AEW has released new top-5 rankings for the week of August 26th, 2020. The big change in the rankings this week comes as a result of Brodie Lee’s TNT Championship victory over Cody on Saturday. With the loss, Cody drops to the #3 position.
AEW Men’s Singles Division
AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (15-0) TNT Champion: Brodie Lee (6-1)
MJF (8-0)
Lance Archer (12-1)
Cody (18-2) (previous TNT Champion)
Brian Cage (6-1) (-1)
Scorpio Sky (7-2)
Brodie Lee is the new TNT Champion. He squashed Cody in the main event of Saturday’s edition of Dynamite. The former champ had to be stretchered out of the arena and could possibly be out of action for awhile. Cody drops to the #3 position in the rankings with the loss.
Everything else in the men’s singles division stayed pretty much the same. Before winning the title, Lee was ranked #4. Brian Cage drops one position due to Cody being ranked at #3 this week.
AEW Women’s Division
AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (16-1)
Nyla Rose (8-2)
Big Swole (6-3)
Penelope Ford (7-4)
Abadon (4-1)
Dr. Britt Baker (4-4)
There was no movement in the women’s singles division this week, though there were some big developments. NWA Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa was featured in a vignette on Saturday challenging Shida to a title match. That match has been made official for All Out.
Also last week, Diamante and Ivelisse made history by becoming the 1st ever AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup winners. Rumors are AEW is working behind the scenes to sign them both.
#5 Britt Baker returns to action tonight (kind of). She’ll team with Penelope Ford and Rebel/Reba in a handicap match against #2 Big Swole.
AEW Tag Team Division
AEW Tag Team Champions: Kenny Omega & “Hangman” Page (12-0)
FTR (6-0)
Best Friends (14-4)
Young Bucks (6-2)
The Natural Nightmares (6-1)
Dark Order (8-2)
There was no movement in the men’s tag team division this week but a highly significant match has been scheduled for Thursday’s Dynamite. A gauntlet match will determine which team takes on Omega and Page for the belts at All Out. The order of the gauntlet match will be based on ranking. #4 The Natural Nightmares will start the match against #3 the Young Bucks. Whoever wins that match will move on to face #2 the Best Friends. Then the winner of that match will take on #1 FTR and whoever wins that fall will face the champs at the PPV.
New details regarding WWE’s deal with Orlando’s Amway Center have been revealed. WWE’s agreement with the venue extends until the end of October.
Orlando-based reporter for Spectrum News 13, Greg Angel, obtained a copy of the full contract between WWE and the city of Orlando. WWE is paying $12.5K for events on Sundays and $10K for RAW and Smackdown events.
WWE also will pay $7.5K for any days they work inside the venue and $2,500 for days where they are not working inside the venue. The deal runs through October 31st, but can be extended.
Orlando-based reporter Jon Alba has speculated that the reason the deal is not for longer is because of the prospect of the NBA’s Orlando Magic returning to the venue later this year.
“A thought on the #WWE and Amway Center situation: Perhaps a reason the City of Orlando has not commented on WWE potentially extending its lease at the arena could be the uncertainty of the next #NBA season. The #Magic are the primary tenants and would get priority,” Alba Tweeted.
“The #NBA has reportedly targeted beginning next season as early as December. The current #WWE lease at Amway Center for the #ThunderDome runs through October.”
WWE Saving A Fortune Running Amway
Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline commented on how much money WWE is saving through the deal with Orlando’s Amway Center. The breakdown is staggering.
“They are paying a whopping $450 thousand dollars to run this Thunderdome from now until the end of October,” Alvarez said. “The cost to run a live RAW before the pandemic was over a million dollars an episode.”
WWE’s has a 10-week residency at the Amway Center that spans from late August through the end of October.
“Granted, there is the cost of sending it up to the satellite uplink and everything like that but the point of this is, they’re saving a lot of money right now,” Alvarez added.
Of course, there are some drawbacks to WWE’s ThunderDome setup. During the first week in operation, several “inappropriate” images appeared on WWE television. The company issued a statement on Tuesday thoroughly denouncing some of the objectionable content.
Impact Wrestling on August 25th, 2020 featured the second night of Emergence. The show was headlined by a 30-Minute Ironman match between Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo and former champ Jordynne Grace.
Impact Results 8/25:
Impact World Championship Eddie Edwards defeated Rob Van Dam
Wrestle House Blindfold Match Crazzy Steve defeated Johnny Swinger
Deonna Purrazzo Retains In 30-Minute Ironman Match
After an epic encounter at Slammiversary, the current champ and the former champ clashed under Ironman rules to headline Emergence night 2.
Purrazzo would begin focussing on the hand and arm of her challenger. The bulk of her attack continued to be on Grace’s limb as the match pushed across the 20-minute mark with no falls yet recorded. Grace began mounting a comeback as we approached 5-minutes left. She locked in a rear-naked choke in the center of the ring causing the champion to fade. Purrazzo’s arm dropped 3 times and the ref signalled that Grace had won the first fall.
With time running out, the champion had to work fast or lose her title. She landed a knee lift and quickly locked in a submission. Grace would reach the ropes, however, causing the break. With 2-minutes left Grace accidentally hit the ref in the corner. She then hit Purrazzo with a Grace Driver but the ref was down. As Grace went to help the ref, Purrazzo picked up the title belt and hit Grace with it and covered her to get the pin.
With a minute left and the score tied, Purrazzo fought feverishly to lock in the arm bar on Grace. She briefly got Grace in the Venus de Milo but transitioned to the Fujiwara armbar with seconds to go. Grace tapped and Purrazzo would retain.
Eddie Edwards Defeats Rob Van Dam, Attacked By Eric Young
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbI_gVT5pRk
Eddie Edwards kicked off Impact this week with his world title open challenge. Former TNA World Champion Rob Van Dam answered the call along with Katie Forbes. RVD looked like he might have the title won at one point too. He hit a jumping kick from the top, followed by Rolling Thunder, and then he looked to put things away with the 5-Star Frog Splash. Edwards moved out of the way, however, and then hit the challenger with a Boston Knee Party for the win.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do08V2_qLfY
After the match, Eric Young came out from the back and attacked Edwards from behind. Young said that Edwards will face him next week.
A few segments later, Edwards came back to the ring and cut a promo on Young. He told Young to come out “right here, right now.” Young came out and said the match will happen next week as he planned. Edwards said that was fine but his ass-kicking would start now and a pull-apart began. During the melee, Young shoved Scott D’Amore to the ground.
Later in the show, Sami Callihan appeared in a vignette. He said that the reason RVD lost this match was that he is in his head. Callihan also said that he’s in Katie Forbes’ head as well. This all stems from Callihan interrupting Katie Forbes’ new website reveal a few weeks back after the two had an altercation in the back. Callihan promised to be there next week to kick RVD’s ass.
EC3 Says He Will Destroy The TNA World Heavyweight Title
"Destroying this title is the only way I'll be free."
Last week, EC3 attacked Moose and took possession of the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. He has been saying that he must destroy his past and the TNA title is a big part of that. He cut a promo this week saying he plans to destroy the title but he’s not yet sure how to go about doing that in a fitting way.
Wrestle House: Throw Powder In Someone’s Eyes and Yell “Fuji!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipd5vaItKp4
There was a toga party at Wrestle House this week. Also, the Deaners discovered a fun game where you throw powder in someone’s eyes and then yell “Fuji!” The team again confronted Acey Romero about having stolen their beer but again the Team XXXL member says he didn’t take it. The mystery of the missing beer continues.
Swinger attempted to hit Larry D with a “Fuji” but he hit Crazzy Steve instead. This led to Swinger and Crazzy Steve having a blindfold match at Wrestle House. The stipulation was added that the loser had to dress like the winner next week. Swinger was at quite the disadvantage as Crazzy Steve is already legally blind. Steve used a bike horn to distract Swinger and eventually picked up the victory with a roll-up.
Wrestle House: John E Bravo Confronts Lawrence D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMkfE5nBB1I
Also on Wrestle House this week, Lawrence D and Rosemary went on a date. This is all a ploy from Rosemary to make John E Bravo jealous, however. Rosemary is interested in John E Bravo because several weeks ago some tarot cards told her to be.
John E Bravo confronted Lawrence D before the date could begin and it led to a match. Lawrence made quick work of Bravo with a headbutt followed by a punch to the face for the win.
After the match, Bravo admitted to Taya that he has feelings for Rosemary. A drunken “Toga” Valkyrie did not like this news. She got in Rosemary’s face and blamed her for everything, saying she is jealous of her. Taya challenged Rosemary to a match next week in a “Winner Takes All” match and “All” includes John E. Bravo.
Brian Myers Picks Up A Win Over Willie Mack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twsKXLRH5EM
The Most Professional Wrestler Brian Myers and Willie Mack had an altercation in the back last week leading to this match. Myers hijacked an interview featuring Willie Mack talking about his injured partner, Rich Swann. Mack then attacked Myers in response and the end result is this week’s match.
Myers resulted to under-handed tactics to gain the victory, grabbing a handful of trunks on the pinning combination.
Rhino was jumped by Reno Scum recently. The team was hired by Hernandez to get his money back after Rhino and him had a gambling dispute. Rhino cut a promo backstage hoping that his tag team partner, Heath, would team with him next week. For that to happen, however, Heath will have to be hired by Impact.
Heath purchased advertising again this time to promote the “Heath4Impact” hashtag and encouraged fans to use it so that he gets hired by Impact.
Triple H recently joined The Bill Simmons Podcast, where he broached the competition between WWE’s NXT and AEW Dynamite each Wednesday night. He also addressed Raw’s runtime and shared his thoughts on Cancel Culture.
“The Game” stressed how having competition is a good thing as it “keeps things fresh and going strong.” He refused to belittle AEW or those involved with the promotion before sharing how long-term success “[…] takes time and effort as there’s a lot of pieces to move.”
He explained how WWE is a company that has managed to recreate itself and stay relevant throughout the years.
HHH added how “The strength of this company is being able to withstand the ebbs and flows of the business.”
Triple H On Why Raw’s Runtime, Cancel Culture
When asked about why Monday Night Raw is three hours long, Triple H explained how it is a financially driven decision.
That being said, HHH stressed how it is “exponentially harder to write a third hour of television.”
He noted it’s a difficult task to achieve each week before joking about how he doesn’t even like three-hour movies.
Triple H then addressed WWE’s current approach to trialing different storylines. He brought up the concept of Cancel Culture, highlighting how “we’re in that no matter what you do or say.”
HHH stressed how WWE has to be “more calculated” with its storytelling compared to the past. He shared how WWE could once “[…] run an angle in the past and try to maintain a line and try to go far with that line, get some backlash and then you can pull it back and it goes away. Now, today, it’s just different and you have to be careful with all of that. You see it everywhere across the board. It’s too easy to put yourself in a position that people just say they’re done.”
According to Triple H, it’s difficult to “latch on to a moment in time.” He argued how this is because that moment may be intense but brief, and “two weeks later nobody’s talking about it anymore” despite having been such an issue at the time.
Triple H recently revealed WWE’s investigation into alleged incidents involving Velveteen Dream “didn’t find anything.” WWE has subsequently “moved on” from the controversial situation.
WWE Superstar Randy Orton has shared his thoughts on old school versus new school pro wrestling. He opened up about the subject during an interview with Vicente Beltran of Vibe and Wrestling.
Orton argued how, although in-ring styles have changed over the years, the core goal of telling a story and engaging fans hasn’t.
He highlighted how, although wrestling schools take a different approach now, “psychology has not changed.”
Orton stated that the basic premise of a good guy versus a bad guy remains constant within wrestling: “It’s the good guy, and the bad guy, and you play with the emotions of the audience.”
Randy Orton On Telling A Story
Juxtaposing his argument with his recent SummerSlam bout, Orton explained how he wanted to tell a story with his match against Drew McIntyre. He wasn’t interested in it being a 4 or 10-minute story. Instead, he wanted it to “be a novel.”
“I’m going to be out there for 25, 30, 35 minutes, or maybe more, and I think that’s when magic can happen – when you get comfortable and you can build, and build, and build, to a point in the match where you put people on the edge of their seat. And that is the goal that we all pursue, and it does not happen every match.”
Orton shared how he thinks wrestling’s new school is a reflected “mentality of independent wrestling.” He explained how a lot of WWE and NXT talent who are signed from the indies can tell a good story. However, he noted how “They are perhaps counted in a faster way, it is a little more – I think the most careful way to call is ‘dangerous’.”
He highlighted the dangers of the faster new school approach. Orton pointed to the speed, bumps, false finishes, and non-stop action of the new school mentality. He added how it, ultimately, “hurts the story you’re trying to sell.”
“The Viper” then acknowledged how modern-day athletes are “more and more athletic” than those before them. He praised their physical abilities and in-ring skills, highlighting how “They do things that have never been seen before, especially in the past, and are reaching heights unknown to date.”
According to Orton, he enjoys watching wrestlers from the new school. He added how he can recognize when one can tell a captivating story with that new school style. Orton then stressed how the importance of psychology remains the same regardless of approach.
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has shared his thoughts on Renee Young’s decision to leave WWE. During his Hall of Famepodcast, Booker T also discussed last weekend’s NXT Championship matchup between Keith Lee and Karrion Kross.
Booker T thanked Renee Young before highlighting how special she is. He stressed she won’t have to “worry about a check coming in the mail” before highlighting how she’s been “working on her game” for years. Booker T added she is finally at a point where she knows her own worth and what she can provide a company.
“Anybody that snatches Renee Young up, they are going to be very lucky to have her on that team because that is who she is. She is a team player.”
Booker T On Keith Lee Vs. Karrion Kross
Booker T then turned his attention to NXT TakeOver: XXX’s main event clash. He praised how “Two guys, two big guys, two bonafide heavyweights went out and had a heavyweight match up.”
He spoke highly of Kross, who he believed “showed his toughness” after separating his shoulder during the match. Booker T highlighted how Kross was hyper-aware of “what was on the line,” which helped motivate him throughout the bout despite the injury. He also gave props to Keith Lee, sharing how he is a fan of the “throwback wrestler” and that 2020 could be his year.
“I loved it when there were two big guys fighting going back and forth and then wrestling came into play. A big suplex or a big side slam or powerslam, whatever. That part of wrestling always drew me in.”
Booker T continued, sharing what he hates about modern-day wrestling:
“Wrestling today man, one of the things that kills me with wrestling today, and I’m going to say it. I’m going to spit some lyrics right now. I know they may not want me to talk about it. That damn leg pop is the damn vain of my existence. It really is. I’m sick of these wrestlers that go out and misuse the art. I’m going to leave it at that. I’m not going to go past that but that damn leg pop and you all know what I’m talking about.”
Karrion Kross defeated Keith Lee for the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: XXX. Lee subsequently made his Raw debut this past Monday night.
WWE’s Samoa Joe has been impressing the WWE Universe with his commentary skills on Monday Night Raw. The Superstar is also set to lend his vocal talents to DC character, King Shark, in an upcoming Suicide Squad video game.
Despite his growing success both ringside and outside of the ring, according to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, Joe may not be done with his in-ring career just yet.
He pointed out how Joe’s commentary role was only ever meant to be a temporary role. However, Joe’s skills, coupled with recent injuries, made keeping him on the announce team a smarter choice for now.
“I was told that it was temporary because he’s too valuable as a talent to have him as an announcer. But obviously, minds changed from when I was told that to when they decided to revamp it and he is great as an announcer. In theory, he’s supposed to wrestle again but who knows.”
Samoa Joe hasn’t competed in in-ring action since suffering a concussion earlier this year during a commercial shoot. Prior to taking over on the Raw team from Jerry “The King” Lawler, Joe had been involved in infrequent on-air skirmishes, including a confrontation with “The Monday Night Messiah” Seth Rollins, indicating an in-ring return may be a matter of time.
Former WWE Superstar Wade Barrett (real name Stu Bennett) is set to return to the promotion for this week’s episode of NXT. According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, Barrett will be appearing on NXT to provide commentary.
This will mark his first appearance on WWE programming since 2016. Sources state that this is a one-time appearance as of this writing and that he has not signed a new full-time contract with WWE.
Four years ago, the former five-time WWE Intercontinental Champion decided to not re-sign with WWE. Since leaving the promotion, Wade Barrett has been focusing on his acting ambitions.
Regarding his recent contributions within the pro wrestling world, Barrett has been involved with the National Wrestling Alliance. He has been recently providing his announcing skills for the promotion’s show, NWA Powerrr prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
Barrett was also a part of the United Kingdom’s ITV World of Sport Wrestling announce team. That project was short-lived and failed to get traction due to WWE expanding its presence into the UK wrestling scene.
WWE was said to have attempted to bring Barrett and his former Nexus stablemates together for WrestleMania 36. Barrett recently spoke on the offer made by WWE, revealing he turned it down. He cited that he didn’t like the deal or storyline presented to him, and so declined.
Former NXT Champion Keith Lee has commented on the new theme music that accompanied him to the ring this past Monday night.
Although the theme music opened with the same lines as his NXT theme, it soon changed into a new song. It didn’t take long for many of the WWE Universe to criticize it as being too generic. Keith Lee is well aware of the negative backlash and has addressed the reaction via his Twitter account.
Lee stressed how the choice of theme is “out of my hands. Period.” He asked fans to “Leave it be” before promising he would attempt to sort it at a later date.
His music wasn’t the only thing that people took issue this week. Many shared negative observations over his new ring attire. Lee acknowledged this, responding to a fan’s question by asking them to once again “Leave it be and have some patience.” He added how fans should take a deep breath before asking them to “Let ME handle that stuff.”
He explained to another fan how he didn’t want fans getting caught up on the “small things.” Lee stressed that what should be acknowledged is the fact he just debuted on WWE’s red brand and faced off against Randy Orton.
Lee made his Raw debut this week, interrupting Randy Orton’s promo time. He went on to face off against Orton in a match later on in the show. “The Viper” defeated Lee via disqualification. Lee lost the NXT Championship to Karrion Kross at NXT TakeOver: XXX prior to his Raw debut.
Cody Rhodes will be off television for an extended period of time.
“The American Nightmare” lost the TNT Championship to Brodie Lee last week on Dynamite. Cody got absolutely steamrolled by the Lee, the leader of AEW’s Dark Order.
Cody was placed on a stretcher, but the attack continued. Other members of the Nightmare Family were brought out, beaten up and left for dead. It was a disturbing sight to say the least.
AEW has promised an update on Cody’s condition this Thursday on Dynamite. Unfortunately, wrestling fans should not expect to see Cody back in action any time soon.
According to PWInsider, the expectation is that Cody will be off television for an extended period to ‘sell’ the beating he took at the hands of Brodie Lee. Cody will not work the upcoming All Out pay-per-view on Saturday, September 5th.
One possible reason for Cody being written off television is the start of production for Stephen Amell’s new wrestling-themed series on Starz, Heels. The show is being produced in Georgia, where Cody lives, and he is already announced as having a role in the series.
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 2.028 million viewers with a 0.66 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This was up from last week, which did 1.643 million viewers and a 0.48 demo rating.
This was the best Raw viewership since the day after WrestleMania (April 6th) and the best demo rating since March 23rd. Just one year ago, RAW averaged 2.528 million viewers.
This was the post-show for Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view event and the first episode of RAW that was held from the ThunderDome. The first ThunderDome SmackDown also saw a ratings boost, as seen below.
Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Raw, courtesy of Showbuzzdaily.com:
Hour 1: 2.140 million, 0.72 in the 18-49 Demo
Hour 2: 2.045 million, 0.66 in the 18-49 Demo
Hour 3: 1.900 million, 0.62 in the 18-49 Demo
The 3 hours of Raw were the 3rd, 7th and 9th most watched ‘shows’ on cable for the evening.
The post-SummerSlam edition of Raw the debut of Keith Lee and the return of Aleister Black on Kevin Owens’ show. The top matches included Randy Orton vs. Keith Lee, Asuka vs. Sasha Banks for the RAW Women’s Championship, and RETRIBUTION interfered in the main event, which was Seth Rollins & Buddy Murphy vs. Dominik & Rey Mysterio
SmackDown Viewership
Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.198 million viewers on FOX. This is up from the 2.002 million viewers that the show did for the previous week.
SmackDown averaged 2.168 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was up from the 1.979 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
The first hour drew 2.189 million viewers while the second hour did million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.146 million viewers while the second hour did 1.880 million viewers.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demos, up from the 0.50 rating as last week’s show.
Tully Blanchard was recently revealed as the new manager for FTR in AEW. Arn Anderson has also been involved with the team, having served as their tag-team advisor during negotiations with the company. Recently, on an episode of the Arn Show, someone asked how Arn feels a match between FTR and him and Tully Blanchard would go.
“Well we could start off as the heels but I’m sure pretty quickly they would be,” Anderson said about who would be heels and who would be the faces in the match.
“I wouldn’t even consider it now because what would have to happen if we had the match now is I literally would have to stand in the middle of the ring and they would have to bounce off me. I’m totally immobile.”
During the discussion, Anderson also revealed how he began working with AEW.
“Cody got a hold of me,” Anderson said. “I was just going to wander off into person appearances and comic-cons and have Tony Hunter book me around the world for however long I felt like doing anything.”
“(Cody) says we have some exciting things going on here, I’d love for you to be apart of it,” Anderson continued about his conversation with Cody. Anderson then talked about how Cody pitched the idea of him coming on as Cody’s head coach.
“I decided I’d love to do this for awhile yet, as long as I’m able to contribute and earn my way then I’d love to give it a try,” Anderson continued. “I’m proud to say I’ll be with them for a while yet to come.”
Bret Hart vs Hollywood Hogan was once rumored to main event Halloween Havoc 98. Hogan would face the Ultimate Warrior on the show instead, however. Meanwhile, Bret tended to get lost in the shuffle quite a bit during this period in WCW.
On a recent episode of the 83 Weeks podcast, Conrad Thompson suggested to Bischoff that some feel it was Hogan not wanting to work with Bret Hart that led to the change. According to Bischoff, that narrative is only pushed by those who don’t like Hogan.
“I think the narrative about Hulk reaching out and convincing me to bring in Warrior so Hogan didn’t have to work with Bret… Look, the people that live in that world who believe that… who want to be on the ‘I hate Hogan team’ so much that they will believe any kind of nonsense that fits that narrative.”
Bischoff says that all Hogan would have had to do if he didn’t want to work with Bret was say so.
“All Hogan would have said with regard to Bret is ‘No, I don’t want to work with him’ that’s it. It wouldn’t require that Hulk do a duck-and-weave or bob-and-weave move to bring in (Warrior) to avoid me pressuring him to work with Bret.”
Ahead of the upcoming WWE TLC pay-per-view, SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio co-host Bully Ray recently commented on the 20th anniversary of the first-ever TLC match.
Whilst the ‘triangle’ ladder match from WrestleMania 2000 was essentially a TLC bout? SummerSlam 2000 saw the first official Tables, Ladders and Chairs match between The Dudley Boys, Edge & Christian and The Hardy Boyz.
Bully Ray on TLC Matches
“You don’t have time to think” Bully Ray began on the podcast. “Like when you’re taking a bump like I took off of the ladder that night? Or the bump that Matt [Hardy] took backwards off the ladder? The more you think, the worse it’s going to be.”
“You’ll get in your own head” Bully Ray continued, “you just want to grip it and rip it and go out there.”
Bully Ray would then discuss the extreme difficulty in putting together a TLC match, especially with 5 other performers in the bout. “A TLC match is probably the most difficult match to pull off in all of pro wrestling. And the reason is all six guys have to know the match backwards and forwards. Every step, every way. Because if one guy goes down? If something happens, if something goes wrong? Even the smallest of things? It’s going to be a dramatic chain reaction.”
Ray elaborated further, saying “everybody has to be able to fill in, everybody has to be able to improvise. You need to know where everybody is. When you come up with a match sometimes? You maybe only know the finish, and then sometimes you only know a couple spots. Some guys know the entire match. This particular match? Everybody has to know backwards and forwards, and everybody has to recite the match backwards and forwards. [Just so] all the other guys know that you got it.”
Have you seen the original TLC match? Have any others ever topped it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments
Major League Wrestling is gearing up to restart. The promotion announced today that they have hired a COVID-19 compliance officer. The person will work to ensure the health and safety of staff and talent throughout and beyond the pandemic.
The league has been steadfast in saying they would not restart until it was safe to do so. Recent advancements in COVID-19 testing appear to have the promotion feeling confident in running events again.
“MLW has introduced a COVID-19 compliance officer (C19CO) as a member of its team moving forward,” reads an MLW press release. “This newly designated position is responsible for establishing and enforcing COVID-19 safety protocols, training staff, and monitoring compliance on all sets and venues.”
“Just like all broadcast productions have a producer or a football team has an offensive coordinator, the COVID-19 Compliance is another necessary member of our organization moving forward,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer.
MLW is saying they plan to reveal details of its restart in the near future. In storyline, the league has been shut down due to attacks by Contra Unit.
While Adam Cole won their bout at the NXT Takeover: XXX event, Pat McAfee managed to impress everyone with his performance and many believed that he stole the show during his in-ring debut for WWE.
Since then people have been wondering if the former NFL player will return to WWE ring in the future and it appears that the young star is not sure about his future either.
McAfee was asked about his plans during his ESPN interview and answering the question, the former Football Punter said that he is not 100% sure. He then revealed that he is not under contract with the company for another match:
“I’m not 100% sure what’s going to happen. I’m not under contract to do anything else with Mr. H. I assume he and I will talk about this at some point because I heard his comments in the press conference afterward, which were very nice.”
Pat continued by explaining that before the PPV he was in the mindset of worrying about the show and letting everything else sort itself out. McAfee claimed that he will feel good if he never gets in the ring again:
“But for me, all I was worried about was that match at NXT TakeOver: XXX and then I’ll let everything else kind of sort itself out. And I think that’s where I’m at right now. I feel good. If I never get in the ring again, I’ll be very thankful for the opportunity and I’ll be proud of it.”
Though he also said that if something pops up which is right, he wouldn’t mind returning to the ring. Pat McAfee said that he has only started thinking about it in the last few days and he still has no idea what the future holds for him.
While the Football analyst is saying that he is not sure about his future, WWE offering him a contract looks inevitable and it would be interesting to see if McAfee will accept the offer.
Vince Russo left WWE for WCW in 1999. He became the head of creative for the company but his time with WCW is not well-reviewed by many. Jim Ross was recently asked about Russo on an episode of his Grillin JR podcast.
According to JR, there was interest from WWE’s end in bringing Russo back when things fell apart for the first time between him and WCW in 2000.
“I want to say that there was some interest in bringing Russo back, I also want to say that I thought that maybe he came back to Stamford for a meeting with the old man. I can’t remember all the details, I’m a little foggy.”
“He had not destroyed a bridge, he could have come back and I think he wanted to come back,” JR said about Russo and WWE in 2000.
“There was an interest in bringing him back and seeing if he could recreate his magic and all that stuff. But for whatever reason, whether it be money or job description or whatever, I don’t know that the job to be the head writer was available to him. When a guy’s driven the wagon, you don’t want to sit in the other seat.”
Russo did have some negotiations with WWE and was actually employed for a 2-week period by the company in 2002 before leaving for TNA.
WWE’s Thunderdome has been the home to 3 shows since last Friday’s Smackdown. During last night’s edition of WWE RAW, images of a man in a KKK uniform waving a Confederate flag were shown in the front row. The images were visible during the Dominik and Rey Mysterio vs Seth Rollins and Murphy match. Additionally, it was visible as well as during the Retribution angle.
WWE sent the following statement to Pro Wrestling Sheet regarding this issue:
“This abhorrent behavior does not reflect WWE‘s values and we have zero tolerance for these unacceptable acts. We are working to ban those involved from future events and per our policies, any inappropriate actions result in the removal from the live stream.”
A “Fire Velveteen Dream” sign was also visible in the Thunderdome. A fan claiming to be behind the sign took to social media to detail what happened to them:
WWE is using a fan coordinator to give instructions to virtual fans inside the Thunderdome. The coordinator will tell fans when to make it look like they are cheering, booing, etc. WWE’s deal with the Amway Center will see the company take up residence in the venue for at least the next two months.
AEW Dynamite drew strong viewership on TNT this past Saturday night. It was the first of several episodes preempted and airing on a different night due to the NBA playoffs.
The August 22nd edition of AEW Dynamite averaged 755,000 viewers and a 0.31 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. Dynamite was the #5 most-watched show on cable for the evening in the key demo. The numbers come courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily.
Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics has also provided the quarter hour breakdown for the show. Dynamite opened at over 1 million viewers (thanks to the strong lead-in from the NBA playoffs), settled in throughout the show then spiked for the TNT Championship match int he final quarter hour.
P2+ (total audience)
Q1: 1002k
Q2: 724k
Q3: 791k
Q4: 767k
Q5: 712k
Q6: 666k
Q7: 640k
Q8: 738k
P18-49 (key demo)
Q1: 575k
Q2: 416k
Q3: 444k
Q4: 423k
Q5: 386k
Q6: 361k
Q7: 288k
Q8: 356k
AEW had stiff competition from NXT Takeover on the WWE Network, as well as UFC Fight Night and the NBA Playoffs. Overall, this is a strong showing for AEW to retain most of their audience with Dynamite airing on a different night than usual.
Notable AEW still went head-to-head against competition from NXT with NXT's peak event Takeover airing simultaneously on the WWE Network.
Dynamite featured Brodie Lee squashing Cody to capture the TNT Championship, the finals of the Women’s tag team cup tournament, MJF continuing his campaign against AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and in-ring action from FTR, Darby Allin and The Elite.
This week’s AEW Dynamite airs Thursday night on TNT at 8pm (Eastern).
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho had announced his association with AEW long before the promotion took off but Jon Moxley was the first real big star to jump ships from WWE to the upstart promotion.
The former Shield member recently had an interview with Wrestling Observer Radio where he talked about things like his time in WWE and more.
During the interview, he revealed how his deal with AEW came to be. Mox recalled that Tony Khan and Cody Rhodes came to his house for a meeting and explained their plans in details:
“Tony and Cody came to my house and we talked about wrestling, and what we thought it should be, and what we wanted it to be, and then they’re telling me about TNT and all this stuff, and it’s real and this is actually going to happen.
This isn’t just a bunch of false promises. I’m like, ‘Okay, well if that stuff is true, then alright, I’m in.'” recalled Moxley, “I gave my word on that day, like, ‘I’m in’ and there we go.”
During the interview, he also revealed that despite being the current IWGP US Champion, he does not have an active contract with NJPW at the moment.
Jon Moxley had signed a contract with the company for his initial run up until Wrestle Kingdom 14 but after that, they have been working with only a verbal agreement.
Austin Theory hasn’t been seen on the WWE programming for a while and not a lot of details have been revealed about the former Evolve Champion’s sudden disappearance from the company.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer opened up on the story a bit more recently and he suggested that Theory has some serious accusations against him:
“There’s an allegation against him and then he disappeared. It’s not an injury or anything like that. Is that why? [WWE] may go and say he had a car accident.
I think that Seth Rollins said that – he used some term like ‘personal reason’ and he’ll be back so I presume that it’s a Patrick Clark [Velveteen Dream] type of story.”
WWE seems to be taking things seriously in the case of the former NXT star so if the allegation against Austin Theory are proved then it could even mean the end of his career in the company.
However, Meltzer did not reveal a lot of details on his case so it’s hard to say how serious things are and if there is any chance of the high flying star returning to WWE TV anytime soon. We’ll keep you updated on his status.
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before – chaos behind the scenes at a WWE TV taping and another script completely overhauled just before showtime.
Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view was very well-received. Fans on social media and wrestling pundits alike gave the show high marks. The next WWE PPV, Payback takes place this Sunday. WWE had a lot of pieces to put in place with less than one week before two special events. Whatever WWE had written for Monday’s Raw, those plans were discarded with very little time before the show went on the air.
According to veteran wrestling journalist Mike Johnson, WWE boss Vince McMahon arrived at the ThunderDome around an hour before Raw as was set to go live. Vince reviewed the script and ‘ripped it up’ around 7:20 PM.
“WWE pretty much ripped up the entire show around 7:20 PM, PWInsider.com has been told. Vince McMahon arrived at the taping around that time and at that point, began changing “just about everything” that was planned.”
The company is said to have changed most of the things that were planned for the episode and plans for the second and third hour were still not locked until very late.
This is not the first time we are hearing such news. Reports of things being changed late on the day of the shows have become somewhat common for WWE.
While many times these last-minute changes end up working in the favor of the company, more often than not they result in inconsistencies in the storylines and create confusion among fans.
This week’s episode of the Red Branded Show featured the build-up for the upcoming Payback PPV with the company booking almost half the card for the event in one night.
What did you think about this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw after the late changes? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
With only a week of gap between SummerSlam and Payback, it was inevitable that WWE would book several matches for the short-notice PPV on this week’s episode of Raw.
That expectation was realized as WWE announced three title matches (and Keith Lee’s main roster debut) Monday night at the ThunderDome.
The first match which was announced earlier was the return bout for Roman Reigns who will be involved in a triple threat match against Braun Strowman and ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt for the Universal Championship.
The company has also announced a United States title match between Apollo Crews and Bobby Lashley and a rematch between Randy Orton and Keith Lee for the Payback PPV after their bout on Raw ended in a disqualification.
Though probably the most surprising match which was announced is for the Women’s Tag Team Championships.
It will see the current champions Bayley and Sasha Banks defending their titles against the unlikely team of Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler.
This match was put together after Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler had several interactions during the show and Jax managed to convince the former NXT Women’s Champion that they can win the tag titles together.
The Payback PPV will be taking place this Sunday, August 30 from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. You can check out the current standing match card for the event below:
Universal Championship Triple Threat No Holds Barred Match: Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt
Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs. Sasha Banks and SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley
United States Championship Match: Bobby Lashley vs. Apollo Crews
Black then made his first appearance in almost a month during the Red Branded Show and he came out covering one eye, still selling the attack from Murphy and Seth Rollins which originally put him out of action.
Kevin then tried to interview the former NXT star but Aleister stumbled out of the seat. The former Universal Champion stopped to check on him and called for help from the back.
However, the returning star decked Owens and then dropped him with a Black Mass, turning heel in the process for the first time in his WWE career.
The former NXT Champion took on his Twitter after the show to comment on his actions and he wrote “Let us begin.” You can check out his tweet and some photos and video of the segment below:
There is no word on what the company is planning for Aleister Black after this heel turn but a feud with Kevin Owens seems to be the immediate plans for the former indie star.
WWE RAW aired from the Amway Center in Orlando. It was the first episode of RAW following WWE SummerSlam 2020. Former NXT Champion Keith Lee made his main roster debut tonight. It was announced that The Fiend will defend the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman this Sunday at WWE Payback.
Asuka def. Sasha Banks to retain the RAW Women’s Championship
RETRIBUTION interfered in the main event (Rollins & Murphy vs. Dominik & Rey)
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Randy Orton Attacked Drew McIntyre
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre kicked off this week’s episode of RAW. McIntyre defeated Randy Orton last night at SummerSlam via a backslide cover to retain the WWE Championship.
McIntyre asked for a thumbs up from everyone in the ThunderDome before speaking about his match against Orton last night. Drew said it was one of the biggest challenges of his career but he stands here today still your WWE Champion.
Drew claimed that he was hungrier than Orton and worked harder than him last night. He added that he knows what it is like to feel desperate and wonder where his next paycheck is coming from. McIntyre said that Orton has always been coddled and his inner circle always made sure that he made it to the top.
McIntyre brought up Orton’s victory against Edge in the “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” and joked that he is now the greatest wrestler because he beat Orton last night. McIntyre made his way up the entrance ramp and posed with the title but Randy Orton attacked him from behind. Orton beat McIntyre down and hit him with the Punt backstage. Randy hit another Punt before leaving. McIntyre refused medical attention and walked away under his own power.
Banks & Bayley Will Defend The Women’s Tag Titles Against Nia Jax & Baszler At WWE Payback
Bayley faced Shayna Baszler tonight on RAW and Sasha Banks was ringside. Before the match, Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax argued backstage. Just before the bell rang, Nia Jax came down to the entrance ramp.
Match Recap: Shayna and Bayley locked up to start off the match as Nia crept to the middle of the entrance ramp. Baszler took Bayley to the canvas and shoved her boot into the SmackDown Women’s Champion’s shoulder.
Bayley escaped and rolled out of the ring in an effort to regroup. Bayley got back into the ring and connected with a kick to Shayna’s midsection and took her down with an Arm Drag. Bayley then spun around on top of Shayna while laughing before applying a Headlock.
Baszler quickly escaped and sent Bayley to the corner of the ring. Shayna caught Bayley with a knee to the face and started taunting Sasha Banks. Bayley capitalized a strike to the back of Shayna’s head and unloaded some strikes in the corner.
Bayley connected with an elbow to the back of Shayna’s head for a near fall. Bayley sent Shayna outside the ring and towards the entrance ramp where Nia Jax was standing. Shayna made her way to the apron and Nia Jax attacked Baszler from behind. Banks and Bayley had a smile on their face as they left the ring. Jax then stared at Bayley and Baszler got up and did the same. They then walked towards Bayley and Banks and the Women’s Tag Team Champions retreated.
Later on RAW, Nia Jax said that she wants to team up with Shayna Baszler and win the Women’s Tag Team Championships. Baszler said that she will help her with that if Nia gets off her back. Jax told Baszler that she has to follow her lead and Shayna slapped her in the face.
Aleister Black made his return following Murphy shoving his eye into the steel steps a last month on an episode of RAW. Black joined the Kevin Owens Show and requested that the footage be shown from last month.
Owens said that he has done a lot of terrible things to people in his career but has tried to take a different path. Owens added that Rollins hasn’t done that at all.
Aleister Black fell out of his chair and onto the canvas. Kevin Owens requested help but Aleister got up and elbowed him in the face. Aleister leveled Owens with Black Mass and left the ring to end the segment.
Opinion: I just want WWE to do something significant with him. He is an awesome talent in my opinion and I’ve hated his main roster run so far. I hope a feud with Kevin Owens can bring out the best in Aleister.
