine with that. But, it’s something that a lot of people struggle with.”

He continued, “[…] No, when I’m out there, let me have my time, and we’re going to be fine. It was such a break and such a relief. But then, when you go back [you ask yourself], ‘Why aren’t they doing this with me?’ Like my t-shirts. They weren’t the highest-selling t-shirts at live events, and I let that get to me and other little things.”

This allowed self-doubt to begin affecting him. He would question if he was good enough as a performer and Superstar. He explained how he would approach Road Dogg and WWE creative, but wasn’t able to secure anything for himself. This forced him to reassess his situation from a “realistic perspective” eventually leading him to “hit the reset button on life,” a decision he admitted wasn’t an easy thing to do.