Major League Wrestling has locked up their World Champion, Jacob Fatu, until 2025. According to a report from ESPN, Fatu and MLW agreed to a contract extension to keep the Contra Unit member in the promotion for four more years.
“Major League Wrestling has signed its heavyweight champion Jacob Fatu to a contract extension, sources told ESPN on Thursday. MLW penned Fatu to a deal in late 2019 and this new one extends it four more years, into late 2025, per sources,” an ESPN report reads.
Fatu is part of the famed Anoa’i family. His father is Sam Fatu (aka Tama from the Islanders, The Tonga Kid, and Tama Somoa). He is cousins with the Usos. Rikishi is his uncle.
Fatu is just the 7th person to win the MLW World Championship. In part due to the global pandemic and MLW ceasing to run shows, Fatu is the longest-reigning MLW World Champion of all time. As of this writing, he has held the title for 377 days. He won the title from Tom Lawlor on July 6th, 2019 at Kings of the Colosseum in Cicero, Illinois.
MLW is currently airing episodes from the “underground” series from its original run. Court Bauer has said the promotion won’t run events until it is safe to do so. In storyline, MLW has been taken over by Fatu’s Contra Unit, explaining why shows are not currently taking place.
Jim Ross, Excalibur, and Taz spent some time discussing the Wednesday Night Wars on the Dynamite post-show recently. According to JR and Taz, there is no question as to which show fans should be watching first on Wednesday nights.
“This is going to sound real ass-kissing, but why is there even a choice on Wednesday nights? DVR NXT. Watch it later. Our shit’s better and I’m proud of being able to say that and it’s not in defiance, it’s just in reality,” Ross said.
Taz then added his comments by saying that he hasn’t seen NXT in some time and addressed AEW taking shots and acknowledging WWE in the past. Taz said AEW does it because it respects the audience’s intelligence unlike WWE as he claims.
“I don’t remember the last time I even watched (NXT),” Taz said. “That’s no bullshit. I really don’t give a rat’s ass about it. I respect the men and women there bumping and working but I’m not trying to be a homer, I don’t give a shit if someone thinks I am. I’m so locked into what we do, I don’t really give a rat’s ass.”
The conversation then turned to WWE not acknowledging AEW on their programming.
“Well here’s the deal, man. Do you think any of those TV shows, those online shows, those streaming shows that WWE does, that they would ever mention us? Shit no. They’re arrogant, they’re omnipotent. They’re the kings of the mountain,” Ross said.
Taz and Excalibur then pointed out that AEW acknowledges WWE on their broadcasts because they don’t want to insult their fans.
“What we’re doing is we’re not insulting your intelligence and we’re acknowledging WWE. They are the one’s insulting your intelligence,” Taz continued.
“We’re trying to be transparent for you people,” Taz continued.
Excalibur then added that AEW will also bring up when someone is unavailable due to COVID-19 related concerns while WWE does not do the same.
“There is a reason why we said Jon Moxley couldn’t wrestle because of second-hand exposure to COVID. There is a reason why we say all these things because we treat the audience like we as individuals like to be treated,” Excalibur said.
Sammy Guevara made a surprise return to All Elite Wrestling at the conclusion of this week’s AEW Dynamite. It was his first appearance on AEW television in over a month. Guevara was suspended without pay on June 22nd when an inappropriate joke he made about Sasha Banks several years ago resurfaced.
AEW President Tony Khan spoke to Sports Illustrated this week about his decision to lift Guevara’s suspension. The Spanish God underwent four weeks of extensive sensitivity training where he learned about tolerance, race relations and gender issues.
“Sammy was off television for a month and suspended without pay for 30 days. I think it was the right time for Sammy to come back because he’s shown that he’s very sorry and that he can change. He’s spent every day over the past month trying to prove that.”
In addition to undergoing vigorous sensitivity training, one month of Sammy Guevara’s salary was donated to the Women’s Center of Jacksonville.
Tony Khan feels Guevara did his best to turn around a bad situation by improve himself and making a positive impact in the Jacksonville community.
“I think Sammy was very happy to have an opportunity to apologize, publicly and privately, and do something to turn a terrible comment he made into something positive.”
Next week on AEW Dynamite, the reunited Inner Circle will battle Orange Cassidy, Best Friends and the Jurassic Express in a 10-man tag team match.
Here are some more articles related to the Sammy Guevara suspension story:
AEW has announced an 8-team Women’s Tag Tournament is taking place this summer. The event has the tagline, Deadly Draw. Eight teams will compete in single-elimination tournament. The tournament winners will be awarded a cup trophy.
While no start date has been announced as of this writing, it’s likely that the finals will take place at or around AEW’s next pay-per-view – All Out on September 5th. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, company officials are confident this will become an annual event.
AEW Women’s Tag Team Tournament
The first team confirmed for the inaugural tournament is the Nightmare Sisters: Brandi Rhodes and Allie.
It will be interesting to see if Nyla Rose and her new manager Vickie Guerrero end up being one of the teams. They were featured in the promo for the tournament, and Guerrero has wrestled some in the past.
The company might have to scout female talent outside of the AEW roster, since some women are still impacted by COVID-19-related travel issues (and injuries).
AEW has held several tournaments in the company’s short history. Previous tournaments have been held to determine a #1 contenders to crown the first AEW World Championship (won by Chris Jericho and Hangman Page), a tournament to crown the first World Tag Team Champions (won by SCU) and most recently, Cody winning a tournament to become the first AEW TNT champion.
You can watch the first promo video for the Deadly Draw tournament below:
Coming this Summer | 16 Women | 8 Teams It's the AEW Women's Tag Team Cup Tournament: The Deadly Draw
Orange Cassidy has shared how he believes The Young Bucks signed him to All Elite Wrestling as a “middle finger to professional wrestling.”
Speaking with ESPN, Cassidy reflected on how Matt and Nick Jackson were determined to sign him. The brothers eventually got their wish granted when Cassidy officially debuted for AEW at 2019’s All Out pay-per-view. He had previously participated at Double or Nothing’s Casino Battle Royale.
“The Young Bucks were the people that were like, ‘We need to get Orange here,'” Orange Cassidy said. “Because my character is a giant middle finger to professional wrestling, so they were like, ‘Of course, let’s get him in.'”
Cassidy aligned himself with Best Friends, Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta. The trio have been teaming with and accompanying one another ever since.
Recognizing Cassidy had a following, Khan explained how “[…] he wasn’t somebody, when we started, that I was really particularly aware of or had real big plans for,” Khan said. “[After Double or Nothing,] I spent a lot of time with Orange Cassidy and got to know him a lot better, and also talked to him about ideas, and that opened a lot of doors for both of us.”
Since then, Khan has acknowledged how Cassidy is a multitalented team player. This recognition has seen Cassidy become involved in a major feud with former AEW Champion Chris Jericho.
The 45-year-old legend is believed to be working for WWE without a contract. WWE reportedly declined Mysterio’s request for a pay raise. The eyeball angle will keep Mysterio off television while the two sides continue negotiating.
Should he decide against re-signing with WWE, it looks like Rey Mysterio will have interest from All Elite Wrestling. AEW Executive Vice President Cody recently spoke to Sports Illustrated this week and heaped praise on his WrestleMania 27 opponent.
Cody says his father and brother helped mold his career, but Rey Mysterio also made a huge impact on his development as a worker.
“The one thing Chris Jericho and I can agree on is that there is nobody greater than Rey Mysterio,” Cody said about Mysterio. “There are people I give a lot of credit for helping me build my career, and they’re not always the obvious ones. Dusty and Dustin, of course they were involved, but they’re family. Rey Mysterio, I don’t even know if he remembers, but he changed my whole career. Rey, Randy Orton and Big Show are three people that put a great deal of work into carving out my skills as a wrestler. I didn’t know nearly as much as they did, and I still don’t. They were very important to me.”
Rey Mysterio is in the later stage of his in-ring career. However, he still has tremendous star power and can put on world-class matches that defy his age.
It’s worth noting that Mysterio wrestled in the main event of All In, the highly successful independent wrestling event promoted by Cody and The Bucks that served as the genesis for AEW.
Muhammad Hassan wrote a graphic novel with Shad Gaspard titled “Assassin and Son.” It has recently been published by Scout Comics with proceeds going to Gaspard’s family. Hassan recently was a guest on the Chris Van Vliet Show and spoke about the project.
“It was in Los Angeles that I started writing a screenplay with Shad Gaspard which is actually a graphic novel by Scout Comics,” Hassan says during the interview.
“I think everybody knows the story of Shad and the heroic actions that unfortunately led to his death. So Scout Comics had this idea to release an edition early, just the first book, but a tribute edition for Shad. It’s available at ScoutComics.com. I want to sell these out, because all of the proceeds from this go to Shad’s family.”
Assassin and Son tells the story of Donovan Braddock, an assassin who works with a unit known as the Horsemen. Braddock tries to leave the life but his wife is murdered in front of him and his young son.
Assassin and Son #1 – Tribute Variant Covers are NOW AVAILABLE! RIP Shad Gaspard https://t.co/emSrICqAzm
Muhammad Hassan On If His Character Would Work In 2020
Hassan was also asked during the interview if he feels his character would work in 2020.
“I don’t think the character could be done the way it was done 15 years ago,” Hassan said. “I think it was insensitive. It became very insensitive towards Muslim Americans and Arab American people. The way that the character changed from being this Arab-American who was upset at the unjust treatment of his people to a more radicalized Muslim and Arab young man who was lashing out violently, I don’t think that would be appropriate at this time.”
Fresh off his TNT Championship match from last week’s special episode of Dynamite, All Elite Wrestling’s Sonny Kiss joined Chris Jericho’s podcast, Talk is Jericho.
During their conversation, Kiss opened up about how he came to sign with AEW. He also revealed how he came to be known as Sonny Kiss.
Kiss revealed how Sonny is actually a nickname off his real-life name, Hassan. He explained how Kiss derives from him blowing a lot of kisses during his entrances. Kiss revealed how his dad is “partly Middle Eastern” and his mom is “African American Native American.”
Sonny Kiss on Joining AEW
Chris Jericho then asked how Sonny Kiss came to be signed by AEW. Kiss revealed how Brandi Rhodes had reached out to him. According to Kiss, she wanted to know if he was signed and asked if she could go to a show.
He explained how he was signed to Lucha Underground at the time. Despite this, he was allowed to “do other stuff.” Kiss noted how Lucha Underground talent were allowed to do “everything but the other company.”
Lucha Underground
Reflecting on his time with Lucha Underground, Kiss shared how it wasn’t the best time. He also noted how the roster weren’t on high salary contracts.
“That contract (Lucha Underground), I don’t even want to get into for legal reasons. We were probably making $4,000 a year. There were times I couldn’t even pay my cell phone bill or anything,” Kiss explained. “I couldn’t even contribute to my rent. They (Pentagon and Phoenix) were one of the first to get out and I was one of the last to get out. Cody said, don’t worry, we are still going to book you to the moon and make sure you are still here which was great.”
Sonny Kiss recently responded to hateful comments made by a troll ahead of his TNT Championship match on last week’s Fight for the Fallen event. Despite his best efforts, he would ultimately lose the match to reigning champion, Cody.
AJ Styles confessed that the reason he requested to move to SmackDown was because he “couldn’t stand looking” at Heyman. He stressed how he “just can’t stand a liar.”
He explained how, as grown men, he couldn’t understand why Heyman felt the need to lie. This led his feelings of animosity to grow to the point where, if an opportunity presented itself on SmackDown, he was willing to jump at it.
AJ Styles: WWE Talent Despise Paul Heyman
AJ Styles shared how fans wouldn’t believe how many people “despise” Paul Heyman because of his lies. He then claimed that Heyman would “find ways to throw them under the bus when he screwed up.”
According to Styles, Heyman would do this so they would get in trouble instead of him. It’s a claim Styles said he’s heard from “several, several different people.” He added how it was hard to find someone who actually liked Heyman.
“I didn’t know this, I just assumed everybody liked him and I was the only one. Vince is a very smart man and he can see through a lot of crap and I think he finally saw what everybody already knew and said ‘you know what man, you’ve done some great things in the past [but] you’re just not well-liked here, maybe hit the bricks. We’ll let you be the advocate for Brock Lesnar. You do it well, you can’t deny that. He’s good at that. I think that’s as far as it needs to go.'”
AJ Styles on Paul Heyman: "I talked to a lot of guys about this situation and you wouldn't believe how many people that I worked with despise this guy because of his lies…. It was almost kinda hard to find someone who liked him." pic.twitter.com/ZvhugqoGq3
AJ Styles then stated how the only person Heyman can blame is himself:
“Just don’t lie to people man. This is the business that he, I don’t want to say grew up in but found a way to be successful in – probably by lying. I’m not the first guy to say this, as I found out.”
AJ Styles has previously shared how he believed Heyman recommended that Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson be released by WWE as a cost-cutting measure due to COVID-19.
Former WWE Superstar and O.C. member Luke Gallows has revealed whether he and his tag partner, Karl Anderson, talked with AEW following their WWE release.
Speaking with The Wrestling Inc Daily podcast, Gallows confessed there “weren’t a lot of talks” between the two parties. He shared how he and Anderson felt “if we already didn’t take that option maybe that option won’t be available again.”
According to him, there wasn’t much back and forth outside of friendly conversation. They never pushed for a spot and AEW allegedly never really offered one. Regardless, Gallows shared how the team is in “constant communication” with The Young Bucks on a daily basis as they are good friends.
Why Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson Signed With Impact Wrestling
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson would eventually reveal they had signed with Impact Wrestling. He revealed how, from the moment WWE released them, Scott D’Amore was “aggressively” looking to sign them.
Gallows explained what made Impact Wrestling so appealing to the team. He noted how the promotion has a “solid belief in us as a commodity.” He then added how “Scott said let’s do this together and co-promote all this stuff you guys have got” in regards to Gallows and Anderson’s numerous side projects.
“All of these things WWE would never allow me to do and if it was getting away with it, I wouldn’t be allowed to talk about it. I don’t know how much availability there would have been for stuff like that with AEW,” Gallows said. “Scott basically opened his arms and said everything you guys are doing we’ll help and co-promote. We said if somebody is gonna offer that to you and afford you that opportunity, then let me wave the Impact flag higher than ever…”
Gallows added how having a company that believes in them and that is willing to acknowledge, co-promote, and help brand-build “means the world to me and to the both of us.”
The Good Brothers recently announced they had signed two-year contracts with Impact Wrestling. They made their first appearance since their WWE release at Impact’s recent Slammiversary show.
Having previously run over Stone’s leg, Blackheart would drive her mini-tank over his good leg. Martinez would then attack Blackheart as Aliyah assisted Stone away from the mini-tank.
Later on the show, Martinez approached Stone and Aliyah who were recovering from the match and its aftermath.
She stressed how she wanted someone who would help her “handle the big matches, look after the contracts and look after the crap I don’t care about. All of the stuff outside of the ring.”
She added how she just wants to be able to focus on what she does best: hurt people in the ring.
Wanting to know if Stone was capable of delivering, Stone promised that he was the right man for the job. She levied one final warning, promising to permanently break both of Stone’s legs if he “oversteps” his boundaries. Despite the threat, Stone eagerly welcomed her to the Robert Stone Brand as the two shook hands.
After the show, Martinez took to Twitter to reiterate Stone’s need to respect her boundaries. If he does, she believes their partnership can “reach the highest levels of GOLD!!!”
Stone quickly replied, “DONE” before asking her to follow him back on the social media platform. She would eventually follow him back, noting how she is happy to do so for now.
Eddie Kingston has shared his thoughts following his AEW Dynamite debut from last night’s episode. Kingston faced off against TNT Champion Cody in a No Disqualification championship bout. Despite his best efforts, Kingston would ultimately succumb to a figure-four leglock.
Speaking with AEW in a Social Exclusive after his match, Kingston stressed how you never lose, you learn. Reflecting on his brutal matchup with Cody, Kingston conceded that Cody was the better man last night.
“I learned a long time ago in this life…you never lose, you learn, and, uh, I learned tonight that Cody is the better man. He’s the better grappler, he was the better fighter—but just tonight,” Kingston stressed. “
I’ve been doing this for a very long time. I’m not gonna say the year, the number or all that jazz, ’cause that’s just pitiful to say, in my opinion. […] I have nothing else in this life that I love doing. So whether AEW brings me back or not, I’m going to keep going. I’m going to keep going until the wheels fall off ’cause I have nothing else but this. I chose to have nothing else but this.”
Kingston reiterated how he has no excuses and that Cody was undoubtedly the better man for the night. Becoming emotional, Kingston then shared how he’s going to learn from his match with Cody and use the lessons to help him move forward. He ended the interview promising how he would be back.
Arn Anderson Comments On Cody’s Defense
In another backstage interview via Coach’s Corner, Cody’s mentor Arn Anderson also shared his thoughts on the No DQ matchup.
Anderson admitted he had no idea who Eddie Kingston was or about his reputation. He acknowledged how Kingston made his presence immediately known, stating how he’s “got a big mouth and a lot of guts.”
He then noted how Kingston sold his wrestling gear in order to afford his mortgage payment. Anderson explained how that was “paying dues in life” for his family. Respecting that decision, Anderson stressed how “underneath that big mouth, Eddie Kingston is all man.”
Arn Anderson then noted how Cody was able to overcome and meet Kingston’s aggression despite having a “back full of tacks.” According to Anderson, Cody showcased the grit and determination that will help him successfully defend the TNT Championship “for as long as he keeps that mindset.”
He then promised how he and Cody have plans to “go to war” next week on AEW Dynamite.
If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.
WWE Executive Vice President of Television Production Kevin Dunn was reportedly upset during The Horror Show at Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
There were said to be some “production snafus” that took place during the match between Sasha Banks and RAW Women’s Champion Asuka, according to Fightful.
Dunn, who has been with WWE for more than 20 years, was said to be upset because cameras were catching SmackDown Women’s Bayley in spots where they weren’t supposed to.
While exact instances were not provided, it was noted that the issues “set Kevin Dunn off.”
The snafus were not considered to be significant, but it was enough of a situation that Dunn reportedly shouted at people for not protecting the talent on camera.
The Banks vs. Asuka match ended in controversy after the referee went down by taking errant mist from the champion. Bayley, who had been at ringside to support Banks, then took the referee’s shirt and went on to count a pin for Banks. They quickly escaped with Asuka’s belt, but she is still considered the official champion.
Next Monday’s RAW will feature Banks vs. Asuka in a match where the title can be decided by pinfall, submission, count out or DQ, including outside interference.
Bronson Reed has qualified for the first spot in the Ladder Match for the vacant WWE NXT North American Championship at TakeOver: XXX.
Reed earned the first spot by winning a Triple Threat over Johnny Gargano and Roderick Strong on Wednesday’s NXT show.
The second spot will be decided next Wednesday with Finn Balor vs. Timothy Thatcher vs. Dexter Lumis. There will be a total of 5 competitors in the Ladder Match at TakeOver, but WWE has not announced who will be in the next three Triple Threat qualifiers on NXT.
As reported before, Wednesday’s NXT show opened with Keith Lee relinquishing the NXT North American Championship. The storyline is that he wants to continue on as NXT Champion, but doesn’t want to hold other competitors back, and wants them to have the same opportunities that he had. It was then announced that the Ladder Match for the vacant championship will take place at NXT’s 30th TakeOver event.
NXT TakeOver: XXX will air on Saturday, August 22nd during SummerSlam Weekend, from the campus of Full Sail University.
Below is a promo to promote next week’s Triple Threat with Balor issuing a warning to Thatcher and Lumis:
AEW Dynamite aired from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. AEW announced a 8 team women’s tag team tournament called the Deadly Draw during tonight’s show.
Coming this Summer | 16 Women | 8 Teams It's the AEW Women's Tag Team Cup Tournament: The Deadly Draw
Cody def. Eddie Kingston to retain the TNT Championship
MJF def. Griff Garrison
Young Bucks def. Butcher & Blade
Diamante def. Ivelisse
Hangman Page def. Five
Inner Circle def. Jurassic Express
Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Cody Retained The TNT Championship Over Eddie Kingston
Cody defended his TNT Championship to begin the show against Eddie Kingston. Before the match, Eddie stated that he grew up around alcoholics and junkies, so he doesn’t want to hear Cody talking about a grind. Kingston added that every person Cody has faced has been a child and that he is a grown ass man. Eddie said he wanted a No DQ match for the title and if Cody doesn’t accept he is a bitch.
Match Recap: Eddie went right after Cody to start off the match and knocked the TNT Champion to the canvas. Cody battled back and hit Eddie with a Suicide Dive. Back in the ring, Cody hit Kingston with a Dropkick off the top rope. Kingston whipped Cody several times with his belt before exposing the concrete below.
Cody slammed Kingston to the concrete with a Back Body Drop. Kingston poked Cody in the eye and followed it up with a Clothesline in the ring. Eddie was holding his knee in pain after hitting Cody with a German Suplex.
Kingston sent Cody to the canvas and booted him in the back. Eddie poked Cody’s eye once again before Cody hit Kingston with a chop block to his injured knee. Cody slammed Kingston’s face into the turnbuckle and sent him towards the ropes but Eddie’s knee gave out.
Eddie lured Cody in and hit him with a low blow. Kingston followed it up with a DDT before grabbing thumbtacks from under the ring. Eddie poured them all over the center of the ring before hitting Cody with a chop. Kingston planted Cody with a Powerbomb on top of the thumbtacks in the middle of the ring.
Kingston hit Cody with a Suplex but the TNT Champion popped up and hit Eddie with a Clothesline. Cody slapped the hell out of Kingston’s face before locking in the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Kingston tapped out and Cody is still the TNT Champion.
Opinion: This was a hell of a way to start Dynamite. Kingston’s promo was awesome and the match was entertaining as hell.
SOCIAL EXCLUSIVE We hear candidly from @MadKing1981 post-match.
Brian Cage and Taz came down to the ring. Taz said that they have had a difficult week and Cage was close to firing him for throwing in the towel last week against Moxley.
Taz said that it was a business decision because he didn’t want Moxley to tear Cage’s bicep. Taz claimed that Brian Cage will never be in the position again and Cage would have never tapped out.
Taz added that Cage is the FTW Champion because he has an FTW mindset. Darby Allin interrupted before Ricky Starks attacked Allin from behind. Cage Powerbombed Allin on the stage and then back into the ring.
Starks then slammed Allin to the canvas and brought Darby’s skateboard in the ring. AEW Champion Jon Moxley rushed the ring with a barbed wire wrapped baseball bat that sent Cage and Starks retreating.
Young Bucks Def. Butcher & Blade In An Awesome Match
Young Bucks faced Butcher and Blade in a Falls Count Anywhere match.
Match Recap: The action started in the kitchen and both teams traded punches. Blade Powerbombed Nick onto a table for a two count. Young Bucks battled back and booted a sheet pan into Butcher’s face.
Butcher launched Nick Jackson into a production truck door and Jackson fell to the pavement. Matt came out of nowhere and flipped onto Butcher and Blade. Matt hit Butcher with a Senton on top of a table as Blade ran away. Young Bucks caught up to him and hit Blade with a Superkick. Blade fell onto an escalator as Dynamite went to a break.
When Dynamite returned, the action was ringside as Young Bucks were beating the hell out of Butcher. Blade arrived with a steel chair and hit the Young Bucks across the back. Matt planted Blade with a Cutter off the ring apron as Nick grabbed a table from under the ring.
Butcher planted Young Bucks with a double Suplex and set up Nick against a table. Blade tried to flip onto him but completely missed and crashed to the floor. Butcher hit Matt with a Crossbody through the table and brought Matt into the ring. Nick hit Butcher with a chair and followed it up with a Dropkick for a two count.
Blade got back into the ring and Clotheslined Matt onto the entrance ramp. Butcher & Blade planted Matt with a Powerbomb and Neckbreaker combo on the entrance ramp. They then set up more tables on the entrance ramp but Young Bucks battled back. Matt and Nick set Butcher and Blade up on opposite tables and climbed up the entrance tunnels. Young Bucks delivered an Elbow Drop and a Senton through the tables for the pinfall victory.
Match Recap: Hangman dominated the action early and beat Five down outside the ring. The rest of Dark Order showed up on the entrance ramp as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Hangman was still in control and planted Five with a Fallaway Slam. Page connected with an elbow to the face and went for the cover but Five kicked out at two. Hangman planted Five with a Powerbomb for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Hangman Page dared Dark Order to get into the ring. Brodie Lee made his way to the ring with a microphone. Brodie told Hangman that he was impressed by his rise to stardom but is not impressed by his lack of a tag partner when he is clearly in immediate danger.
Lee told Page that the Dark Order is here to offer him friendship and protection. Hangman said he appreciated it but is not ready to join a cult right now. Brodie told Hangman that he made his bed and hopes he enjoys his sleep in it.
Brodie took Colt Cabana to the back and ordered Dark Order to attack Hangman.FTR made the save and beat Dark Oder down before they retreated. Kenny Omega finally rushed the ring as Hangman thanked FTR and drank a beer. It was then announced that Hangman and Omega will defend the AEW Tag Team Championships next week against Dark Order.
Still impressed by Hangman. See you next week Cowboy.
Chris Jericho & Jake Hager squared off against Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus in the main event. Santana, Ortiz, and Marko Stunt were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Jungle Boy and Jericho started the match off and Jungle Boy connected with a couple of Arm Drags. Hager and Luchasaurus tagged in and collided in the middle of the ring. Luchasaurus went for a Chokeslam but Hager countered into an Ankle Lock. Jericho tagged back in and went to work on Luchasaurus’ ankle.
Jungle Boy tagged in and hit Jericho with a Hurricanrana for a two count. Jungle Boy hit Santana & Ortiz with a Suicide Dive as Jericho punched Marko Stunt in the face. When Dynamite returned from the break, Jungle Boy hit a Crossbody off the top rope for a two count.
Hager tagged in and unloaded a right hand to Jungle Boy’s face. Jericho brought the baseball bat into the ring and referee Aubrey Edwards got in his face. The two argued before Jericho finally dropped the bat out of the ring.
Jungle Boy battled back and was finally able to tag Luchasaurus back in. Luchasaurus hit Jericho with a chop that sent him to the mat and then hit Hager with a Clothesline. Jungle Boy knocked Hager out of the ring with a Flying Forearm. Marko hit Jericho with a Dropkick and Luchasaurus followed it up with a big boot for near fall.
Luchasaurus leveled Jericho with a shoulder tackle for another two count. Jungle Boy hit Santana with a Hurricanrana that sent him onto Ortiz. A masked man (Serpentico) hit Luchasaurus with the baseball bat and Jericho capitalized with the Codebreaker.
It was revealed to be Sammy Guevara under the mask. Best Friends and Orange Cassidy rushed the ring and Inner Circle retreated. Best Friends, Orange Cassidy, and Jurassic Express will face Inner Circle next week on Dynamite.
Opinion: This week’s episode of Dynamite was a great show. The two hours flew by and it felt AEW was going all out and the card they announced for next week is stacked as well. It also great to see Sammy Guevara back on TV and reunited with Inner Circle. Before his deserved suspension, he was consistently one of the most entertaining performers in AEW.
A late addition to the card although WWE did have Robert Stone appear on WWE’s The Bump to announce that his client, Aliyah, would take on Shotzi Blackheart in a singles match.
Blackheart won with a backsplash off the top rope. She had taken out Stone during the match after he interfered by hitting him with a big boot on the apron. Mercedes Martinez attacked Shotzi after the match.
Clearly, WWE officials like Stone even though he split with Chelsea Green, who was headed to the main roster only for Vince McMahon to change his mind.
Aliyah and Blackheart did their best to get over the story they were trying to tell and had some time to do so but WWE still has a long way to go in order to get Aliyah and Blackheart over as stars rather than solid wrestlers.
This match was set up two weeks ago in an angle where Stone had offered Blackheart the opportunity to join his brand, but she denied him and he tossed coffee over his shoulder which hit Killian Dain. Eventually, Dain attacked Stone and Blackheart ran over Stone’s ankle with her tank, which she uses during her entrance.
The first of several Triple Threat qualifying matches was booked as the top bout featured on show saw Johnny Gargano vs. Roderick Strong vs. Bronson Reed.
The match was part of the big announcement that had been promised by NXT General Manager William Regal, who had given Keith Lee the chance to announce that he decided to vacate the NXT North American Title.
There will be a series of triple threat matches that will serve as qualifying matches. The winners of these matches will then advance to a Ladder Match at the NXT TakeOver XXX special during SummerSlam weekend to crown the new North American Champion.
Regarding this match, it was the best match of the night. Reed went over when he laid out Gargano before hitting a splash to Strong for the win.
Now, there are four more spots to be filled in the ladder match.
Who will earn a spot in the Ladder Match at #NXTTakeOver: XXX to crown a NEW NXT North American Champion???
Dexter Lumis faced Killian Dain in a singles match. Right out of the gate, this was a weird match style as you have a big guy in Dain while Lumis is a slow passing serial killer character.
They did their best to make the match work. Lumis is clearly a guy that Triple H believes could be a star on the NXT program and Dain was next on his list. Dain is a guy, who had just recently made his return, as someone that WWE pushed as a monster.
The two guys worked hard until the finish that saw Lumis hit his side slam signature move before locking in his arm/neck choke.
Lumis also broke out some new moves such as a leg drop that Hulk Hogan would be proud of and a front senton off the top rope.
Dominik Dijakovic went one-on-one with Karrion Kross.
Just like all of the other opponents that have been put in the way of Kross, he crushed Dijakovic. The finish came when Kross put the head of his opponent between the ring and steps and kicked the steel.
Dijakovic was out cold and Kross tossed him into the ring before landing a few strikes. NXT Champion Keith Lee came to ringside to tell Dijakovic to give up. Dijakovic said that he wanted it to continue. Kross ended up going over as Lee told him that he made a mistake.
The booking decision behind this contest made sense although Dijakovic has been someone that WWE officials have pushed since his arrival. He’s known as the great rival and friend of Lee.
Even last week when Lee beat Dijakovic to retain both titles, WWE had Kross watching from high above.
Clearly, Kross is in line for Lee, but it remains to be interesting to see how WWE gets there. Is he the next in line or does he wait until Adam Cole gets his rematch.
AEW has made a special announcement that will feature wrestlers from its women’s roster.
During Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT, All Elite Wrestling announced that there would be a women’s tag team tournament taking place this summer.
“The AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup Tournament: The Deadly Draw” features all of the top women wrestlers in the company. Although not a lot of information was released about this tournament, what is known is that it will include 16 women and 8 teams.
As of this writing, there’s no word on the format of the tournament or what the winners will receive. Check out the promo that aired on Dynamite to hype the tournament below:
Coming this Summer | 16 Women | 8 Teams It's the AEW Women's Tag Team Cup Tournament: The Deadly Draw
Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes had been teasing something big for the women’s division and this appears to be what she had been hinting towards. She is currently one-half of the Nightmare Sisters tag duo with Allie.
AEW released the latest talent rankings on Wednesday and there was no movement in the women’s division. Although AEW does have several female wrestlers under contract there are some who are unavailable at the moment.
Eddie Kingston made his AEW debut on this week’s episode of Dynamite in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place on TNT. He did so by answering the open challenge set out by Cody Rhodes. This was the first bout on the card and was a No DQ Match.
Rhodes had a hard-fought battle against the promotional newcomer including a spot where he was thrown into thumb tacks. That resulted in him bleeding from his back.
In the end, Rhodes managed to lock in the figure four leg lock to score the win and successfully retain the TNT Title.
On Wednesday while doing an interview with Sports Illustrated, Rhodes had teased who could be the person to answer the open challenge.
“We need to always be aware of the world around us. One of the charming things about what we’ve been doing is we’ve been real and we’ve been transparent. Wrestling exists outside of AEW, we are aware of that. We try to be the best wrestling, and I really think we are, but there is great wrestling outside of us, too. It’s important for us to acknowledge that.”
The 38-year-old Kingston has been in the pro wrestling business since 2002. During that time, he has worked for various promotions such as Chikara, PWG, ROH, and even TNA.
He also found success while working for Evolve and the National Wrestling Alliance.
WWE had NXT General Manager William Regal open Wednesday’s episode of NXT with a major announcement.
Clearly, WWE didn’t want to waste any time in getting the announcement made. In the opening segment, Regal did a quick introduction before giving the platform to NXT and North American Champion Keith Lee.
Lee cut a promo from his home office where he talked about cashing in on the opportunity to become the NXT North American Champion and later the top champion on the brand.
However, he won’t be limiting the brand and thus, decided to vacate the North American Title. He wants as many people as possible to have the opportunity to win the title.
Regal started that there will be a series of triple threat matches that will serve as qualifying matches. The first match will be Johnny Gargano vs. Roderick Strong vs. Bronson Reed on Wednesday’s episode of NXT. The winners of these matches will then advance to a Ladder Match at the NXT TakeOver special next month to crown the new North American Champion.
The event, titled NXT TakeOver XXX, will take place on August 22nd.
Regal had been hyping this announcement as something that would be yet another step forward for the brand. In that same tweet, he said that seeing the men and women of this brand over the last couple of months has been inspiring and invigorating.
Eric Young gave some interesting insight into the system that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon has created now that he’s no longer under contract with the company.
He did so while making an appearance on SiriusXM’s Busted Open. Although he felt like he had a part in the creative direction of his character in NXT while working with Triple H, that quickly changed once he moved to the main roster.
He talked about how his transition to the main roster didn’t go very well and part of that is due to him not wanting to be a political person in pro wrestling. He admitted that might be a bit of a hindrance to his career.
“We don’t need to go on and on about it, but the system is broken. It’s hard to get a word in.”
He stated that even when a wrestler isn’t doing anything, it feels like your trying to fix the mistakes made by other people.
“There is no creativity. They want everyone to do things the same and be the same and bump the same and sell the same. There’s millions of rules, which I’m sure you guys have all heard and talked about on the show at length, and people talk about on the internet. The secret rules. Those change daily and it’s just really hard to understand what’s going on and why it’s going on. The system is flawed. And I would say that to anyone there. I would say it to Vince himself.”
He stated that he’s not the first person that McMahon has made a mistake on and he won’t be the last person.
“I don’t think it’s anything personal. Anytime me and him were in a room together, or we spoke, he was always respectful. We had two pretty decently long conversations and I thought they went well and he understood where I was coming from.”
Young stated that as a man, he refuses to stand around and wait on McMahon to talk to him. While he thinks that could be wrong or stubborn on his part, but he just won’t do it.
“I’m a forty-year-old man and I’m not gonna wait in the hallway like a child to maybe get five minutes to talk to him. I said my peace to him. He seemed to be responsive to it. And nothing ever came from it. I don’t take it personally. He made a mistake and, as a leader of the company and the person that decides everything, it’s a massive mistake to pass on somebody with me.”
He added, “You have a three-hour television show and you can’t find five minutes for Eric Young? Your show is broken. It’s as simple as that. I’ve proven that I can do whatever. Any role. I’m not saying I can do it. I’ve already done it and I’ve proven that I can do it and do it very well.”
He considers that a huge miss and mistake. He now sees it as a gain for somebody else. Young stated that his soul hadn’t felt good in a long time and that he didn’t exist for two years while on the main roster.
He stated that everyone in wrestling is creative and to have your hard work be discarded is hard to deal with and a huge blow to the psyche.
“I never thought, ‘Oh, this is my fault.’ The system is just broken. It’s flawed. All the flaws are created by one person and that’s not gonna change, unfortunately.”
Young stated that a lot of people who are creative and talented are never going to be able to fully do what they can do because of the way the system is organized.
He called it super frustrating when you’re in it. He added that he can smile now because he doesn’t have to deal with that anymore.
Over the last year, WWE’s stock price has taken a significant hit from the all-time high of $99.25 per share back in April 2019.
WWE’s stock has been trading around $46 per share this week. Since hitting that all-time high price tag, the company’s value has taken a big hit, down several billion dollars.
Next Thursday (July 30), WWE is expected to report earnings after the market closes. The report will be for the fiscal quarter ending Jun 2020. This quarter will not include how business did around WrestleMania 36 and the beginning of the coronavirus.
Even though WWE stock is down, that didn’t stop several executives from recently cashing out in WWE stock.
This includes WWE CEO Vince McMahon, Paul Levesque, Stephanie McMahon, EVP of Television Production Kevin Dunn, EVP of Operations Bradley Blum, Corporate Controller Mark Kowal and General Counsel Brian Nurse.
According to recent SEC filings, the following trades were made earlier this week (July 20):
Vince McMahon sold 12,762 shares worth $590,370.12. He still owns 69,421 of the Company’s Class A common stock.
Levesque sold 10,628 shares worth $491,651.28
Stephanie sold 11,167 shares totaling $516,585.42.
Stephanie McMahon made an appearance on Ad Age Remotely where she discussed a wide range of interesting topics.
During the interview, she talked about how WWE is operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the outbreak, WWE has continued to hold shows but had to do so in front of no fans from the Performance Center.
“It’s all optional, it’s volunteer-based. It’s up to them if they want to participate, we did have talent and crew members opt-out, and we do support that. We do testing before all programming. It is more advanced testing, it isn’t the rapid test, that does have false positives and negative, we want the best testing positive.
She talked about having pandemic level cleaning every night including fogging and special lighting. They also have an application of a product that creates a barrier between the virus and surfaces.
She added that if someone tests negative for the virus, they still need a temperature check and fill out a form. She called it as thorough as it possibly can be.
Regarding having fans back at their TV events, McMahon gave a teaser about the possible timeline.
“I think that happens sooner than later. So I’ll just throw that out there to the universe.”
It’s been reported that WWE wanted to have fans back this month then that got pushed back to August and now September due to cases of positive tests spiking in recent weeks.
AEW has released new rankings for 7/22. The biggest movement came in the men’s singles division with Maxwell Jacob Friedman retaking the #1 contender spot.
AEW Men’s Division
AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (14-0) TNT Champion: Cody (15-1)
Maxwell Jacob Friedman (7-0) (+1)
Lance Archer (9-1) (+1)
Brian Cage (6-1) (-2)
Brodie Lee (5-1) (+1)
Darby Allin (7-4) (previously unranked)
#3 Brian Cage drops 2 spots in the rankings after losing his title shot against Jon Moxley at Fight for the Fallen. This means #2 Lance Archer and #1 MJF each move up one spot. Neither Archer nor MJF wrestled last week.
#4 Brodie Lee didn’t wrestle last week but he moves up one spot as Chris Jericho dropped out of the rankings.
#5 Darby Allin is back in the rankings after returning from injury. He picked up a win over Robert Anthony on Dark. He also appeared in the final moments of Dynamite, getting a measure of revenge on Brian Cage.
TNT Champion Cody defeated Sonny Kiss last week and has an open challenge setup for tonight’s Dynamite.
AEW Women’s Division
AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (14-1)
Nyla Rose (7-2)
Big Swole (5-3)
Penelope Ford (4-4)
Kris Statlander (4-4) (injured)
Britt Baker (4-4) (injured) (role model)
There was no movement in the women’s division this week. Many of the top-ranked wrestlers in the division are unavailable at the moment. Baker and Statlander are both injured. Big Swole is suspended for kidnapping Britt Baker. #3 Penelope Ford hasn’t wrestled since dropping her title match to Hikaru Shida at Fyter Fest Night 1.
Champion Hikaru Shida picked up a win over Rache Chanel on Dark. The Unranked Nightmare Sisters (Allie & Brandi Rhodes) picked up a win on Dynamite.
#1 Nyla Rose had the week off after winning a 2-on-1 handicap match at Fyter Fest Night 2 and then announcing Vickie Guerrero as her new manager.
Tonight, Ivelisse and Diamante will face off. Diamante has had 4 matches in the promotion on Dark but this will be her first match on Dynamite tonight. The former LAX-member defeated KiLynn King on Dark this week. Ivelisse wrestled in the Casino Battle Royal at All Out last year but hasn’t been back in the promotion since.
AEW Tag Team Division
AEW Tag Team Champions: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (10-0)
The Dark Order (7-0)
The Best Friends (11-4)
Jurassic Express (5-1)
The Young Bucks (4-2)
Private Party (5-3)
There was no movement in the tag-team division this week.
Unranked FTR defeated the unranked Lucha Bros on Dynamite. #4 the Young Bucks teamed with tag champion Kenny Omega in a win over Jurassic Express.
#2 The Best Friends picked up a win on Dark over Brady Pierce & Sabby.
There are two tag team matches scheduled for tonight’s Dynamite. #4 The Young Bucks will take on the unranked Butcher and the Blade in a Falls Count Anywhere match. #3 Jurassic Express will also go up against Chris Jericho and Jake Hager of the Inner Circle.
IMPACT Wrestling Champion Eddie Edwards recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. Edwards won the Championship at this past weekend’s Slammiversary event; winning a Five Way Elimination Match against Ace Austin, Trey, Rich Swann and a returning Eric Young.
During the Busted Open broadcast, Eddie Edwards was asked how he felt about the company’s current management team. Edwards has been part of a number of changes during IMPACT and TNA’s history, and he had high praise for the current crop of leaders behind the scenes.
Eddie Edwards on IMPACT Locker Room
“You know it’s kind of like I said before, right now I feel like IMPACT is all on the same page” Eddie Edwards began. “That’s the boys and girls in the locker room to the front office. I know speaking for myself I have a very open relationship with the office. You know Tommy’s (Dreamer) one of my good friends and I can talk to Scott (D’Amore) and Don (Callis) anytime.
Eddie Edwards elaborated further, saying “I feel like they’ve [management] done a good job of leaving that door open with talent. We have D’Lo (Brown) as kind of the mediator in-between. I think we have a good relationship between the boys and girls and the office. It’s clear that you know we’re all dealing with stuff at the same time, like things change, things happen, and we’re all in this together.”
Edwards would then talk about the difficult set of circumstances surrounding the Slammiversary PPV event. With the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic ongoing the company were forced to make changes over the past few months, specifically when it comes to talent. “So, if anything, the circumstances of Slammiversary and circumstance leading in? It has kind of brought us closer together. I text with some of the boys and stuff on the side and I’m constantly reminded that we are on the same page and we have that same frame of mind. ‘Let’s just show what IMPACT’s about.'”
The IMPACT Champion finished by saying “I’ve been here through numerous changes and stuff and you know it doesn’t change our job in the ring. We go out there, we kill it and we do our job; and we hope that things work out on the back end. But I feel right now, you know? That we’re in a good place.”
Do you think that IMPACT is changing for the better recently? Let us know in the comments
WWE Superstar Becky Lynch is the latest guest on the Bella Twins podcast. During the discussion, Lynch spoke candidly about her pregnancy, including how she and fiancé Seth Rollins learned the big news.
Becky Lynch successfully defended the Raw Women’s Championship against Shayna Bazsler at WrestleMania 36. At the time of the match, she was already feeling some pregnancy-related nausea, but she did not yet know she pregnant.
Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 36 (Photo: WWE)
Lynch told the Bellas that she was feeling sick after she returned home from filming WrestleMania. However, it was ‘too early’ for her to take a pregnancy test. She purchased an ‘early response’ pregnancy test, used it, but did not read the instructions. She discarded the test results assuming that she was not pregnant. After returning home from a workout, she took another look at the pregnancy test and realized it showed a positive result. She and Seth Rollins took another pregnancy test and confirmed that she was in fact pregnant.
Becky Lynch announced her pregnancy on the May 11th edition of WWE Raw. She surrendered the Raw Women’s Championship to Asuka, who won the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match the previous night.
During an interview with People Magazine released the day after her pregnancy announcement, Lynch said she does not know if she will return to wrestling after giving birth later this year.
“I don’t know what the next chapter is because I only know what it’s like to think for myself when I’m by myself,” she said. “So I don’t know what it’ll look like and how my priorities shift and what I’m going to want in the future. So, everything’s open.”
Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins’ baby is due in December. The Bella Twins are also pregnant. Amazingly, their due dates are just a week and a half apart (end of July and early August).
