Dustin Rhodes will take on Kip Sabian tonight on Dynamite. The match will be in the 1st round of the TNT Championship tournament. Rhodes has also said that if he fails to defeat Sabian tonight, he’ll retire from wrestling. He spoke with TV Insider recently about his time in AEW so far. During the conversation, Dustin opened up about his relationship with his brother Cody.
“There is a huge age difference between my brother and myself,” Dustin said about his brother who is 17-years younger than him. “We don’t have a lot in common. He has grown up his way, and we were blessed to tag with each other in WWE. He went off on his own and left. I was stuck there, which is exactly what it was.”
Was this your @dustinrhodes moment? In Austin, TX, he gained a win against @sammyguevara. Let us know your favorite moment from the #AEW career of the Natural!
Dustin went on to praise Cody’s creative ability. He also noted that much of Cody’s hunger and desire he’s shown in the business can be attributed to their shared family lineage.
“He was hungry and had it in him because he is a Rhodes. Our legacy is strong,” Dustin continued. “He has that creative ability and insight not a lot of people know or see. What he does backstage, before the show, and what he puts together before the show – it’s incredible.”
Dustin would continue to say that he’s enjoyed being able to reconnect with Cody and Brandi in addition to all the others at AEW.
“He has my dad in him 150 percent. For me to come on the scene and reconnect, even though he lives in Georgia and I live in Texas, [and] for me to reconnect with him and Brandi and all these people, it’s great.”
AEW Dynamite Lineup
This week’s edition of Dyanmiate features 2 TNT title tournament matches. Dustin Rhodes vs Kip Sabian will take place in addition to Sammy Guevara vs Darby Allin. The winner of Rhodes vs Sabian will meet Jake Roberts’ client Lance Archer in the semi-finals. The winner of Guevara vs Allin tonight will face Cody in the 2nd-round. It’s possible the two Rhodes brothers could meet each other in the finals of this tournament, though there are 4 other wrestlers still alive in the tournament who will be looking to prevent that from happening.
Dustin covers many other subjects during the interview. The full discussion can be read here.
Was this your @dustinrhodes moment? Let us know your favorite moment from the #AEW career of the Natural!
Impact Wrestling presented the first night of its Rebellion event last night on AXS TV and Twitch. The show featured an X-Division title match and was headlined by Sami Callihan taking on Ken Shamrock.
Impact Rebellion Night 1 Quick Results:
Tommy Dreamer, Rhino & Crazzy Steve defeated OVE (Madman Fulton, Dave & Jake Crist)
The Rascalz (Dez & Wentz) defeated XXXL (Acey Romero & Larry D) and Fallah Bahh & TJP
Unsanctioned Match Ken Shamrock defeated Sami Callihan
Ken Shamrock Defeats Sami Callihan In Cinematic Main Event
Ken Shamrock got his hands on Sami Callihan last night to headline Night 1 of Rebellion. This unsanctioned match would spill to the outside shortly after Shamrock jumped off the stage and landed on Callihan. From there, things took a very cinematic turn. We’ve seen a lot of these matches in other promotions as of late but Impact has a fair amount of experience and history with this emerging genre of pro-wrestling. There was no magic or otherworldly powers involved here, though.
Callihan’s former OVE stablemates joined the attack and it looked as though Shamrock would be heavily outnumbered. Callihan took a baseball bat to the members of OVE, however, taking them out of the equation and confirming he is no longer aligned with the group. From there, Shamrock and Callihan agreed to take things outside to the street. Callihan had Shamrock locked in a rear-naked choke but Shamrock managed to get out. He then locked in the Ankle Lock on Callihan. The man behind the ICU videos who now claims to “see ev-ree-thing” would not tap but rather lost consciousness and the ref called for an end to the match.
Willie Mack Wins X-Division Gold
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUSbYH6RRg8
Willie Mack left Rebellion with X-Division gold after defeating Ace Austin in a match that seemed like it could go either way. Austin countered a Stunner attempt by Mack into a Fold but Mack kicked out from the champion’s finish. Mack then hit a pop-up Stunner which Austin kicked out of. As Mack went for the 6-star frog splash, Austin rolled away to an opposing corner. Mack then landed a coast-to-coast on the unsuspecting Austin. The finish of the match then came when Austin was setting Mack up for something on the turnbuckle but took a Stunner from Mack (who crotched himself on the turnbuckle in the process) and then delivered a 6-star frog splash for the win.
Mack becomes the 46th person to win the title and begins the 91st reign in its lineage.
After the title win, Rich Swann noted that there was no reason why they couldn’t still go for the tag titles. Johnny Swinger also showed up in the back and lamented the end of the “Mack and Pack Connection.”
Uncertain Impact World Title Picture
"Years from now when people are looking back on champions in IMPACT Wrestling, Michael Elgin is going to be number one."
It was noted on the broadcast that neither Tessa Blanchard nor Eddie Edwards was able to attend the tapings in Tennesse. This left only Michael Elgin from the 3 wrestlers scheduled to compete for the world title at Rebellion. Elgin promised that a new world champion will be crowned next week, though it was never revealed how that will happen. Impact is advertising that the future of the world title will be revealed on next week’s show.
Kylie Rae Scores Big Win Over Kiera Hogan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RpCYw7lMpQ
Last week on Impact, Kiera Hogan made Kylie Rae stop smiling and get a little angry. Kylie snapped at Hogan that she was not very nice after Hogan noted that there were no friends in the Knockouts locker room setting up this match here.
Kylie was able to pick up the victory via submission with an STF. It was noted on commentary that when Kylie does the move, the acronym stands for “Smile, it’s The Finish.”
Tag Titles Stuck Up “North” As Rascalz Win Multi-Team Bout
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjLMYHXOvqQ
Dez and Wentz from the Rascalz picked up a win in a triple threat tag match this week. While the win likely moves them up the rankings and closer to a title shot, the current champs are unable to cross the border into the United States at the moment. An interview with Ethan Page and Josh Alexander this week involved the team saying that they plan to defend the titles against Canada’s top teams as soon as possible.
Crazzy Steve Returns To Impact
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqF44ZO8KJs
Tommy Dreamer and Rhino promised a surprise partner to take on Madman Fulton and the Crist brothers this week. Their teammate turned out to be Crazzy Steve formerly of the Menagerie and Decay in TNA. Steve is a one-time tag team champion along with Abyss. Rhino would pick up the victory for his team with a Gore on Dave Crist.
The Full Metal Mayhem match for the Knockouts title appears to have been scrapped. It has been replaced with Havok vs Rosemary in the same type of match but without the title on the line. It doesn’t appear as though either Taya or Jordynne Grace were able to make the tapings.
Here are the matches lined up for Night 2 of Rebellion next week:
It’s Wednesday. You know what that means. All Elite Wrestling is back with another new episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT. This week’s show features the final two matches in the TNT Championship Quarterfinals, a special segment from the Hardy Compound and more.
The following items are scheduled for tonight’s AEW Dynamite Broadcast:
TNT Championship Tournament
Cody Rhodes and Lance Archer have advanced to the Semifinals of the TNT Championship Tournament. The final two matches of the Quarterfinals take place tonight. One of the bouts has major ramifications.
In a match that will probably headline an AEW pay-per-view one day, Darby Allin faces Sammy Guevara of the Inner Circle. The winner of this bout advances to face Cody Rhodes in the next round.
Dustin Rhodes will also face Kip Sabian, with the winner advancing to battle Lance Archer. Dustin Rhodes is so confident in his chances that he is putting his career on the line against Sabian.
Also On The Show
In addition to the tournament matches, AEW is advertising Jimmy Havoc vs. Orange Cassidy, as well as Kenny Omega, Wardlow and Brodie Lee all in singles action.
Finally, “Broken” Matt Hardy promises “exclusive footage” from the Hardy Compound in Cameron, North Carolina. The deranged Hardy has been embroiled in a feud with Chris Jericho. What does he have in store for Le Champion this week?
Join us here later tonight for our AEW Dynamite live discussion, results and Takeaways feature.
Former WWE on-air personality and backstage producer Jim Cornette recently made comments on the ‘independent contractor’ status in WWE. It is a conversation that has been going on for years; WWE hires wrestlers/on-air talent on an ‘independent contractor’ status which means that they do not get the same sort of benefits as a full-time employee.
This has been a point of contention for a long time, as WWE seemingly controls a lot of what their talent can and can’t do, thus seemingly nullifying the idea of the talent being ‘independent.’
Jim Cornette on Contracts In Wrestling
“F*cking contracts in wrestling” Jim Cornette began on this week’s episode of the Drive Thru podcast. “Once you get to the level of involvement with each other where you are working for a company like the WWE or like WCW? You’re an employee.”
Interestingly, Cornette would then state that AEW, a company that he has quite a few issues with, actually should be classing their performers as ‘independent contractors.’ “Now All Elite Wrestling? They run one day a week and then a pay per view every three months or whatever. You can work for other promoters. Anywhere where you legitimately can work for other promoters, or determine what your name is or how you’re presented? You’re an independent contractor.”
Full Time Employees
Jim Cornette continued to rip on WWE, saying “when you work for the f*cking WWE? You are a full time employee, you’re an employee in spandex. AND they’ve conned the government this long. You know, they’ll continue to do so until there’s a [wrestlers] union. And then the first thing that they’ll do is say ‘well this is f*cking ridiculous. We’re gonna call the IRS and talk to somebody important.'”
McMahon and…Trump?
Cornette would then finish by seemingly referencing the President of The United States, indicating how he and McMahon are both liable for crooked dealings.
“I’ve said this before, wrestlers should have always been independent contractors and should be independent contractors,” Cornette stated. “Because that’s the way that wrestling should be run. But if it’s going to be run THIS WWE way? Then the WWE wrestlers not being employees is f*cking idiocy, and it’s against the law. Guess who technically runs the IRS? We haven’t even seen dipsh*ts (Trump?) f*cking tax returns, much less get them to reclassify Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon’s employees but nevertheless. It’s just. It’s insane.”
The idea of a wrestlers union has always been prevalent, and potentially with the issues surrounding the handling of coronavirus by WWE it may be brought back into the fold once again.
Former WWE Superstar Ryback recently made some explosive comments regarding Vince McMahon and his status as the biggest name in sports entertainment. With the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic causing most major sports leagues and brands to cease operations; WWE has continued to tape shows and it has created controversy that has seen WWE in the mainstream news cycle.
It is arguable that last week was potentially one of the worst in Vince McMahon’s career as the CEO of WWE. The XFL went bankrupt, WWE had to offload numerous on-air and backstage personalities on ‘Black Wednesday.’ Legendary Hall of Fame announcer and the first ever WWE employee Howard Finkel tragically passed away, and Oliver Luck, the former XFL Head is suing Vince McMahon for wrongful termination.
Vince McMahon The Businessman
On top of this, there are reports and rumors that WWE may be ‘forcing’ staff to work during the pandemic. This however is not confirmed but we will be following the situation closely.
“Just knowing what I know. Vince [McMahon] as a businessman? He is a very savvy, very cutthroat businessman” Ryback began on his Conversation With The Big Guy podcast. “What he’s been able to achieve? It’s at the expense of human lives and there’s a lot of things wrong with how he treats, specifically the wrestlers and people in general. I don’t even really need to even say anything anymore.”
Ryback “speaking up” for WWE Talent
Ryback would then elaborate further, discussing how fans have thanked him in the past for speaking up for the talent at WWE. “I’ve said my peace time and time again. I get people messaging me saying ‘you’ve told us the truth from the very beginning,’ and now they’re they’re finally seeing it just sit back and let everything play out this way. That’s kind of my take on this. I speak up for the wrestlers and I think karma is playing out.”
Losing Everything “In The Battle”
The ‘Big Guy’ would then reveal that he believes the worst is to come for Vince McMahon. “I honestly think we’re seeing the fall of Vince McMahon” Ryback stated. “He is truly being tested now, and I think he’s going to go down in flames. He’s going to go down swinging. Regardless, I could see him…he’s the type that will lose everything in the battle. And it’s the fact that there, it’s so public this, it’s right in your face what’s going on. And it’s almost like well ‘what do you guys gonna do about it?’ Okay, that’s worked in the past. The coronavirus is the one variable that he can’t control, and all it’s gonna take is one superstar dying, or their family member dying. Or just something, just even superstars getting it [COVID-19]. and it’s going to, it’s going to be a fire that not even Vince McMahon will be able to put out.”
WWE had previously announced that they would be taping live shows going forward on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. This has since been changed and certain shows will be taped to air at a later date. Either way, WWE seems to be playing with fire in this unprecedented situation.
Do you think WWE needs to take a break during the pandemic? Let us know in the comments
Cesaro is considered to be one of the most underrated guys in the WWE roster but according to the former WWE Producer Arn Anderson, the Swiss superstar is not very well-liked by the WWE management.
The former WWE employee talked about a number of things during the recent episode of his ARN podcast while also giving his thoughts on why the former US Champion’s has not become a main eventer in the company yet.
Anderson first claimed that Cesaro has never been a “favorite guy” backstage in WWE and the former WWE star also revealed that the company has stopped him from using some of his most impressive moves:
“He’s not a favorite guy, as you know, of the front office, for whatever reason that is. They’re the only ones that know because everyone else across the planet seems to think he’s a Superstar. But he continued to get leaned on to stop doing all that stuff [impressive moves] as a heel. It was just too flashy and all that stuff.”
Cesaro has been with WWE since 2011 and despite being a fan favorite since the beginning of his career; he has only won one singles title in the promotion.
On the other hand, Arn Anderson had been with WWE since
2002. He was fired from the company in February last year and the former WCW
star has joined AEW since then.
It was reported yesterday that Rob Gronkowski will be returning to NFL and play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The league later also confirmed the news of his comeback.
WWE has now responded to this development and the company released a statement on their official website. They congratulated the American football star but also warned him about the rules of the 24/7 title:
“Congratulations to Rob Gronkowski, the current WWE
24/7 Champion, on his return to football. Per the rules of the 24/7 Title,
Gronk must defend his championship at all times in any location. He could be
celebrating a touchdown pass from Tom Brady…anytime, anywhere.”
Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement from NFL in March 2019. He made a cameo during WrestleMania 33 and the former Football player then signed a WWE contract for 2 matches in March 2020.
He hosted WrestleMania 36 and the former Patriots player won the 24/7 championship by defeating Mojo Rawley during the second day of the PPV event.
There is no word yet on how this return will affect Gronkowski’s WWE commitments and when or if he will return to the company to complete his contractual obligations. We will keep you posted if any details on the matter come out.
The “SmackDown Hacker” has been interrupting WWE broadcasts in recent weeks. The mysterious figure he now has made his presence felt on social media as well.
A cryptic video was posted on social media. It suggests there are people who don’t want ‘them’ to speak – but they will expose the evil. The latest SmackDown hacker video message reads:
“There are those who don’t want us to speak. They don’t want us to see. Through force and fear they’re risen to power. But the people should not fear those in power. No, those in power should fear the people.
For the people are many. The people are ready. And we will speak, we will see, and the evil done in the dark will be exposed – in the light.”
As seen above, the Twitter account used to spread this video is @TheMessageWWE. It has since been revealed that the account in use is an old WWE Twitter account which they used for the “Stand Up for WWE” campaign during Linda McMahon’s run for one of Connecticut’s Senate seats. The campaign encouraged WWE fans to defend the company by showing their love for the promotion and responding to anyone who criticized the company.
The officials have used Chad Gable and Mustafa Ali for previous similar videos but the voice in the newest promo does not match either of the stars. It’s very likely that the company is using these names as placeholders and the real name behind the promos will turn out to be someone other than the rumored stars.
The “Location” listed on the @TheMessageWWE Twitter account is a set of coordinates. They read, 33.1284° N, 107.2528° W. This location is Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Some fans have taken this as a clue that the SmackDown hacker might be Xavier Woods. The New Day Member was formerly known as Consequences Creed during his time in TNA Wrestling.
Update: Xavier Woods is aware of the theory that he is the SmackDown Hacker and denies any involvement.
The Revival finally got released from their WWE contracts earlier this month and the duo revealed the new name for their tag team in the independent circuit just yesterday.
However, it appears that this move from the former WWE employees is not sitting well with some indie stars and the duo has heat over their new name, according to PWInsider.
The Revival introduced a new logo and revealed that they will be using The Revolt as their team name moving forward. However, this name is already being used by indie stars Caleb Konley and Zane Riley for their team.
The indie team has been using the name for more than 5 years and it’s said that some in the North Carolina independent scene are upset because the indie stars have invested in promoting and merchandising the name.
Both Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson of the Revival are from Carolinas and so this move is perceived as personal because one of their own went against the working indie talents.
Though the report also suggests that it’s possible that the former Raw Tag Team Champions were not aware that the name was being used by Konley and Riley since they have been busy in WWE in recent years.
Both the indie stars have taken the issue to twitter but the Revival has not responded to their posts yet. We’ll keep you posted on any response from the former WWE stars.
‘American Nightmare’ Cody Rhodes is doing an “AMA” (Ask Me Anything) this week. The live Q&A session takes place exclusively on Bleacher Report’s B/R App Wednesday at 3pm (Eastern).
Dustin Rhodes puts his career on the line this week on AEW Dynamite. The Natural faces Kip Sabian in the Quarterfinals of the TNT Championship tournament. He vows to retire if he does not advance to the next round.
AEW is encouraging fans to use the hashtag #DustinRhodes to share your favorite moments from his career.
Speaking of Dustin Rhodes, he spoke with Scott Fishman for TVInsider ahead of Wednesday’s consequential match. The 51-year-old veteran credits AEW for reignited his love for professional wrestling.
Chris Jericho is set to be the next guest on the Major Figure Wrestling Podcast. Hosts Matt Cardona (Zack Ryder) and Brian Myers (Curt Hawkins) will discus wrestling figures and more with Le Champion of All Elite Wrestling. The episode will be uploaded this week.
Matt Cordona has a new line of t-shirts already on sale at Pro Wrestling Tees.
Cardona posted a photo of the first shirt he dropped to Instagram. The shirt design got a snarky reply from WWE Superstar The Miz. “And you made fun of my shirts,” he remarked.
The trash talk got under the skin of Matt Cardona. The ‘Long Island Broski’ fired back and explained that got his Pro Wrestling Tees store setup and a t-shirt designed before he even got the ‘You’re Fired’ text message from WWE.
He wrote, “yeah mike…As the calls were coming in that your colleagues were losing their jobs, I quickly set up a pro wrestling tees store and got a logo out ASAP before I even got the phone call. Pro wrestling tees is a website where independent wrestlers sell their merch. Independent wrestling is…ah nevermind.”
Rob Gronkowski is looking to put his stint in the WWE on hold in order to make a return to the NFL.
On Tuesday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Gronk has told his old team, New England Patriots, that he wants to make a return to playing pro football. However, he doesn’t want to play for the team.
Instead, he wants to join former Patriots quarterback and good friend Tom Brady in Tampa Bay as part of the Buccaneers.
A trade between the two teams would have to be worked out for this to happen, which is underway, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It was also noted that Gronk has been putting on weight for a return to football. Brady has also reportedly shown interest in having his friend join the team in the tight end position.
Sources: Retired #Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski has told New England that he’s interested in playing football again — and would want to do it with the #Bucs and QB Tom Brady. A trade would have to be worked out for this to happen.
This comes just after a month that news broke of Gronk signing a deal with WWE. He made an appearance back on the March 20th episode of Friday Night SmackDown and served as the host of WrestleMania 36.
This is where he pinned Mojo Rawley, who is friends with the former NFL star, to win the WWE 24/7 Title.
At the time of his signing, it was reported that he’s expected to wrestle at least a few matches under his WWE contract.
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 via ShowbuzzDaily:
RAW Viewership
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.842 million viewers, which is down from the 1.913 million viewers last week.
This was the lowest-rated episode of the show for the year. Here is the hourly viewership breakdown:
Hour 1: 1.940 million (1.994 Last Week), 0.59 Demo (0.59 Last Week)
Hour 2: 1.866 million (1.913 Last Week), 0.56 Demo (0.57 Last Week)
Hour 3: 1.720 million (1.832 Last Week), 0.54 Demo (0.52 Last Week)
RAW featured three Money in the Bank Qualifying matches – Rey Mysterio vs. Murphy, Aleister Black vs. Austin Theory, and Apollo Crews vs. MVP – as well as Nia Jax vs. Kairi Sane, Liv Morgan vs. Ruby Riott, and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Angel Garza in a non-title match that served as the main event.
SmackDown averaged 2.187 million viewers on FOX. This is down from the 2.317 million viewers that the show did for the previous week’s episode of SmackDown.
The show averaged 2.192 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was down from the 2.304 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
The first hour drew 2.239 million viewers while the second hour did 2.145 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.372 million viewers while the second hour did 2.235 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.
Jake “the Snake” Roberts made a surprise debut in AEW last month. He confronted Cody on Dynamite and noted that he was bringing a client into AEW. That client turned out to be Lance Archer. The former member of the Killer Elite Squad was a guest recently on Busted Open Radio and spoke about working with the legendary Roberts.
During the conversation, Bully Ray asked Archer why Roberts was his manager in AEW and noted that Archer doesn’t need anyone to speak for him.
“He was one of the best speakers in this business today,” Archer said on the show. “I believe that I’ve grown in my ability to get out there and say what I need to say when I need to say it.”
Archer continued to talk about the benefits of having Jake by his side.
“I think it just helps me transition back into a full-time American fan base. I think that’s one of the biggest reasons why. And I think this is a good transition with someone they absolutely know and they adore that is Jake ‘the Snake’ Roberts.”
Bully then suggested that Jake’s abilities could take the spotlight away from Archer. He asked Archer if he was worried about sharing that spotlight.
“Absolutely not,” Archer answered. “Once I step in the ring, I command the spotlight when I step in the ring. Jake commands the spotlight because he’s Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts and when he speaks people are listening.”
Archer’s comments can be heard in the Tweet below:
Former commissioner of the XFL, Oliver Luck, is suing Vince McMahon. Luck is suing for money that he was guaranteed upon accepting the position to run the league in May of 2018.
His XFL contract was believed to be worth $20-25 million over 5 years. It stipulated he was to receive all money owed if terminated without cause.
Luck was not listed as a creditor from the XFL’s bankruptcy filings earlier this month. This was as a result of a judge approving Alpha Entertainment’s rejection of several top-executive contracts. As a result, Luck’s only recourse to recoup his losses from the league’s folding is to sue McMahon.
“Luck’s contract was not with McMahon personally. Will the court be convinced that McMahon’s pledge to provide his own money adds personal liability? Seems to be a stretch,” stated lawyer Darren Heitner with Heitner Legal in regard to the suit.
Several XFL coaches were listed as creditors in the XFL’s bankruptcy filings, however.
Bob Stoops – owed $1.08 million
Marc Trestman – owed $777,777
Jonathan Hayes – owed $633,333
The XFL officially filed for bankruptcy on April 13th, 2020. The league issued the following statement to TMZ:
“We have filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. This is a heartbreaking time for many, including our passionate fans, players and staff, and we are thankful to them, our television partners, and the many Americans who rallied to the XFL for the love of football.”
Bankruptcy filings revealed WWE owned 23.5% of the league.
WWE Money in the Bank 2020 will be a pay-per-view like none other.
The event was originally scheduled to be held at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. The Coronavirus pandemic forced WWE to make alternate plans.
Earlier this week, the company announced a unique stipulation for the men’s and women’s Money in the Bank ladder matches. Instead of taking place from the WWE Performance Center, the MITB ladder matches will take place from WWE headquarters in Stamford, CT. Participants will start on the ground floor of the office building. They will work their way up to the roof, where they will “climb the corporate ladder” in hopes of securing a #1 contender’s world championship contract.
Photos of the rooftop setup can be seen below. It is believed WWE filmed the match in recent days. WWE has yet to announce where the remaining matches will take place. The Performance Center is the likely location.
WWE Money in the Bank Card
Money in the Bank takes place Sunday, May 10th and streams live on the WWE Network. The following matches are confirmed:
Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Daniel Bryan vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Aleister Black vs. Apollo Crews vs. TBD
Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Asuka vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Nia Jax vs. Dana Brooke vs. TBD
Universal Champion Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Tamina
WWE HQ Rooftop Ring
Here is an updated look of what to expect from the rooftop of WWE headquarters, courtesy of Spanish wrestling Twitter account @Solo_Wrestling.
At today’s Orange County Board of County Commissioners meeting in Florida, a public comment was submitted by someone claiming to be a WWE employee. The person was referred to only as “Jon.” The statement reads:
“My employer, World Wrestling Entertainment aka WWE is forcing me to work the TV tapings for its weekly shows despite work-at-home orders for Coronavirus. I am unable to speak out as I need this job and I know I will be fired if I approach my higher-ups.”
“Despite sanitary precautions, we cannot maintain social distancing and have to touch other people. I request the government to shut down these tapings and enforce the stay at home order so my colleagues and I may follow social distancing rules without fear of repercussion of losing our jobs.”
As the comment was made anonymously, it cannot be verified if “Jon” really is employed by WWE.
Florida-based journalist Jon Alba has been Tweeting on the news:
At Tuesday's Orange County Board of County Commissioners meeting, a #WWE employee named "John" submitted public comment they're being "forced to work" TV tapings despite stay at home orders. Says he's unable to speak out and feels he will be fired if he approaches his higher-ups. pic.twitter.com/UJTvX1RGc7
As we covered last week, #WWE had initially been ruled a non-essential business in Orange County, and the Orange County Sheriff had been called several times to the Performance Center. Then, an April 9 Executive Order by Gov. DeSantis included it as an essential business.
While there isn't really way to verify this is 100% absolutely a #WWE employee given the nature of the complaint, it should be noted there have been several within the company who have expressed concern, many privately, over the tapings continuing.
WWE has since issued the following statement denying the allegation:
“These accusations aren’t true. Employees know they can confidentially go to Human Resources, not the public. Notwithstanding the appropriate protocol, no one would be fired if they were uncomfortable with their surroundings. We’ve made accommodations for individuals upon request.”
There were numerous reports on Monday that a recently released wrestler from WWE would be returning on RAW. Further reports revealed that Sarah Logan was the wrestler in question. Her return did not happen, however. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer, Logan’s return had been scheduled but was pulled last minute.
According to the report, Logan’s return had been scripted but was pulled after the show had already started. It was also noted that Logan has not officially been rehired by the company. Additionally, it was noted that all recently released wrestlers are being paid for 90 days and WWE feels they can still use them during this time.
Former 205 Live General Manager, Drake Maverick, was released last week but will still be participating in the interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship tournament.
Logan was shown on RAW last night in two different highlight packages. Shayna Baszler broke her arm in storyline the previous week and replays of the segment were shown on RAW. Logan was also featured in highlights packages of the Riott Squad before the Liv Morgan vs Ruby Riott match last night.
There are no further updates on if Logan will be rehired by the company or not.
The Revolt, formerly known as The Revival in WWE, will not be out of the spotlight for long.
Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler were released by WWE earlier this month. The company finally granted their requests to leave after months of unsuccessful attempts to sign them to new contracts.
In advance of their free agency, the duo has been registering various trademarks related to the next chapter of their careers. In addition to their new aforementioned ring names, they also filed to protect the phrase, Fear The Revolt and a new logo that will surely adorn merchandise in the months ahead.
The Revolt: Coming Soon
On Tuesday, the ‘Top Guys’ of tag team wrestling released a video on social media teasing their next move. The video (and caption) use the verbiage, “Resist. Revive. Revolt. Coming Soon” Check that out in the player embedded below.
Harwood and Wheeler have been in the news a lot since they became free agents. Wrestling promotions all around the world will be vying for their services. The industry’s top pundits have speculated where they will appear next. Below, please find several links to our recent coverage of The Revolt’s journey post-WWE.
EC3 is another superstar who was released from WWE last week. Now going by the name ‘Essential Character III’ on social media, EC3 gave The Revolt some credit for the innovative character development. He tweeted, “I like the imagery. I like the ties to past yet sights on future. I like this more than red lips and bowties. I’m invested.”
Following his release from WWE, EC3 revealed his own character transformation. He released a video and ‘synopsis’ detailing the evolution of his wrestling persona.
Hit up the comments section and tell us where you want to see The Revolt wind up.
Sami Zayn successfully retained his Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania over Daniel Bryan. He hasn’t been on Smackdown since, however. Zayn recently revealed on Twitter a possible reason for his absence. It appears the current IC champion recently had his wisdom teeth removed.
In lighter news, I had my wisdom teeth taken out last week so I've been on an #AllPuddingDiet for days and now I'm ripped to shreds.
The unofficial dentist of pro-wrestling, Dr. Britt Baker DMD, had some advice for Zayn as well.
Beware of dry socket
— Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (@RealBrittBaker) April 21, 2020
Sami Zayn Critical Of Anti-Lockdown Protests
While Zayn is likely having trouble speaking in the aftermath of his surgery, he has been vocal on social media. Most notably, Zayn has been critical of the anti-lockdown protests in the United States.
Sami Zayn’s faction on Smackdown is now being referred to as “the Artist Collective.” The stable consists of Zayn, Cesaro, and Shinsuke Nakamura. He talked a bit about his current role on Smackdown during an episode of WWE’s “the Bump”
“It’s funny because even though I’ve made a name for myself as a guy who could go in the ring. Now I’m doing that just in a different avenue just by running my mouth, so it’s kinda interesting to me too,” Zayn said on the show.
Despite making a dramatic return to WWE during Lana and Bobby Lashley’s wedding, WWE reportedly had no real plans for Liv Morgan. She made her comeback during an episode of Monday Night RAW last December.
Liv Morgan’s return initially indicated she would become a major part of the soap opera-esque storyline. According to Dave Meltzer via Wrestling Observer Radio, that was never really the case. RAW Executive Director Paul Heyman allegedly booked her wedding crash as a way to pop the WWE Universe. There were allegedly no follow up plans despite the impact Morgan had on the storyline between Rusev, Lana and Bobby Lashley.
Although WWE pursued a Lana vs. Liv Morgan feud for a few weeks after her comeback, it quickly lost momentum. The original return was apparently done to simply get Morgan back onto WWE programming. It also gave her something to do rather than just returning to the ring without any fanfare or promotion.
Lana & Bobby Lashley
With Rusev having been released by WWE, his real-life wife Lana continued the storyline via social media. Lashley has previously expressed his uncertainty whether the storyline had been concluded, noting that it didn’t have a definitive ending. It is unknown whether a continuation would have included Liv Morgan.
With Rusev no longer with WWE, however, it remains to be seen whether the company decides to continue the angle. It’s worth noting that Lana has been causing Lashley some difficulties on screen recently. Most notably, her bad decision led him to lose to Aleister Black at WrestleMania 36.
All Elite Wrestling announcer Jim Ross doesn’t believe that that the company should be hiring any released WWE Superstars. Not just yet, at least. Regarding WWE’s recent releases, Ross explained on The Roman Show podcast how sometimes “you have to let people go that you don’t think deserve to be let go.”
He shared how he gets people frequently asking him who he thinks AEW should hire. Ross then explained how he’s more concerned about “living to tomorrow” as he is high risk for the coronavirus. He stated how, if he were AEW, “I would hire nobody.”
Ross continued, explaining how there is no reason to hire anybody right now. Addressing the recently released Superstars, he shared how he hopes “none of them go on a massive pity party.”
JR stressed how they aren’t the only ones within wrestling to have been sat down, cast away or had their job taken away. Ross admitted how, ultimately, the situation is “unfortunate.” He then noted how some people have to wonder why they were let go, arguing there had to be a reason.
Jim Ross’ Advice to Released Talent
Now that the released Superstars are no longer with WWE, Jim Ross hoped that they would be able to motivate themselves:
“If I were these guys who were let go by the WWE, this situation wouldn’t be the end of the world. Trust me, I’ve been there. It won’t end your life.”
He stated how if WWE was all they wanted to do with their life, then they need to reset, reassess, and improve their personal brand to prepare for the future.
Elsewhere in the episode, JR spoke about the possibility of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson running for president. JR is confident of The Rock’s chances and feels The Rock would win the Presidency if he seriously pursued it.
Arn Anderson has revealed what former WWE Superstar Scott Dawson told him the night before The Revival was released by WWE. Speaking on the ARN Podcast, Anderson shared how Dawson hinted that there may be some “good news” that would come out the next morning.
Anderson explained he got a message from Dawson that informed him that “about 9 A.M. there will be some good news shop up.”
According to the WWE Hall of Famer, that’s all Dawson said. He noted how, at approximately that time the next morning, the news broke that both Dawson and his tag team partner Dash Wilder had been released from WWE.
Despite being given the cryptic tease, Anderson shared he was still surprised by the news. He was taken aback that WWE “would let them go scot free.” He added, however, how “that’s the way it should be.”
Arn Anderson Believes The Revival Will Be Wrestling’s “Hottest Commodity”
With both Dawson and Wilder no longer associated with WWE, Arn Anderson acknowledged how they are probably the “hottest commodity” in wrestling. He believes that every promotion will be vying for them. Anderson stressed that whoever ends up signing the pair will be better off for having them on their roster.
He shared how the pair are the most “unselfish, giving guys” he has seen in a long time. Anderson compared their mentality to himself, Tully Blanchard, and the original Four Horsemen.
Arn Anderson extrapolated his point, highlighting how that extended to going out and stealing the show. He believes they will do whatever they can to ensure everybody in the arena exhausts themselves. It doesn’t matter whether fans were cheering or booing. As long as fans “blow themselves up,” they’ll know they’ve done their job—just like the Horsemen.
All Elite Wrestling continues its TNT Championship Tournament this week. One of their quarter-final bouts sees Sammy Guevara clash with Darby Allin. Turns out, one wrestler, in particular, will be watching this match closely: Lance Archer.
Archer took to Twitter to share his interest, teasing how it “might be interesting” if he and Guevara were to face each other in the finals. He revealed how, despite both performing in Texas at the same time, he and Guevara have never wrestled each other.
Guevara would see Archer’s message, replying, “I welcome this fight.” Archer, however, was unconvinced.
According to him, Guevara is eager to grapple while he’s “safe at home.” When they’re inside the ropes from each other, “The Murderhawk Monster” believes Guevara may feel differently, stressing how: “your tune will change quickly as I Quicken you!”
Fun fact. @sammyguevara and I have never fought. Even in all our time in TX at the same time. Not once did we square off. Might be interesting if we faced off (well. His face in my chest anyways) in the finals of tha @AEWrestling #TNTChampionshipTournament Find out Wed @AEWonTNThttps://t.co/5sz0kLIfDE
— The Murderhawk Monster Lance Archer (@LanceHoyt) April 20, 2020
The Journey To Lance Archer & Sammy Guevara In The Finals
Lance Archer advanced in the quarter-finals after defeating Colt Cabana on the April 15 episode of AEW Dynamite. He will face the winner of Dustin Rhodes and Kip Sabian. Both quarter-final matchups take place on this week’s episode of Dynamite. The episode airs tomorrow night on TNT.
Although both men may be interested in facing off, the finals are still a way off. If successful against Allin, Guevara would then have to defeat Cody Rhodes to meet Lance Archer in the finals—assuming Archer defeats the winner of Rhodes/Sabian. The finals are scheduled to take place on May 23 at AEW’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view.
Seth Rollins got engaged in a twitter feud with Will Ospreay last year and the Architect’s harsh comments had attracted negative reactions from fans. Though the hostility between the two ended after Rollins publically apologized to the NJPW star.
Reports had later revealed that the Raw Executive Director Paul Heyman had talked to Seth about the issue and provided feedback leading to the apology.
During his recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Will Ospreay talked about the whole thing and commented on the rumors of Paul Heyman getting involved in the situation:
“I’ve heard rumors that Paul Heyman told him to
apologize to me and Paul Heyman is a big supporter of mine and, once again,
Paul Heyman is Paul Heyman, you know what I mean? I heard that he told Seth to
apologize so I don’t know if that’s true or not,
But there’s kind of rumors going around backstage and like I’ve got guys who are friends with Seth Rollins in New Japan who have told me this, and I don’t know if that’s true but it sounds about right. I just don’t know.”
Ospreay continued by saying that he had been a fan of Seth Rollins during his ROH days and if someone apologizes to him then he lets the issue go.
Apart from this, the high flying star talked about his move to the heavyweight division of NJPW and people asking him if he was using steroids or if he ‘was on gas’. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.
