Former Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush was released from WWE last month. At the time of his release, Rush had returned to the NXT brand where he was competing in the cruiserweight division. This followed a series of backstage reports regarding conflict between him and management on the main roster in the first half of 2019. During this period, Mark Henry criticized Rush on Busted Open Radio and publicly revealed a conversation the two had backstage.
Today, Rush put out a series of Tweets critical of Henry’s comments about him last year.
“Woke up remembering the time Mark Henry said I lied to him to his face & then continued to bury me on his podcast while telling me i need to learn how to spend my money better. S**t was crazy. Sorry man, i didn’t mean to have a wife and two kids on top of other responsibilities,” Rush Tweeted.
In May of 2019, Henry noted on Busted Open Radio that he tried to talk with Rush backstage about the problems he was experiencing on the main roster.
“I pulled him aside the last time I saw him and told him ‘I’m hearing stuff in the locker room. What’s wrong?’ He said nothing’s wrong. It was a blatant lie to my face. I let him know that if he has a question, right now is the time to do that,” Henry said.
Rush would later state that his issues with the company were financial.
“My issue is the fact that I haven’t been on meet & greets with Bobby, haven’t been getting paid for merchandise for us that has my catchphrases on them. (I) have been sent to live shows and TVs and forced to pay for my own rental for 5 days as well as hotel while not making enough money to do so. Walking around broke in the biggest sports entertainment industry that there is while having two kids and a wife to support,” Rush said to Fightful last year.
Lio Rush has an album available for download. His music is available at MusicByLio.com.
Karrion Kross and Scarlett made their debuts on NXT TV last week in dominant fashion. Kross soundly defeated EVOLVE wrestler Leon Ruff.
Although Kross did not have a match on this week’s episode, the pair did feature a new vignette for the WWE Universe. The unsettling promo contained a warning to the rest of the NXT locker room. He acknowledged how fans were curious behind their motives in attacking former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa.
Kross addressed how the world constantly seeks answers to questions and wants to uncover the motives behind why “terrible people do terrible things.”
Karrion Kross and Scarlett promised that they aren’t in NXT to “shock a system” or save them from their “corrupted black hearts.” Instead, they are there to be the WWE Universe’s “entertainment” and stressed it was time to wake up from the dream.
ccording to Kross, Ciampa was the first but guaranteed he wouldn’t be the last as Kross and Scarlett look to cement themselves in NXT.
The video was accompanied by “The End is Near.” The song was previously used on several WWE Armageddon pay-per-views in the past, as well as a Survivor Series event.
Sugar Dunkerton received a career highlight on this past week’s episode of Dynamite on TNT. This week, he competed in a losing effort against former AEW Champion Chris Jericho. He has been featured on several AEW shows during the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking on a recent episode of the We The Independent podcast, Suge D opened up about his feelings on receiving these career opportunities during the coronavirus pandemic.
Suge D—who Jericho has been referring to as Pineapple Pete—admitted it’s strange to be enjoying career opportunities during such a difficult time. He confessed he can’t help but “feel a little sadness in terms of everybody not being able to enjoy my accomplishments the way I’d like them to be enjoyed because let’s be honest, what is there to be really really really be excited about? There’s lot going on.”
Suge D On Wrestling During A Pandemic
Suge D acknowledged how people have been congratulating him and telling him he deserves the chance to be on TV for AEW. He admitted that it was “definitely a new challenge and a new mountain to climb.”
He noted how he isn’t sure where this journey will take him. There is one thing he is certain of, however: he wishes this could be happening under different circumstances.
“Would I have wanted a crowd there to really will me on and cheer me on just to see if they’re really feeling me? Absolutely, but I know two things to be true. The first one being that you are very rarely asked to be great during convenient circumstances, so it was a matter of taking a choice to whether you take that chance and you go forward or you stand back and you let it past you by.”
Suge D shared that the second thing is the uncertainty as to when a live crowd will be allowed to attend shows. He confessed this causes an “empty feeling” as going out to perform to nobody, and being unable to feed off their energy, is an undeniably different experience.
That being said, he added: “When you’re hungry, do you complain about any kind of scraps you possibly can get, or do you just go without?” Regardless, Suge D remains grateful to get the opportunity to wrestle despite the current difficulties.
All Elite Wrestling’s Chris Jericho has opened up about his past issues with WWE Hall of Famer Triple H. During an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Jericho revealed how he had issues with people in the past before singling out his problems with Triple H.
Chris Jericho recalled how back in the early 2000’s he and Triple H didn’t like one another. He added how Triple H would admit the same thing. Despite this, they were still able to put on great matches, adding how “I think that’s one of the reasons why.”
He explained how they had a “professional rivalry” alongside a “bit of a personal dislike” of each other. He also stressed that they are friends now.
Jericho added how there are plenty of professional rivalries taking place when a person is “young full of vim and vigor.” He juxtaposed these rivalries with those that take place in rock and roll, pointing out how bands break up and ten years later get back together.
“I think there’s that animosity that drives you to become better, and if you have a case like say Jericho and Triple H, our matches were always great because there was a little bit of real-life animosity between us,” Chris Jericho admitted.
“‘I’m gonna show him. Well, I’m gonna show him. Well, I’m gonna show him,’ and I think that’s good in a certain way.”
Chris Jericho then added how Vince McMahon would “subtly encourage” this kind of personal and professional rivalry. He believes he did so as doing that would inevitably lead to better results in the ring.
You can listen to Jericho’s comments about his relationship with Triple H in the video player embedded below:
Bullet Club’s Tama Tonga has shared the reasoning behind the group’s decision to bring in KENTA as a member. He revealed how when he first arrived in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, KENTA was a hot commodity in pro wrestling. Tama believes that was something that fizzled out after KENTA signed with WWE and was repackage as Hideo Itami.
Speaking with the Wrestling Inc. Dailypodcast, Tama Tonga shared how KENTA was considered to be “hot sh*t. Real hot sh*t” but lost his momentum because “the other side” didn’t know what to do with him. He feels that bringing KENTA into Bullet Club would help reignite him into the wrestler he was before, only with “more experience and knowledge.” As far as he’s concerned, Bullet Club was the group to help KENTA rediscover that killer instinct.
Tama Tonga On Karl Anderson
Recently released WWE Superstar Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows have former ties to Bullet Club. Anderson even hinted recently that he may be soon traveling back to Japan, teasing a comeback to the stable.
Acknowledging Anderson’s history with the group, Tama Tonga refused to be goaded into answering if fans can expect Anderson back amongst their ranks. “I’ve given you enough juice. I’ve given you enough juice,” said Tonga. “We’ll let the world speculate but you know those are my brothers.”
Guerrillas Of Destiny Vs. Golden Ace
New Japan Pro-Wrestling has been forced to cancel several dates and tours due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tama Tonga, however, already has his eyes set on their eventual comeback. He also knows who he’d like to face when NJPW is finally able to run shows: Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi.
Tama Tonga is interested in a chance to reclaim the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships from Tanahashi and Ibushi. He noted how they had “great chemistry with the first run-in” and believes there is more than can do together in the future. He added that, at some point, he’d love the opportunity to go one-on-one with Ibushi as he’d like to “mess that pretty face up.”
WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray has praised Edge and Randy Orton’s recent segment on Monday Night RAW. Bully Ray called their promo work “phenomenal” during a recent episode of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio.
Bully Ray stated how their mic work on RAW was “the best I’ve seen from the both of them, and Edge had no mic work, and that’s so great.” He explained how, without saying a word, he was able to see Edge’s emotions clearly and “felt the self-doubt in Edge’s heart.”
“[…] when Randy brought up the word ‘wrestling,’ it looked like it struck fear in Edge,” Bully Ray said. “Because a wrestler who’s been retired for nine or ten years knows ‘I can get by in a Last Man Standing Match, but damn, a wrestling match? Can I legitimately go move for move with Randy Orton? No man, I don’t think I can do it.’ That’s what you got from Edge last night: self-doubt.”
Randy Orton challenged Edge to a wrestling match at WWE’s next pay-per-view, Backlash. The two previously clashed at WrestleMania 36 in a Last Man Standing Match. After a grueling clash, Edge would eventually beat his former Rated RKO tag team partner. It was his first singles matchup since returning from a career-ending injury, which forced him to retire back in 2011.
Women’s Money In The Bank winner and current WWE RAW Women’s Champion Asuka recently joined WWE show The Bump. During her time on the show, Asuka shared how she felt after winning the Money In The Bank briefcase and her reaction to Becky Lynch’s pregnancy announcement.
Asuka recalled climbing up the ladder only to have King Corbin scale the other side, “so I gave him a nice kick.” She shared how the briefcase was heavier than she expected, so she had a hard time even holding it. Regardless, she stressed her happiness at having claimed the prize. “The view that I saw from the top of the ladder was fantastic. I am going to remember that view.”
What she thought was a year-long championship opportunity turned out to be the RAW Women’s Championship itself. Lynch revealed the news to her during this week’s Monday Night RAW, sharing with the world that she is pregnant. Asuka was reportedly not told this before their segment, which led to a heartfelt, sincere reaction.
When asked about the announcement, Asuka shared her happiness for Lynch and her new adventure. “I had so many matches with her and I have a strong connection with her. I think we both felt the same way. I think she likes to have matches with me. I think she was relieved that I got the Money in the Bank because she knew I could take good care of it.”
She added how she wants to become the reason people don’t want to miss the action in WWE’s women’s division. Asuka noted how she has been that in the past, but now as champion wants to work even harder to ensure people tune in.
WWE Battlegrounds won’t be the only video game featuring WWE Superstars this year after 2K announced there will be no iterative update to their WWE 2K series. Video game fans can look forward to playing as some of WWE’s top Superstars in a crossover with fighting game The King of Fighters ALLSTAR.
Fans can play as several WWE Superstars in the game. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Cena, Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins, Kofi Kingston and even The Undertaker all appear in the crossover.
The Executive Producer of Netmarble addressed the unique collaboration, saying:
“WWE and The King of Fighters have been entertaining people around the world for decades, so this is something truly special for us and the players.”
He added how the companies worked closely to provide a truly authentic experience. They achieved this by bringing the likeness and moves of each Superstar to ALLSTAR.
Gamers can look forward to a few new modes being added to ALLSTAR as well. Time Attack Mode, WWE-Theme Summon Banner, Super Mission, WWE-Themed Dungeons, and WWE-Theme Roulettes will all be added to the mobile game.
WWE’s Chief Marketing & Communications Offers, Brain Flinn, added how “Integrating WWE Superstars into THE KING OF FIGHTERS ALLSTAR franchise will provide our fans with another opportunity to connect with their favorite Superstars and introduce new audiences to our action-packed entertainment.”
The King of Fighters ALLSTAR is available on iOS and Android devices now.
The reports of Ric Flair’s WWE contract nearing its end came out late last year but there had been no updates on the matter since then, leaving the fans wondering about his future with the company.
Now a new reports have confirmed his status with the company and it reveals what’s in the future of the Nature Boy after his previous contract expired.
According to reports from WrestlingInc, Flair has signed a new deal with the company and the wrestling legend is currently under contract with the promotion.
The site does not reveal any further details on his new deal so it’s hard to say how long the 16-time world champion will be staying with WWE.
Though the officials have been signing talents to longer deals recently and for someone like Ric Flair, it’s plausible that they have offered him a lengthy contract to try and keep him away from the competition.
The former Champion was last seen on WWE TV last month during the 25th-anniversary celebration of Triple H’s in-ring debut in the company. He sent the Game a special video message congratulating him on the occasion.
Ric has also been busy with his personal projects and he recently launched the line of “Nature Boy” face masks which are available at his online store.
NXT star Rachael Ellering aka Rachel Evers has confirmed that she was released from the company as part of their coronavirus budget cuts that happened last month. Ellering had been rumored to have been released but there was no confirmation of it till now.
The now-former WWE star finally confirmed the news on social media and she posted the following video from her Twitter account, claiming that she will be making a “comeback”:
The 27-year-old star was signed by the company to a development contract in January 2019. The released NXT talents have a 30 days non compete clause which will be expiring later this week.
Vince McMahon Congratulates Becky Lynch On Pregnancy
Becky Lynch made the surprising announcement of her pregnancy on this week’s episode of Raw and The Man then went on to relinquish the Raw Women’s Championship she had held for over a year.
Many WWE stars and other personalities have since taken on their social media to congratulate the former champion and now Vince McMahon has joined the list.
The boss took his twitter earlier yesterday and noted how Becky is a world-class athlete. He claimed that she will become a world-class mom as well and the WWE chairman then proceeded to congratulate Lynch on behalf of the entire WWE family:
.@BeckyLynchWWE is a world-class athlete who will undoubtedly be a world-class mom. She’s rewritten the book on what it means to be a champion on #WWERaw, and now she’s starting an exciting new chapter. On behalf of the entire #WWE family, congratulations! https://t.co/ELdJEpkEJe
Wrestling veteran Sid Vicious had a couple of stints with WWE in the 90s and he got to work with both Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart during his time in the company.
The former WWE star discussed his experience of working with both the stars in a new interview with WrestlingInc where he claimed that Shawn Michaels’ reputation of being hard to work with was unwarranted.
During the interview, Vicious also recalled his triple threat matches with both the wrestling legends and he made the bold claim that the Canadian star was actually a little overrated:
“Some of the first three-way matches that ever took place, at least the first that I’ve ever done, were with me and Shawn [Michaels] and Bret [Hart]. Really what made those three-way matches was Shawn.
He didn’t have an ego like Bret did where Bret would say, ‘I don’t know if this is good for Bret Hart,’ just silly stuff like that.” recalled Sid Vicious. “When people talk in third person, that always is a red flag that things aren’t gonna be that great.”
“Bret was a little overrated where Shawn maybe wasn’t rated highly enough.”
– Sid Vicious
The former WCW star also detailed his experience of working with Michaels in singles matches saying that The former World Champion was always really unselfish and giving. He worked really hard to make the other person look good.
Sid Vicious has started a new podcast called Vicious Circle. New episodes of the show are made available every Sunday and they can be found on all major podcast platforms.
The May 13th episode of Dynamite aired from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. In addition to the takeaways below, it was announced that Mike Tyson will present the TNT Championship to the winner of Cody versus Lance Archer at Double or Nothing.
Lance Archer came down to the ring to begin this week’s show. Archer beat the hell out of a backstage worker as Jake Roberts stood behind him. Roberts got in the ring and said that he was asked to give an apology for his antics last week.
Roberts stated that he will give an apology after Brandi kisses his ass. Jake essentially said that women belong at home before Cody burst into Daily’s Place in a truck. Cody beat Lance Archer down before staring at Jake Roberts. Cody started walking towards Jake and Archer capitalized by attacking Cody from behind.
Archer slammed Cody on the ring apron before Rhodes used Lance’s own hair to choke him. Cody launched a chair at Archer’s face and went for a Cutter but Lance blocked it. Jake then grabbed Archer and the two retreated up the entrance ramp.
Opinion: I’m sure this promo will piss people off and all that means is Jake Roberts is doing his job. The brawl between Cody and Archer was pretty sloppy but this was still a good segment.
Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus battled Best Friends (Trent & Chuck Taylor). Orange Cassidy and Marko Stunt were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Jurassic Express controlled the action early and isolated Trent in the ring. Trent planted Jungle Boy with a Belly to Back Suplex and then perched him up on the top rope. Jungle Boy hit Trent with a Dropkick and then delivered a Jawbreaker to Chuck. Trent went for a Suicide Dive but Luchasaurus caught him. Best Friends planted Luchasaurus with a Suplex outside the ring. Jungle Boy flipped onto Best Friends as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Trent leveled Luchasaurus with a Spear in the ring. Jungle Boy hit a Clothesline on Chuck and turned around into a knee to the face from Trent. Trent connected with a beautiful Tornado DDT. Fenix came out of nowhere and booted Orange Cassidy in the head. MJF hopped over the barricade and attacked Jungle Boy. Chuck then planted Jungle Boy with the Awful Waffle for the pinfall victory. After the match, Wardlow hurled Marko Stunt into the barricade.
Hikaru Shida Will Face Nyla Rose For The Title At Double Or Nothing
Penelope Ford, Kris Statlander, Britt Baker, and Hikaru Shida battled tonight on Dynamite.
Match Recap: Baker grabbed Shida’s hair and slammed her face into the canvas. Shida and Statlander teamed up and planted Baker with a Backbreaker. Britt knocked Kris out of the ring and planted Shida with a Slingblade. Baker went for Lockjaw but Statlander broke it up. Britt connected with a DDT and Penelope went for the cover but Baker broke it up.
Britt slammed Statlander into the middle turnbuckle but turned around into a Clothesline from Shida as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Statlander and Shida were trading punches in the middle of the ring. Baker hit a Superkick and followed it up with a Destroyer on Kris.
Penelope hit Baker with a Cutter for a near fall. Penelope ducked under a Clothesline and hit Shida with a Stunner. Statlander hit Baker with a Falcon Arrow for a near fall. Shida went Baker and Kris out of the ring. Penelope hit a Dropkick off the top rope for a two count. Kip Sabian hopped up on the apron and shared a kiss with Penelope.
Shida booted Kip in the face as Statlander got back in the ring. Penelope hit Statlander with a Hurricanrana and then Britt applied the Lockjaw on Kris outside the ring. Hikaru Shida hit Penelope with a knee to the face for the pinfall victory.
Santana & Ortiz squared off against Matt Hardy and Kenny Omega tonight.
Match Recap: Santana and Ortiz attacked Kenny Omega during his entrance and beat him down. Matt Hardy finally showed up and took a bite out of Santana. The match officially started with Omega and Ortiz trading shots in the corner. Santana launched Matt Hardy into the barricade as Ortiz raked Kenny’s back.
Omega hit Santana and Ortiz with a Bulldog and tagged Matt in. Omega and Matt hit Poetry in Motion and then delivered a Suplex to Ortiz. Matt hit Santana with a Leg Drop for a near fall. When Dynamite returned from a break, Santana and Ortiz had Kenny isolated in the ring.
Matt Hardy eventually tagged in and sent Ortiz out of the ring. Hardy planted Santana with the Side Effect for a two count. Ortiz sent Matt out of the ring and Santana followed it up with a Suicide Dive. Hardy hit Ortiz with a Neckbreaker as Kenny took out Santana outside the ring. Back in the ring, Matt hit Santana with a Twist of Fate and went for the cover but Ortiz broke it up at two.
Hardy slammed Santana on the entrance ramp and tagged in. Matt locke din a submission as Sammy Guevara limped down to the ring wearing a neck brace. Matt hit Sammy with a Twist of Fate as Kenny connected with a V-Trigger to Ortiz’s face. Matt then slammed Ortiz to the canvas for the pinfall victory.
Inner Circle Challenged The Elite & Destroyed Vanguard 1
Pineapple Pete faced Le Champion Chris Jericho tonight on Dynamite. Inner Circle accompanied Jericho to the ring.
Match Recap: Jericho slapped Pete and Pineapple battled back and beat Jericho down in the corner. Jericho quickly hit the Judas Effect out of nowhere for the victory.
After the match, Jericho claimed that the threat of Pineapple Pete has been vanquished. Jericho said Inner Circle are fair and honorable men. Chris told The Elite to get their shit together and said they have created a Stadium Stampede match. It will be in an empty football stadium.
Vanguard 1 flew ringside with the Inner Circle shirt. Jericho ripped down the shirt and asked Vanguard if Elite accepted the challenge. They did and Jericho hit Vanguard 1 with a metal bat. Inner Circle took turns beating the hell out Vanguard 1 until it was completely shattered.
Opinion: Inner Circle versus The Elite sounds awesome for Double or Nothing. There are several matches that I’m looking forward to at the PPV and that just leaped to the top of the list.
Match Recap: Brodie controlled the action early but Daniels battled back with a Moonsault. Daniels went for the cover but Brodie kicked out before a one count. Lee leveled Daniels with a boot to the face before beating him down in the corner. Brodie connected with a Sidewalk Slam for a near fall.
Lee followed it up with a big boot for a two count. Daniels hit a DDT and then a Hurricanrana off the middle rope. 10 hopped on the ring apron for a distraction but Scorpio Sky and Kazarian beat him down. Daniels hit Brodie in the head with a chair and locked in a submission. Colt Cabana, Sky and Frankie battled with Dark Order outside the ring as Daniels hit Angels Wings for a one count.
Daniels hit a Moonsault off the second rope for a two count. Brodie planted Daniels with a Powerbomb and followed it up with a Discus Lariat for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Brodie Lee was surrounded by a few members of Dark Order. They handed him the AEW Championship as Jon Moxley came in through the crowd. Brodie shoved one of his followers into the ring and Moxley hit him with the Paradigm Shift. Brodie left with the AEW Championship as Moxley grabbed a microphone. Jon stated Brodie Lee has made a foolish decision and he is going to pay for it. Moxley added that there is going to be a hailstorm of violence and Brodie’s AEW career will be over before it’s started.
Opinion: I thought Dynamite was another solid show this week and I’m excited for Double or Nothing on the 23rd. Mike Tyson being a part of the PPV is huge and will definitely create some more buzz surrounding the event. Hardy & Omega versus Santana & Ortiz was the match of the night and the 4-way women’s match was solid as well.
WWE is bringing back the “In Your House” name for its next NXT TakeOver event.
WWE had WWE Hall of Famers Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and “Road Dogg” BG James appear in a segment on Wednesday’s episode of NXT where they announced that this event will air on Sunday, June 7 on the WWE Network.
WWE did not mention where this show will take place. The company has been taping NXT television in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University while airing PPV events in addition to their other weekly TV shows from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center.
As seen above, WWE is using the original In Your House logo. Triple H mentioned in his announcement that the idea behind this special is due to superstars and fans spending time at home as of late due to the coronavirus outbreak.
WWE teased in the announcement on their website, “What will be in store when the black-and-gold brand puts its own spin on the iconic event?”
Thursday marks the 25th anniversary of WWE’s first In Your House event. In Your House 1 took place on May 14, 1995 from Syracuse, NY WWE Hall of Famer Diesel (Kevin Nash) retained the WWE Title over Sycho Sid in the main event.
As of this writing, matches for the show will be announced in the coming weeks.
The May 13, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from the Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
The show was headlined by Matt Riddle vs. Timothy Thatcher in a singles match after working the opening contest.
WWE NXT Results (5/13)
Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) def. Matt Riddle & Timothy Thatcher for NXT Tag Team Titles
Tegan Nox def. Indi Hartwell
Jake Atlas def. Tony Nese
Cameron Grimes def. Finn Balor
Kayden Carter defeated Aliyah
Matt Riddle def. Timothy Thatcher.
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Rhea Ripley Speaks
Rhea Ripley
WWE had Rhea Ripley do a promo on this show about her issues with NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair.
This is where she did backstage and talked about how she has been thinking about dropping the title to Flair since it happened and it makes her sick. She said that Io Shirai didn’t get the job done and that she considers herself as the person to do it.
Ripley said that she’s willing to beat that belief into Io. He ended the promo by stating that the title belongs to her.
This segment comes after Ripley’s return to NXT television on last week’s episode of NXT when Charlotte Flair put the NXT Women’s Title on the line when she defended it against the #1 contender in Io Shirai.
Flair hit her with a kendo stick, which led to a post-match attack, and Ripley making the save. Up until this point, Ripley had been off WWE programming since dropping the title to Flair at WrestleMania 36.
Triple H and Shawn Michaels returned to SmackDown this week
On Wednesday, WWE had WWE NXT General Manager William Regal to appear on WWE The Bump digital show to announce that there will be a major announcement on NXT.
It was later revealed that WWE Hall of Famer Triple H and Shawn Michaels would make the announcement. So what was the announcement?
It turns out that WWE had Road Dog Triple H and Michaels in the control room where they announced that on June 7 on the WWE network there will be an NXT TakeOver: In Your House special. This will be to celebrate the 25 Anniversary of the first In Your House PPV event.
Road Dog kept bringing up Triple H working the first WWE In Your House PPV event against Henry Godwin. This was supposed to be a comedy segment.
A cool announcement but from right now, WWE has less than a month to build up to this special event even though they just had a stacked card last week with their top two programs for the top two titles on the brand.
Imperium’s Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner vs. NXT Tag Team Champion Matt Riddle and partner Timothy Thatcher took place with the titles on the line.
This was one of the top matches advertised in advance for the show but served as the opening contest.
It was a fine match with all four stars working hard and putting on an entertaining bout. Thatcher got accidentally kicked in the head by Riddle so he walked out on Riddle. The finish saw Imperium hit their finisher for the win and to win the NXT Tag Team Titles.
WWE had set up this contest a few weeks ago during a segment with Riddle and Thatcher, who were doing a date show parody in order for Thatcher to get to know Riddle better now that he’s filling in for Pete Dunne as Dunne is stuck in the UK due to the virus.
Riddle and Thatcher got into a scuffle backstage that led to them working the main event.
Finn Balor vs. Cameron Grimes in a singles match is in the books after a one-week build.
Grimes actually won the contest thanks to a distraction from Damian Priest. After the match, Priest beat Balor down. Priest revealed that he was the one who attacked Balor three weeks ago.
WWE was still playing up the angle of who attacked Balor up until now. Balor did a great promo last week about wanting to find the attacker. When Grimes popped off in a promo moments later about how he would slap Balor, the former NXT Champion took him out.
The belief was that WWE would be stringing fans along to find out who the actual attacker is. However, that’s the case.
Priest just got done with a program with Keith Lee so pushing him right to Balor shows how highly NXT officials think of him.
AEW made three announcements regarding its Double or Nothing pay-per-view event including a special appearance by the one and only Mike Tyson.
“Iron” Mike has made headlines in recent weeks by posting videos of him training for a return to boxing. The 53-year-old Tyson has been teasing the possibility of fighting some exhibition bouts for charity, but his return to pay-per-view will happen under the All Elite Wrestling banner.
The boxing legend is slated to present the AEW TNT Title to the winner of Cody Rhodes vs. Lance Archer.
Right after the announcement was made, Rhodes took to his official Twitter account to comment on the news by writing the following:
“It’s been a privilege to compete in this tournament. It’ll be an honor to finish it. The King of PPV, The Baddest Man On The Planet, Iron Mike Tyson to present the @tntdrama CHAMPIONSHIP.”
Stadium Stampede
Also, a new match was made official. After Chris Jericho beat Suge D on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite, he issued a match challenge. The Inner circle vs. The Elite in a Stadium Stampede contest.
Finally, Best Friends vs. Private Party to determine the number one contenders for Kenny Omega and Hangman Page’s AEW World Tag Team Titles has been revealed as the pre-show match.
The threat of #PineapplePete has been vanquished! Now onto more significant tasks – Enter the first-ever STADIUM STAMPEDE at Double or Nothing on Saturday, May 23rd. pic.twitter.com/w8GSWmm08o
AEW Double or Nothing takes place on Saturday, May 23rd in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place. The following matches are now confirmed for the pay-per-view:
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley vs. Brodie Lee
Cody Rhodes vs. Lance Archer – AEW TNT Title Tournament Finals With Mike Tyson Presenting The Title
Jungle Boy vs. MJF
Darby Allin vs. Colt Cabana vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Fenix vs. TBA – Casino Ladder Match for future AEW World Championship shot
AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida
The Inner Circle vs. The Elite – Stadium Stampede Match
Best Friends vs. Private Party – #1 Contenders Match (Pre-Show)
There is a new #1 contender to the AEW World Title held by Nyla Rose and that’s Hikaru Shida.
During Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT, All Elite Wrestling held a #1 Contender’s Match that saw Shida vs. Penelope Ford vs. Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander battle it out in a Fatal 4-Way contest.
As seen on the show, Shida ended up winning it. As a result, Shida has earned the right to challenge Jericho for the AEW Women’s Title at the Double or Nothing PPV event.
The AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view event will take place on Saturday, May 23, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place and will be held in front of no fans on a closed set. Here is the updated card:
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley vs. Brodie Lee
Cody Rhodes vs. Lance Archer – AEW TNT Title Tournament Finals
Jungle Boy vs. MJF
Darby Allin vs. Colt Cabana vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Fenix vs. TBA – Casino Ladder Match for future AEW World Championship shot
AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner did so when they defeated Matt Riddle and temporary partner Timothy Thatcher on Wednesday’s episode of WWE NXT in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University on the USA Network.
This served as the opening contest of the show. The finish saw Riddle accidentally kick Thatcher in the head when going for a monkey flip out of the corner. This led to Thatcher walking out and to the backstage area.
Riddle tried to fight them off by hitting some signature moves while alone inside of the ring but the NXT UK tag team managed to get the upper hand. Imperium hit their finisher on Riddle for the win and to win the NXT Tag Team Titles.
After the commercial break, Riddle and Thatcher got into a scuffle.
Thatcher had been serving as Riddle’s partner to defend the gold due to Pete Dunne being stuck in the United Kingdom due to the coronavirus outbreak.
What are your thoughts on Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner beating Timothy Thatcher & Matt Riddle for the NXT Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Vince McMahon has fired back in a lawful manner at former XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck, who is using the owner of the sporting league.
In April it was revealed that 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.
On Wednesday, the Sports Business Journal provided some more details on the situation. The firing took place four days before it shut down operations.
McMahon’s legal team noted in the pre-trial filings that the reasons of Luck’s firing were due to the “gross neglect of his job during the COVID-19 pandemic”, “personal use of a league-assisted cellphone”, and the signing of a former NFL receiver with previous legal issues despite McMahon previously telling him that he was against the signing.
McMahon also claimed in the filings that Luck left the XFL’s Connecticut headquarters for his home in Indiana and “disengaged” from the league’s operations.
The lawsuit also noted, “Put simply, at the very moment when his leadership as CEO was needed most, Luck did not devote substantially all of his business time to the XFL, as required by his contract.”
Daniel Cormier recently did an interview with Sports Illustrated to talk about WWE releasing Cain Velasquez.
The former UFC Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion is good friends and a former training partner of Velasquez at AKA.
“It makes me sad for Cain,” said Cormier. “I know how much he enjoys wrestling. I know that he’s going to land on his feet. There is no person in the world I am more confident that will come out of whatever situation in a positive light than Cain Velasquez.”
Cormier was then asked if the release of the former UFC Champion has changed his desire of wanting to work for WWE.
Cormier stated that everyone should consider the circumstances that the world is in right now due to the coronavirus with any moves companies or organizations. He stated that it’s not normal right now nor something any of us have ever seen before.
He noted that to say that it would make you only want to do a one-off as opposed to a contract is a little much. He added that everybody’s doing exactly what they’re doing because of the pandemic.
Velasquez’s AKA coach has stated in the past that he plans to continue in the pro wrestling world.
Sami Zayn is now a former Intercontinental Champion after WWE stripped him of the title earlier today. WWE has since stated that a tournament will commence with the winner being declared the new champion.
Sami Zayn is not happy about this decision. He took to Twitter to make his feelings on the subject known.
“I disagree with this decision and no matter what anyone says, I am still undefeated and therefore still the Intercontinental Champion,” Zayn Tweeted in reply to WWE’s announcement.
I disagree with this decision and no matter what anyone says, I am still undefeated and therefore still the Intercontinental Champion. -SZ https://t.co/SUFsBFeRDB
Also today, the WWE on Fox Twitter account asked fans who the next Intercontinental title holder should be. Zayn offered up a response to the question.
Sami Zayn and Intercontinental Championship Statistics
WWE’s Intercontinental Championship dates back to 1979. Pat Patterson was the inaugural champion after winning a tournament (that didn’t actually happen) in Brazil. Zayn won the title in a 3-on-1 handicap match from Braun Strowman with help from Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro. It was the 174th title reign in the belt’s lineage. 85 different wrestlers have won the title at least once.
Chris Jericho holds the record for most reigns with the title, having held it on 9 occasions. Pedro Morales holds the record for most combined days with the belt, having held it for 619 days. The Miz is second in both categories. He’s held the belt 8 times for a total of 597 days.
Matt Riddle is currently 1/2 of the NXT tag team champions. He won the titles with “Stallion Pete” Pete Dunne but due to travel restrictions, he has taken on a temporary partnership with “Stallion Timothy” Timothy Thatcher. Riddle has been in NXT since 2018 and now is a focal point of the show as it airs Wednesday nights on USA. Someday, however, it is possible, or even likely, that Riddle gets moved to either RAW or Smackdown.
During a recent interview with Pro Wrestling Sheet, Riddle was asked if he wants to move into a big program on RAW or Smackdown.
“I don’t want to push anybody into things or rush anything. But at the same time, I love NXT, I love the product we do, I love the intensity, I love the intimacy, especially when we do have fans at Full Sail. The Takeovers are amazing,” Riddle said. He would continue to say, however, that it is his goal to be a top guy in WWE.
“But yeah, I think everybody knows the main goal is to eventually get to the top, be at the main event of WrestleMania, win the Royal Rumble. Do it all and be the top guy. I fought MMA and I felt like I could have gotten a lot further and I didn’t. Now that I’m in pro wresting, if I have any opportunity, I’m going to seize it and take it. If there’s an opportunity or a spot open, I’m going to take it. I’m going to take the opportunity and run with it as hard and far as I can.”
Riddle was then asked if he would be interested in taking part in the brand-to-brand invitation. It seemed as though Riddle wasn’t too aware of the new initiative but stated he was interested nonetheless.
“Yeah, that’s a great idea. I hope I get a call soon and they let me wrestle up there a little bit.”
Riddle has a big match tonight on NXT. He will team up with “Stallion Timothy” to go up against Imperium’s Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel with the NXT Tag Team titles on the line. It will be Thatcher and Riddle’s second title defense since Pete Dunne has been unable to travel to the US. Their first title defense saw them beat the team of Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish on the April 15th episode.
Ahead of tonight’s episode of Dynamite, AEW has released new rankings for May 13th, 2020.
AEW Men’s Single’s Rankings
Champion: Jon Moxley (10-0)
Cody (9-1)
Lance Archer (5-0)
Kenny Omega (4-0)
Brodie Lee (4-0)
Darby Allin (5-3)
There was no movement in the men’s single’s rankings this week.
Champion Jon Moxley defeated Frankie Kazarian in a non-title match on Dynamite last week. #4 Brodie Lee had the week off but he’ll challenge Moxley for the title at Double or Nothing. Lee will also take on Christopher Daniels tonight.
#1 Cody defeated Joey Janela and #2 Lance Archer picked up a win over QT Marshall. Archer and Cody are gearing up for the finals of the TNT title tournament which will take place May 23rd at Double or Nothing.
#5 Darby Allin didn’t wrestle last week either. Allin is coming off of losing to Cody in the semi-finals of the TNT tournament.
#3 Kenny Omega teamed with Matt Hardy in a losing effort to Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara in the night’s main event. Omega and Hardy will team up again tonight to take on Santan and Ortiz.
AEW Women’s Division
Champion: Nyla Rose (5-1)
Hikaru Shida (7-1)
Kris Statlander (3-3)
Britt Baker (4-3) (+1)
Yuka Sakazaki (1-1) (-1)
Riho (3-3)
#3 Britt Baker moved up one spot this week causing Yuka Sakazaki to drop to the #4 spot. Baker defeated Skyler Moore on Dark last night to bring her 2020 record up to 4-3. Sakazaki holds a victory over Baker but hasn’t competed for AEW since February.
#2 Kris Statlander picked up a win over Dani Jordyn last night on Dark. She improves her record to 3-3 in 2020.
The women’s division has a big match scheduled for tonight that could throw the division on hits head, however. A 4-way match will pit #1 Hikaru Shida vs. Penelope Ford vs. #3 Britt Baker vs. #2 Kris Statlander on tonight’s show. The winner of the match is likely in line to face champion, Nyla Rose, next.
AEW Tag Team Division
Champions: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (6-0)
The Dark Order (5-0)
Best Friends (6-3)
The Young Bucks (2-2)
Jurassic Express (2-0) (previously unranked)
Private Party (3-1) (previously unranked)
Former AEW tag team champions SCU have dropped out of the top-5 for the first time. They have had some matches at the BTE Compound as of late but have been involved in single’s matches in AEW. Kazarian dropped a match to Jon Moxley last week and Christopher Daniels is facing Brodie Lee tonight. Meanwhile, we’ve seen vignettes featuring Scorpio Sky on Dynamite recently.
The Lucha Bros dropped out of the rankings as well. Pentagon is unable to travel to the shows as he is in Mexico while Fenix is in the United States and was just announced for the Casino Ladder Match.
#5 Private Party picked up a win over Lee Johnson and Musa on Dark to improve to 3-1 on the year. #4 Jurassic Express defeated Mike Reed & Ryan Rembrandt to improve to 2-0 on the year and grab the #4 ranking.
Tonight on Dynamite, #2 the Best Friends will take on #4 Jurassic Express.
WWE Superstar Big Show recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The star of Netflix’s ‘The Big Show Show’ appeared on Sirius to discuss a number of topics from his recent career in the company.
One of the points brought up was Big Show’s WWE Championship match against Drew McIntyre. Technically, the match was shown on the RAW following ‘Mania. But with the staging still set up with the WrestleMania styling? It was arguably the main event of night 2.
Big Show’s Personal Take
The fact that the match took place with no crowd in attendance was mentioned, and Big Show said that he and other Superstars are just getting on with the show. “A lot of people are making a really big deal about it” Big Show began.
“My personal take on this might be a little bit different. I am very proud of WWE and our talent that are doing everything they can during these crazy times to give people a show. Just give them a product and were able to pull off a WrestleMania. And to also complete a lot of those storylines and angles that went on all year.”
Younger Talent
Big Show would also discuss the younger talent in WWE, and how he believes that the current situation in the world will actually help them. “I think the empty arena and working in the ring with your opponent is going to make our younger talent a lot better” Big Show stated. “Because you really see your businesses exposed when you don’t have a crowd to hide your mistakes. You don’t have a crowd that can boost along your story. You can’t stop your foot on the mat and get them going or clap your hands or scream at the crowd.”
Show elaborated further, saying “it is these shortcuts that get the live audience involved. To steer them where you want to steer them in the match.”
Big Show would finish by saying that without these shortcuts the only way to get the audience at home involved is your ability to work during the bout. “The only way you can steer them with your match now? It’s actually by your work in the ring.”
Do you think that these no crowd shows are helping the younger talent in WWE? Let us know in the comments
New Japan Pro Wrestling has not produced a live event since February 26th, 2020. The New Japan Cup, Wrestling Dontaku, and the Best of the Super Juniors tournament have been canceled.
NJPW President Harold Meij recently updated fans on the company’s roadmap to returning to live events. Meij stated 3 reasons why the company has not produced “empty-arena” shows.
“The first and foremost reason has been to protect the health and safety of our wrestlers and staff,” Meij said.
“Data has clearly shown high-levels of infection within cities like Tokyo. Therefore we believe to stage events, even empty-arenas, involves a level of unnecessary risk.”
Meij then noted the second reason why they don’t run empty arena shows is due to unavailability of the venues.
“As the pandemic has escalated, these venues have closed their doors even to empty-arena presentations.”
Meij then stated the 3rd reason they have not produced events during the pandemic is NJPW’s Corporate Social Responsibility.
“New Japan is an industry leader both in Japan and worldwide,” Meij continued. “With that position comes a great responsibility. As the global society holds a magnifying glass up to us, it behooves New Japan to act to the highest possible ethical standards.”
Meij also mentioned the steps NJPW will take in order to return to producing live events. The first step will be to produce empty-arena shows when it is safe to do so.
“This step will be taken when and only when the state of emergency restrictions are lifted, the number of new coronavirus infections declines and when matches can take place in a properly disinfected and safe setting.”
He then noted that matches would then take place both in Japan and at the LA Dojo.
Meij then said the next step would be to allow fans back to the shows under certain conditions. Temperature checks and masks would be mandatory for fans attending. Wrestlers and staff would undergo rigorous testing and venues would be properly disinfected, spaces left between seats and there will be increased ventilation.
The video featuring NJPW President Harold Meij can be viewed below:
Professional basketball star Enes Kanter says he plans to accept an offer to wrestle for WWE when he retires from the NBA.
Kanter spoke with Shams Charania of Stadium on Wednesday and revealed he plans to become a WWE Superstar one day. The 6’11” is a huge pro wrestling fan, a certified Paul Heyman Guy and is a former WWE 24/7 Champion.
At 27 years old, Kanter is planning to play in the NBA for 6 or 7 more years before transitioning to the squared circle.
You can see Enes Kanter talking about his plans to join WWE in the video embedded below, courtesy of Stadium:
Celtics center @EnesKanter told our NBA Insider @ShamsCharania he has been offered WWE deal and plans to accept after career.
Kanter also discussed his public approach with his native Turkey, Russell Westbrook's policy for opponents and more. pic.twitter.com/gOvZhfYGae
Kanter has already taken steps to achieve his dream of becoming a pro wrestler. He has trained in the ring on several occasions. Last summer, The Score released footage of Kanter training in the ring with Diamond Dallas Page.
In December, TMZ cameras caught up with the Boston Celtics center. At that time, he said he’s spoken with WWE CEO Vince McMahon and Triple H about joining WWE one day.
