WWE is looking to have 45,000 live fans in attendance each night at the Raymond James Stadium for WrestleMania 37. Tickets for the event go for sale at on March 16 at Ticketmaster, but it wasn’t mentioned what capacity the stadium will be limited to. The company only said that they are “coordinating with local partners and government officials regarding safety protocols.” It was initially reported that WrestleMania is expected to have 25,000 fans in attendance each night, giving WWE 50,000 attendance in total. Then, another report said that officials are planning to have an audience of 30,000. However, new reports suggest that WWE wants the attendance to be even larger than that, with 45,000 fans each night.

Spectrum Sports 360 reporter Jon Alba said on Sunday that WWE wants a crowd of 45,000 per night for WrestleMania 37. This would make WrestleMania the largest pandemic-era crowd in the US.

“I can independently confirm reports #WWE is aiming for about 45,000 people per night at Raymond James Stadium for #WrestleMania, which would be by far the largest crowd at a sports or entertainment event in America since the pandemic began,” Alba wrote on Twitter. “I have reached out to the Tampa Bay Sports Authority, which manages Raymond James Stadium, but have yet to hear back. Tickets are on-sale 3/16, though it hasn’t publicly been said how many will be available. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order last fall that allows for stadiums to run full capacity should they choose to, but no one has run a show to that magnitude so far. The Texas Rangers have clearance to fill their stadium with about 40k to start the season (right around the same time as WrestleMania). Daytona International Speedway officials estimated to me Daytona 500 attendance was in the 25k-30k range. So this would be biggest.”

I can independently confirm reports #WWE is aiming for about 45,000 people per night at Raymond James Stadium for #WrestleMania, which would be by far the largest crowd at a sports or entertainment event in America since the pandemic began. @BN9 @MyNews13

— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) March 14, 2021

Alba also added that WWE only wants an attendance of 45,000 each night. This does not mean that they will be able to pull it off. First of all, the Tampa Bay Sports Authority could reject this request, and second, international travel restrictions are also in place so that could hinder fans who want to travel to Tampa for WrestleMania.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order last fall that allows for stadiums to run full capacity should they choose to, but no one has run a show to that magnitude so far. #WWE

— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) March 14, 2021

It would be interesting to see if WWE would be able to pull this off. So far, only two matches have been set for WrestleMania. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns would defend his title against Edge, and WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks will defend hers against Bianca Belair.

AEW Revolution has smashed the company’s buyrate records of previous PPVs, and has generated a revenue of at least $5 million. The show brought in 125,000 buys worldwide, including both traditional and digital platforms namely B/R Live, FITE, and traditional pay-per-view outlets. The previous buyrate record was set by AEW’s Double or Nothing 2020 pay-per-view event with an estimated 105,000 buys. According to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, the show generated just over $5 million in revenue, with $2.4 million of it going to AEW. The rest will go to its domestic and international broadcast partners.

It was initially reported by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Revolution grossed over $6 million and it’s well on its way to make $7 million once the total is calculated. The Wrestlenomics report features a breakdown of various revenue streams for the PPV such as PPV buys, ticket and merchandise sales, accounting for $5 million for AEW. It took estimatedly $1 million to produce Revolution for the company.

The Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch between AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Jon Omega was the headlining match of Revolution. The match itself was good, but fans were left disappointed with weak explosions as the finish due to a technical glitch. Deciding against ignoring the dud, the company ran with it as part of the storyline, with Omega eventually breaking the silence and acknowledging the disappointing finish out of character.

“Yeah, it was really deflating to do so much preparation, test the explosions, have them be impressive in the rehearsal, and then have it be something so much different than what was promised,” Kenny Omega said about the Revolution finish. “It made me appreciate everyone who worked hard and did their part even more, though. But like you said, we really wanted to have a good one, and we added real barbed wire to help with the feeling of danger so we really risked a lot. Again, I loved the match; glad we did it, sucks about the finale.”

Kurt Angle had fun with the rumors of him joining AEW and competing for the promotion when the Big Show teased the signing of a Hall Of Famer worthy talent for Revolution. While Christian ended up being the big reveal, it doesn’t end the possibility of the Olympic Gold Medallist joining the AEW roster somewhere down the line.

On the latest episode of his The Kurt Angle Show podcast, the former WWE star talked about the rumors of Big Show potentially wrestling for the company. When asked if we could ever see him coming to AEW to wrestle, he replied negatively:

“I don’t think so, I texted Big Show and said congratulations on signing with AEW and he said ‘Oh man, I feel like I’m 25.’ I was like holy s–t, you’re going to wrestle? He didn’t answer me, but he said he felt like he was 25 again, I guess that means he’s going to wrestle, I don’t know.”

• Kurt Angle Says His TNA Career Was Better Than WWE Stint

Kurt Angle also talked about how surprised he was with Big Show’s AEW signing and he said that he thought Paul Wight would remain with WWE for the rest of his life. While the former Raw General Manager declined the possibility of wrestling for AEW, he did not completely rule out the possibility of making an appearance for the company.

Do you see Kurt Angle making an appearance for AEW somewhere down the line? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Asuka, who is the current WWE Raw Women’s Champion, is nowhere to be seen in the newly-released official poster of WrestleMania 37. The poster was released on Sunday, which features the “Back in Business” tagline along with the company’s biggest stars. The poster includes the company’s top stars namely WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre in the center, along with WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, WWE Champion Bobby Lashley, and 2021 Royal Rumble winner Edge. The poster even features WWE 24/7 Champion Bad Bunny, but not “The Empress of Tomorrow.”

Asuka lost a tooth during a tag team match teaming up with Charlotte Flair against Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax on Raw’s February 22 episode. In the match, Baszler accidentally delivered a swift kick on Asuka’s face. It was later reported that the Japanese star not only suffered physical damage to her teeth, but she also suffered a concussion due to the kick. The Raw Women’s Champion has not been seen taking part in active competition since then and there has been no word on how long she will be on the shelf.

Poor Asuka! https://t.co/jR8G1pBMf0

— Alex McCarthy (@AlexMcCarthy88) February 23, 2021

The absence of Asuka from the WrestleMania 37 poster puts her WM status as well as the defence of the title at the show up in the air. Concussions are very tricky, there’s no set time for recovery, depending on the damage.

As for the card for WrestleMania 37 so far, only two matches have been confirmed. Roman Reigns would defend his Universal Championship against Edge and Sasha Banks would defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Bianca Belair. Although it’s not confirmed yet, it’s very likely that Drew McIntyre would challenge Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship — after defeating Sheamus in a reportedly planned Last Man Standing Match at Fastlane.

Bad Bunny is now a Grammy award winning artist.

The WWE 24/7 Champion won the award during the event this Sunday night for Best Latin Pop or Urban Album for his second studio album YHLQMDLG which was released last year.

The pop artist not only received the award during the show but he joined in Jhay Cortez on stage to perform the song Dákiti during the 63rd Grammy Awards.

Congratulations to @WWE #247Champion @sanbenito on winning the GRAMMY Award for Best Latin Pop Album!#GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/PrCMlBic5X

— WWE (@WWE) March 15, 2021

Beyond awesome! Congrats champ! A celebrar ??? @sanbenito https://t.co/zHHwVzmLSH

— Damian Priest (@ArcherOfInfamy) March 15, 2021

Bad Bunny has recently been making WWE appearances. His first such appearance took place during the Royal Rumble event earlier this year.

The singer was there to perform his song Booker T but he also got involved with The Miz in a segment later on in the show where he delivered a top rope dive on the former WWE champion.

• Damian Priest Comments On Bad Bunny Angle

Bad Bunny started making regular Raw appearances after that and he has aligned himself with Damian Priest who helped Bunny in winning the 24/7 championship from Akira Tozawa during the February 15th episode of the show.

The 24/7 champion has continued his feud with The Miz and his partner John Morrison as well and it’s rumored that Bad Bunny and Damien Priest will face these two stars in a tag team match at the upcoming WrestleMania 37 event.

The newest Raw star Damian Priest recently had an interview with The Irish Sun where he talked about a number of things and also revealed which stars he would include in his Mt. Rushmore of wrestling.

The 38-year-old Puerto Rican star made his wrestling debut in 2004 and after competing for promotions such as ROH, he finally signed a WWE contract in 2018.

When asked about the 4 stars he would put in his Mt. Rushmore of wrestling, Damian Priest picked up the likes of the Undertaker and The Rock:

“Four sucks. I have so many. Undertaker’s definitely on there, The Rock is there, and I think it has to be Triple H and Shawn Michaels, Undertaker’s always going to be there. He’s the one that made me fall in love with the business when I was a kid.

And The Rock – just the way he is, not just the wrestling.” said Priest “I came from a similar background. I came from nothing.”

• Damian Priest On What Triple H Told Him About Main Roster Call Up

The former NXT star has reportedly made a positive impression on people backstage at Raw since his main roster call up earlier this year.

Damian Priest has recently aligned himself with Bad Bunny and reports suggest that these two will be teaming up to face The Miz and John Morrison at the upcoming WrestleMania 37 event.

Andrade has generated interest in his status with WWE after some questionable actions on his social media. He removed all mentions of WWE from his Twitter and Instagram bio. SEScoops had learned that Andrade has asked for his release from WWE this past Monday at Raw. Andrade has not been featured on WWE programming since October 2020, so it’s understandable why he wants out. However, according to a new report, it looks like the company is not too keen on letting him go yet.

Wrestling Observer is reporting that WWE has denied Andrade’s request of release from the company. Keep in mind that there neither WWE nor Andrade himself have commented on the situation yet, so we can’t be too sure of what’s cooking behind the scenes. Hopefully, WWE wants to keep him because they actually have some plans for him, and we wish to see him in the ring soon.

Andrade is engaged to fellow WWE talent Charlotte Flair. During a recent interview, Charlotte revealed that she pitched to be paired with her fiance in the company. “I’ve actually pitched that,” Flair said when asked about working with Andrade. “I would be very much open to that. I’ve done a lot in my career, but nobody has seen me in an on-cam relationship, or in that light. I can come across cold on TV.”

An on-screen pairing with Charlotte could work for “El Idolo,” but it doesn’t seem likely as of now she’s currently involved in a program with Asuka for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship.

The Mexican star was last involved in a tag team with Angel Garza, which was created in June when they first started teaming up. They would try for the Raw Tag Team Championships in multiple losing attempts. The team would break up in October when Garza would turn on him and let The Fiend and Alexa Bliss attack him, officially splitting the team.

Fastlane will reportedly see a huge Last Man Standing match on its card that will determine the WrestleMania card and lineup. While there are only three matches confirmed on the card so far, a report suggests that one more match that will have a significant effect on the WrestleMania card and the WWE Championship picture is in the works. According to a report by Wrestling Observer, a Last Man Standing match between Drew McIntyre and Sheamus is in the works for Fastlane, and the winner will become the challenger for Bobby Lashley’s WWE Championship at WrestleMania 37.

On the last episode of Monday Night Raw, we saw former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre face Sheamus in a match. The match was set when Sheamus attacked McIntyre from behind during an interview earlier in the show. This resulted in a No Disqualification match set up between the two. Drew McIntyre got payback for the attack from before by attacking Sheamus during his entrance, and then he went on to dominate the beginning of the match. The No DQ match went on with the introductions of kendo sticks and steel chairs eventually. Later, both McIntyre and Sheamus got hold of steel steps each and charged at each other. They both collided and fell to the floor, with the match ending in a no contest.

As there was really no solid outcome from the match, it looks like WWE would give both Drew McIntyre and Sheamus an opportunity to go against each other again at Fastlane. This could very well culminate in a Last Man Standing match on Fastlane, to determine who would challenge Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at the “Grandest Stage Of ‘Em All.”

WWE Fastlane Card

Here is what the card for Fastlane looks like so far:

• WWE Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs. Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair
• WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan
• WWE Intercontinental Championship Big E vs. Apollo Crews

Kenny Omega will take on Rich Swann in a Title vs. Title Match at Impact Wrestling’s Rebellion pay-per-view event on April 24. Swann defeated Moose on Saturday night’s Sacrifice event to become the Unified Impact World Heavyweight Champion. Impact Wrestling officially sanctioned the TNA World Heavyweight title on February 23 after Moose began calling himself “Mr. TNA,” claiming to represent the company’s history. Now that Swann has defeated Moose, he has become the undisputed world champion of Impact, with the Impact World title being referred to as the Unified World Championship.

AND NEW TNA World Heavyweight Champion

AND STILL IMPACT World Champion @GottaGetSwann is the Unified World Champion! #Sacrifice pic.twitter.com/vIb2s2KrNt

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) March 14, 2021

Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore announced during last week’s Impact that the champion of the company would go on to face AEW World Champion Kenny Omega at Rebellion in a Title vs. Title Match on April 24.

Rich Swann is the Unified World Champion and will face Kenny Omega in a TITLE vs TITLE match at #IMPACTRebellion on April 24th. #Sacrifice pic.twitter.com/OGLYldLbNP

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) March 14, 2021

Following his loss to Rich Swann, Moose said that he would take some time off to revaluate and think about what he plans to do in the future. “Tonight I proved that I’m undoubtedly the Best Big Man in professional wrestling and one of the best wrestlers In the world. I came short of becoming the undisputed champion. Will take time off to reevaluate the past Rebuild Refocus Rebrand and think about the Future.” Kenny Omega also reacted to the result of the match, posting the following:

*checks Twitter after mandatory ego search* https://t.co/JDoEhXXDJu pic.twitter.com/JsXEiXIhRy

— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) March 14, 2021

Rich Swann and Kenny Omega have faced each other in the ring before, most recently at Impact’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view event in January where Omega teamed up with then-Impact Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers to defeat Swann, Chris Sabin and Moose.

Kenny Omega has made it known that he wants to collect more titles, and if he defeats Rich Swann at Rebellion then he would become the Impact Champion too. Speaking on his future defense against Omega, Swann said, “I’m from Baltimore, Maryland. I’m not afraid to step into the ring with no man. I fear no man and I only fear one thing. The thing is, that is not one thing that I would ever fear. If he (Kenny Omega) wanted to step into the ring and do a Unification… We’ve it. We’ve seen seen him go into Mexico and he beat Loredo Kid in AAA. Do I think he could come into my house and do what he did there? I don’t know. Time will tell.”

WWE Superstar Natalya recently appeared on the Inside The Ropes podcast. The Hart family member discussed a number of topics during her time on the show; including her history making match with Lacey Evans at WWE Crown Jewel 2019 event in Saudi Arabia.

“I was on cloud nine. I knew when WWE started doing shows in Saudi Arabia, I had a vision and I told everyone in upper management early on ‘if women are going to wrestle in Saudi Arabia, I want to be the first woman to wrestle in Saudi Arabia.’” Natalya began on the podcast.

“I felt very strongly about that” Natalya continued. “Because I knew the magnitude, being a woman wrestling in Saudi Arabia, I knew how big it could be for women in the world and women in sports. I knew it was our chance to open a door that had never been open before. It was a dream of mine.”

Natalya on Crown Jewel 2019

Natalya then revealed that Vince McMahon himself had been pushing for a women’s match in the region ‘for years.’ Natalya and Lacey Evans did appear on the show in a bout, however Evans had visibly toned down her Southern Belle character and both acted like babyfaces during the match itself.

“When I was finally told about the match, I was brought into Vince McMahon’s office and he let me know I was going to be a part of it” Nattie revealed. “I was like, I can’t believe this is finally happening, but I also know, in WWE and in the world, things can change daily. I didn’t want to get my hopes too high. Vince said it was something he was trying to do for years. It was really a labor of love from him. He personally fought very hard for us to have that match.”

credit to eWrestlingNews for the transcription

The Acclaimed’s Anthony Bowens is expected to miss up to 2-months due to recent knee surgery. This was first revealed by Tony Khan in a media scrum to promote AEW Revolution. Bowens himself commented on the injury recently.

“What you’ve seen the last 4 months was me basically wrestling on 1 leg. I can’t wait to get back full throttle. Don’t worry though, there’s still plenty of Acclaimed content coming your way each week. I’m excited for everyone to get to know us/me a little better outside the ring,” Bowens Tweeted.

The other member of the Acclaimed, Max Castor, competed in the Face of the Revolution ladder match on Sunday’s PPV.

Bowens hasn’t wrestled since early February. The Acclaimed dropped a match to Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Chris Jericho on an episode of Dynamite taped on February 4th, 2021.

Bowens is an 8-year pro having been trained by Pat Buck in New Jersey. He and Castor were signed to multi-year deals with AEW in November.

“I started 2020 trying to do anything I could to get to noticed by AEW and I ended it by main eventing Dynamite. Unreal. Like us or not The Acclaimed have arrived and we are here to stay,” he Tweeted in December.

“Critically Acclaimed” by The Acclaimed OFFICIAL VIDEO is now live!!!

Get to know us both a little better with the first single off The Acclaimed Mixtape Volume 1 (Coming Soon).

?:@CasterShow
?: @GOProWrestling @AEW @AEWonTNT #AEWDark #AEWDynamite #Acclaimed pic.twitter.com/SQnLn8fBha

— Anthony Bowens (@Bowens_Official) January 26, 2021

Stephanie McMahon recently spoke to Digital Spy. As part of the interview, McMahon stated how the company is looking to hire more female writers to give WWE programming a different feel and perspective.

“Hiring in the writing room is really important” Stephanie McMahon began. “Because it has previously been a fairly male-dominated writing room and there are big efforts right now to change that.”

Stephanie McMahon on Writer’s Room Representation

“I don’t have the stats off the top of my head” McMahon continued. “So I’m not sure how many women we’ve hired since we started but I know it’s several, including a senior ranking VP (Christine Lubrano) who’s in charge of many different aspects of making sure that the creative and partnerships and all lines of business are all working together.”

• Intercontinental Title Match Set For WWE Fastlane

Stephanie McMahon finished by saying that the company are looking to ‘improve’ their storylines. “So there’s a been a huge movement. And for both men and women we are always looking to improve our storylines no matter what and improve our character development.”

The National Wrestling Alliance returns to PPV on March 21st, 2021 with “Back For The Attack.” The show will air on the same day as WWE’s Fastlane PPV. Nick Aldis, Thunder Rosa, Aron Stevens, Trevor Murdoch, Elijah Burke, Tim Storm, and Kamille have all been previously advertised to take part in the show

The NWA announced several more names for the PPV recently, with some making their debut for the promotion.

The NWA announced that Tyrus (aka Brodus Clay) will make his debut for the promotion at Back For The Attack.

Chris Adonis, formerly known as Chris Masters, will also be on the PPV.

Formerly of TNA Wrestling, Crimson will be on the PPV.

The National Wrestling Alliance is on Red Alert. @Crimson will show no mercy at #BackForTheAttack!
Pre-order now: https://t.co/XJsyROck8Y pic.twitter.com/DPPx3zsdPC

— NWA (@nwa) March 9, 2021

Jordan Clearwater will be returning to the promotion.

Back by popular demand! After a strong showing against @RealNickAldis on #NWAShockwave, @ClearLikeWater1 is set to make his return at #BackForTheAttack!
Pre-order now: https://t.co/XJsyROck8Y pic.twitter.com/nI1LHdGuvo

— NWA (@nwa) March 10, 2021

Slice Boogie will make his NWA debut on the show.

The King of the Concrete Jungle is making his way to the NWA. New York's own @SliceBoogie is making his debut at #BackForTheAttack!
Pre-order now: https://t.co/XJsyRNUIKo pic.twitter.com/YUjcG3WeTS

— NWA (@nwa) March 8, 2021

Billy Corgan recently spoke to the associated press about the NWA’s return.

“I feel like we’re finally taking the steps we were hoping to take a year ago. We were never in any financial peril,” Corgan added. “We were totally on a growth pattern. The plan for last year before things kind of hit the skids was to start pivoting. We were in discussions with Live Nation about running live events to help bring in revenue and expand who was watching the product. It was more about growing pains stuff, but we didn’t have any problems internally with the product.”

Apollo Crews has been paying homage to his Nigerian heritage as of late on Smackdown. This drew the attention of Bashir Ahmad, the personal assistant to Muhammadu Buhari, President of Nigeria.

Ahmad sent the following Tweet to Apollo recently online:

Naija Boy ???? #SmackDown https://t.co/DbWrNoYJ3R

— Bashir Ahmad, OON (@BashirAhmaad) March 6, 2021

Naija is another way to say Nigeria or refer to a person from Nigeria.

Other popular wrestlers with Nigerian heritage include Impact’s Moose. His father was from Nigeria and unfortunately passed away on the day Moose committed to the University of Syracuse football program.

Jordan Omogbehin, Style’s bodyguard known as Omos, is from Nigeria.

Babatunde Lukasz Aiyegbusi, also known as Dabba-Kato is from Poland but has Nigerian heritage.

Ezekwesili Nduka is currently training at the Performance Center. He is a former football player and bodybuilder with Nigerian parents.

Apollo Crews on His Nigerian Heritage

Crews spoke with SI.com recently about his new persona on Smackdown.

“This isn’t arrogance or cockiness; it’s just me knowing what I am capable of doing,” Crews said. “My talent has been hidden for too long, and people are finally going to see how great I really am.”

He also spoke about how Roman Reigns has influenced him.

“Roman does everything so well. I’ve watched and learned from him. He’s the best. Everyone wants to be in the spot he’s in, so watching him has taught me so much. I want to be that person who can captivate an audience, with an undeniable greatness. That’s Roman’s level, and that is what I am working toward,” Apollo Crews said.

This past Sunday saw Kenny Omega defend his AEW Championship against Jon Moxley. The bout was an Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch; with ‘homemade’ explosives created by Omega himself (in storyline) which went off at intervals during the match.

The explosions inside the ring were solid. These would pop every time either Moxley or Omega hit the barbed wire that replaced the ring ropes. Unfortunately the ending of the PPV saw the ‘explosions’ turn out to be more of a dud than anything.

Omega recently addressed this on Wrestling Observer Radio. “It was really deflating to do so much preparation, test the explosions; have them be impressive in the rehearsal, and then have it be something so much different than what was promised.”

It was also revealed in this week’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the concept for the match has been in the works for a long time. Dave Meltzer wrote that “Kenny Omega came up with the idea more than a year ago, and Jon Moxley was picked as the opponent.”

Meltzer also confirmed that “the idea going in was to have the greatest and most spectacular match of its kind, with both believing the other was the perfect opponent for that job.”

Did you enjoy the match besides the dud of an ending? Let us know in the comments

All Elite Wrestling was in a tough spot when the mega-hyped Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match ended with technical difficulties. SEScoops correspondent Jake Jeremy argues on YouTube that #AEW? made the best of a bad situation on this week’s #AEWDynamite? with their followup angle.

Check out our opinion editorial video below and let us know how you felt about the way that AEW reacted to the AEW Revolution ending botch on this week’s episode of Dynamite.

AEW President Tony Khan addressed the botched explosion during the media scrum post-AEW Revolution.

“Honestly, I’m glad neither guy came out with a serious injury because it was a really scary match and they both really put their health at risk for a huge PPV main event,” Khan said. “I think it was awesome, it was a great spectacle and I think we’re all lucky that the bomb going off in the end didn’t really hurt anybody, that Kenny’s big masterplan, that he built a dud [explosion].”

“The basic explanation is that Kenny’s ring set to explode, his plan as a heel who built this thing with a hammer and nails as we saw, that the final bomb just didn’t go off,” Khan concluded.

What would you like to see us produce for video content on YouTube going forward? Let us know in the comments

Former WWE Executive Director of SmackDown and WCW President recently discussed the finishing ‘Wednesday Night War’ between NXT and All Elite Wrestling.

“I have a hard time when people talk about the Wednesday Night Wars, they’re not the Wednesday Night Wars” Bischoff stated on 83 Weeks. “Two shows head to head does not a war make. A good war is when all boats rise with a high tide, when it lifts the entire industry.”

Eric Bischoff on WCW vs WWF

Bischoff then discussed the comparisons between the 90’s war between WCW and the WWF. “That’s what we saw here, even though the WWF was suffering in some respects, their business was improving markedly so in other respects because of Nitro.”

“I think sometimes that gets lost in the gang warfare of wrestling relations” Bischoff continued. “Meaning if you’re a fan of WWF you couldn’t be a fan of WCW, if you’re a fan of WCW you hated WWF, if you’re a fan of AEW you can’t stand NXT, if you’re a fan of NXT you can’t stand AEW, that’s silly horse s–t that people subscribe too. It doesn’t necessarily make a war, what makes a war is when you’re competing against each other, forcing each other to improve your product and then you’re watching the audience grow in response. Therein lies a good war.”

credit 83 Weeks and a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Apollo Crews has gone through a drastic change in his character over the past few weeks on SmackDown. He turned heel in February and attacked Shinsuke Nakamura and Big E after losing a match to Nakamura. He kayfabe injured Big E by slamming steel steps onto his back, which forced him to take time off of SmackDown. Crews would then go on to debut a new “Nigerian Royalty” character with new gear and entrance music. Crews would do a good job pulling the character off and working with what’s given to him, even earning a WWE Intercontinental Championship match against Big E at Fastlane.

Apollo Crews talked about his new persona in an interview with Sports Illustrated, where he discussed his newfound confidence in himself. “This isn’t arrogance or cockiness; it’s just me knowing what I am capable of doing,” Crews said. “My talent has been hidden for too long, and people are finally going to see how great I really am.”

Apollo Crews also said that this new character is a chance for him to get back in touch with his Nigerian roots. He also revealed that he cared too much about what people thought of him and now his mindset has changed. He’s happy with his role, and it feels like a part of him. “I have such a different background,” Crews said regarding his lineage. “You don’t often see African representation on our show. This is a chance to get back in touch with my Nigerian roots. I always cared too much what people thought when I was younger, but my mindset has changed. I’m excited about what I’m doing right now. It’s an extension of who I am, and it feels so natural. I am stepping outside my comfort zone, and I’m so excited to do that.”

Apollo Crews also revealed that his impressive in-ring work was able to carry him throughout the indies. But once he got into WWE, he struggled to find himself in a new environment. Crews said that since he’s a shy person, it takes him some time to get familiar with a new situation. Because of this, he came accross as a generic guy and saw that fans weren’t able to connect with him. Since then, he has worked hard to build the connection and make fans care about his character.

Crews’ Inspiration from Roman Reigns

One such character that struggled to connect with fans was that of Roman Reigns. Apollo Crews said that he took inspiration from Reigns’ journey in finding his character and he’s applying what he’s learned from the Universal Champion.

“Roman does everything so well. I’ve watched and learned from him. He’s the best. Everyone wants to be in the spot he’s in, so watching him has taught me so much. I want to be that person who can captivate an audience, with an undeniable greatness. That’s Roman’s level, and that is what I am working toward,” Apollo Crews said.

Apollo Crews faces Intercontinental Champion Big E at Fastlane on Sunday, March 21.

WWE has announced an Intercontinental title match for Fastlane, the final pay-per-view event on the road to WrestleMania 37.

WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E will defend his title against recently turned-heel Apollo Crews on WWE Fastlane. On this week’s SmackDown, we saw Big E return to the show after he was stretchered out after a brutal attack by Crews a few weeks ago. Crews had used steel steps as his weapon, launching them into the air so that they could fall down on Big E. The returning champion had much to say about what transpired over the past few weeks on this week’s episode.

Big E came down to the ring with braces and bandages on, only to remove them and show how fit he is. Big E said that he was in a medical facility because of Apollo Crews and there’s no coming back from that for Crews. Big E demanded that Crews show up, but he didn’t come out. Big E said that he’s not surprised, but he got all dressed up to defend his Intercontinental title tonight and he issued an open challenge to anyone who wants a shot at the belt from the locker room.

King Corbin came out and told Big E to calm down because he was looking crazy. Sami Zayn also joined the discussion and said that he’s ready to fight. Zayn said that it would be the perfect ending for his documentary and that since Corbin never actually accepted his challenge, he’s good to go. Big E said that whoever gets in the ring first gets the match, and Zayn ran in first to meet with punches and a Big Ending sending him out of the ring. The bell rang and Big E was able to successfully defend his title.

Big E’s celebrations were put to a halt as Apollo Crews’ music started playing and Crews launched a surprise attack from behind on him, hitting him with a suplex. He picked up the steel steps again and hit Big E’s arm and wrist with them.

Apollo Crews was asked backstage why he attacked Big E when he could have just accepted his Open Challenge instead. Crews said that he’s a descendant of Nigerian royalty and he answers to no one. People like Big He cater to him instead, he said. He then said he’d gladly accept his challenge for the Intercontinental Championship, at WWE Fastlane, that is.

Murphy was involved in a rather surprising backstage segment with Seth Rollins on last week’s SmackDown. Murphy wanted to join hands with a heel Rollins, which would show that Murphy’s character has turned heel again. While Rollins wasn’t too keen on an alliance with him again, it does seem that Murphy’s character has received a heel turn. While it hasn’t been clearly explained yet, Murphy did posted an explanation behind his sudden heel turn in the form of a comment on a photo of the encounter between the Messiah and his disciple uploaded on WWE’s Instagram page.

“Let’s point out the obvious! The Mysterio’s used me! I never needed them! I’m beyond one of the most talent (sic) in-ring performers on the planet! Aalyah used me to be on tv and advance an acting career. Dominik used me so he had a reason to stand ringside. Rey was jealous that I became the new face of the cruiserweight and he was left out of the discussion. They took what they wanted then they left me in the shadows! Sounds like my time in NXT,” Murphy wrote in the comment.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMR_CJzg2Tf/

It’s interesting to speculate if WWE nixed this explanation involving the Mysterios since the comment got deleted only within a few hours of posting. On this week’s SmackDown, we saw Murphy squaring off against Cesario in a singles match. They were also joined by Seth Rollins, who took a seat on the entrance ramp to watch the match. After a few minutes into the match, Rollins got involved and hit Murphy with the Stomp and taunted him. Rollins also delivered the Stomp on Cesaro, and placed a chair around his neck. Seth was going to destroy Cesaro’s neck with another Stomp but he was stopped by WWE producer Jamie Noble. It seems like Murphy will be involved in the feud between Rollins and Cesaro in the future.

.@WWERollins has had enough of @WWECesaro not embracing his vision! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/Ech7wZRc3N

— WWE (@WWE) March 13, 2021

WWE SmackDown aired live from the ThunderDome in Tropicana Field. Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan had a contract signing for their title match at WWE Fastlane during tonight’s show. Intercontinental Champioin Big E returned to action after Apollo Crews brutally attacked him a couple weeks ago.

SmackDown Results (3/12)

1. Street Profits, Rey Mysterio, Dominik def. Robert Roode, Dolph Ziggler, Chad Gable, Otis
2. Cesaro def. Murphy via DQ
3. Tamina & Natalya def. Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair
4. Big E def. Sami Zayn

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Daniel Bryan Interrupted Edge

Edge kicked off this week’s show and said that there will be a big contract signing for the Universal Championship match at Fastlane tonight. Edge said that there are some things he needs to get off his chest and called Reigns & Heyman great “spin doctors”.

Edge noted how Bryan claimed he deserved to be in the main event of WrestleMania more than Edge because he has wrestled more in the past few months. Edge added that it is time to remind everyone who he is and that he is back in the ring because he loves doing this.

Daniel Bryan interrupted and said it looked like Edge is bothered by what he said last week and that was not his intention. Bryan said that he has an infinite amount of respect for Edge but when he wanted to challenge Roman for the title, it had nothing to do with Edge.

Bryan noted that he felt demoralized after watching point at the WrestleMania sign during the conclusion of Elimination Chamber. Daniel stated that this could be his last WrestleMania, so he has to give it everything he has got to try and make it to the main event.

Daniel told Edge that he has his spot at WrestleMania and that is why he has gone into business for himself. Edge said that Reigns has already defeated Bryan and that it doesn’t matter how he got it, a win is a win. Edge added that he likes Bryan, but doesn’t like how he went about things and thought he was better than this.

"I have an infinite amount of respect for what you've done in your career." – @WWEDanielBryan #SmackDown @EdgeRatedR pic.twitter.com/IweZiaxs8H

— WWE (@WWE) March 13, 2021

Street Profits, Dominik & Rey Picked Up A Win

Street Profits, Rey Mystery, Dominik faced Robert Roode, Dolph Ziggler, Otis, and Chad Gable. Dawkins and Roode started off the action and Angelo connected with a Clothesline. Montez tagged in and connected with a Dropkick on Roode. Robert battled back and beat Dominik down in the corner.

Dominik connected with a Hurricanrana and Gable tagged in. Gable beat Dominik down and tagged in Robert Roode. Dominik connected with a double Tornado DDT before tagging in Dawkins.

Ziggler and Dawkins traded shots in the middle of the ring. Angelo connected with a Spinebuster and tagged Ford. Roode shoved Ford off the turnbuckle and to the floor outside the ring as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Dolph Zigger had Montez Ford in a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Ford tagged in Dawkins but the referee didn’t see it because he was distracted by Roode. Robert then tagged in and continued to isolate Ford in the corner.

Montez planted Gable with a German Suplex and tagged in Rey. Mysterio connected with a DDT and went for the cover but Otis broke it up. Roode tagged in and hit Rey with a Spinebuster for a two count. Rey and Dominik hit Roode with a double 619 and Montez followed it up with the Frog Splash for the pinfall victory.

Statement made! ??@MontezFordWWE pins @RealRobertRoode to pick up the win in this 8-Man Tag Team Match on #SmackDown! pic.twitter.com/L6NIFLM2PB

— WWE (@WWE) March 13, 2021

Seth Rollins Attacked Cesaro

Cesaro squared off against Murphy once again tonight. Seth Rollins’ music hit right as the match was about to start. Rollins took a seat on the entrance ramp and watched the match.

Cesaro controlled the action early and beat Murphy down in the corner of the ring. Murphy connected with a knee to the face and made his way to the top rope. Cesaro connected with a Dropkick that sent Murphy tumbling to the ring apron. Cesaro planted Murphy with a Superplex and then some uppercuts. Cesaro got Murphy in the Swing but Rollins hopped into the ring and attacked to end the match in a DQ.

Seth hit Murphy with the Stomp and started taunting him. Rollins hit Cesaro with another Stomp and then placed a chair around Cesaro’s neck. Seth went to deliver another Stomp but WWE Producer Jamie Noble intervened and blocked Rollins. Seth was then shown having a backstage stare down with Shinsuke Nakamura backstage to end the segment.

.@WWERollins has had enough of @WWECesaro not embracing his vision! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/Ech7wZRc3N

— WWE (@WWE) March 13, 2021

Banks & Belair Aren’t On The Same Page

Sami Zayn approached Kevin Owens backstage and said that he wants him to be in his documentary. Owens avoided the question and said he has to do the KO Show tonight. Zayn claimed that the documentary was going to do big numbers like Logan Paul and Owens said he will think about it before walking away.

"This is going to do big numbers, @LoganPaul numbers!" @SamiZayn is confident this is going to be a HUGE premiere! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/3OacQX56Ui

— WWE (@WWE) March 13, 2021

Owens made his way to the ring and said it is good time be back after being away for a couple of weeks. Kevin noted that it has been a rough few months for him, physically and mentally, but he will keep fighting no matter what. Owens introduced Bianca Belair as his first guest and then SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks.

Kevin said that Banks and Belair have a chance to make their WrestleMania match even bigger if they want into the event as Women’s Tag Team Champions. Owens added that there seems to be some tension over Reginald and Carmella. Sasha interrupted and said it isn’t her fault that she looks good and Reginald likes her.

Belair interrupted and said she doesn’t like Sasha’s attitude and Reginald could be a problem when they battle for the Women’s Tag Team Championships at WWE Fastlane. Sasha referred to herself as the Michael Jordan of the women’s division and that Bianca can one day be like LeBron James.

Banks added that she would have eliminated Belair if she was in the women’s Royal Rumble and will be the reason that they become tag champs at Fastlane. Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler interrupted and Kevin shouted that he did not invite them.

Tamina Snuka and Natalya then joined the party as Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, and Reginald joined commentary. Sasha Banks and Natalya locked up in the middle of the ring and Banks connected with an Arm Drag. Tamina tagged in and beat Sasha down in the corner.

Natalya tagged in and continued to isolate Banks in the corner of the ring. Natalya applied the Sharpshooter but the SmackDown Women’s Champion was able to escape. Bianca tagged in and planted Natalya with a Spinebuster. Reginald hopped on the ring apron for a distraction and Natalya capitalized with a Clothesline. Sasha confronted Reginald outside the ring and chased him around. Tamina then rolled up Belair from behind for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Belair yelled at Banks and claimed she cost them the match by getting distracted by Reginald. Sasha said she is not taking the blame and called Belair a rookie before walking away.

.@TaminaSnuka & @NatbyNature take down @SashaBanksWWE & @BiancaBelairWWE on #SmackDown!

Will #TheBoss and The #ESTofWWE get on the same page before #WWEFastlane? @NiaJaxWWE @QoSBaszler pic.twitter.com/nreXGD3HNR

— WWE (@WWE) March 13, 2021

Apollo Crews Attacked Big E

Intercontinental Champion Big E made his way to the ring to respond to Apollo Crews. Big said he was in a medical facility because of Crews and there is no coming back from that for Apollo. Big E said he has to go Old Testament on Apollo and has to end him. Big E then demanded that Crews make his way to the ring but he didn’t show up. Big E issued an open challenge to whoever wants a fight.

King Corbin told Big E to calm down because he was looking all crazy. Sami Zayn joined the party and said he wanted a fight. Corbin said he was in the middle of accepting the challenge but Sami claimed that they have it on film that Corbin wasn’t accepting anything. Zayn added that winning the title back will be the perfect ending to his documentary.

Big E sent Zayn out of the ring and near King Corbin as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, Sami was in control and had Big E in a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Big E escaped and leveled Sami with an elbow to the face. Sami connected with a slam and went for the cover but Big E kicked out at two.

Zayn started complaining about the referee’s count being slow and Big E capitalized by sending Sami across the ring. Big E went for a Splash but Sami got out of the way and the Intercontinental Champion crashed to the apron.

Sami connected with a Sunset Powerbomb and went for the cover but Big E kicked out at two. Zayn started taunting Big E once again and it cost him. Big E got pissed off and quickly connected with the Big Ending for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Apollo Crews rushed the ring and attacked Big E from behind. Crews planted Big E with the Angle Slam and stood over him. Apollo then grabbed the steel steps and hit Big E in the shoulder with them.

Wealth. Power. Dominance. ?#SmackDown #ICTitle @WWEApollo @WWEBigE pic.twitter.com/mAZ3voFuqB

— WWE (@WWE) March 13, 2021

Edge Or Jey Uso Will Be The Special Enforcer At Fastlane

Universal Champion Roman Reigns made his way to the ring with Paul Heyman and Jey Uso in the final segment of the show for the contract signing. Adam Pearce was already in the ring with the Universal Championship contract for Fastlane. Daniel Bryan then jointed them in the ring. Pearce stated that it was time to sign the contract but Roman demanded that his seat be moved to the head of the table.

Reigns was about to sign the contract but stopped and said he doesn’t want to do this because Bryan doesn’t deserve it. Daniel signed the contract immediately and said he was excited for the match. Daniel told Reigns that he wasn’t a man of his word and is afraid of him.

Daniel added that he made Jey Uso quit last week and started taunting Roman. Daniel joked that he should be the Head of the Table and Reigns got annoyed. Roman signed the contract and Jey gave it to Pearce. Bryan vowed to make Reigns quit just like he did to Jey Uso.

Jey got pissed off and claimed Bryan was disrespecting him. Jey suggested that he be a “Special Enforcer” at Fastlane to make sure everything is fair & square. Edge interrupted and suggested that he face Jey Uso next week and the winner will be the Special Enforcer at Fastlane. Pearce agreed and made the match official. Edge and Bryan attacked Jey and and Reigns. Edge shoved Bryan aside and went after Reigns. Bryan connected with the Running Knee to Edge and did the “yes!” chant in the corner to close the show.

IT'S OFFICIAL!! For the first time in 11 years, @EdgeRatedR will compete in a one-on-one match on #SmackDown against Jey @WWEUsos! The winner of the match will be the Special Guest Enforcer for the #UniversalTitle Match at #WWEFastlane! pic.twitter.com/ZHr0Y7eKpB

— WWE (@WWE) March 13, 2021

WWE NXT referee Tom Castor is on the shelf with an injury.

Castor shared the news in a post on Twitter this past Thursday. He tore his bicep off the bone. As a result, he will now have to undergo surgery to fix it. 

In the post, he mentioned that he worked the match that saw NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai retain over Toni Storm on this week’s episode of WWE NXT in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the USA Network. 

You can see his full statement here: 

#WWENXT #WeAreNXT pic.twitter.com/dbTUq8IXlz

— Tom Castor (@dereksandersWWE) March 12, 2021

This was the last match he officiated before suffering the bicep tear. For those who may not know, he also suffered a brutal leg injury during a match between The Velveteen Dream and Tyler Breeze in April 2019 at the NXT live event in Omaha, Nebraska

In late February 2020, after being out for several months following that injury, Castor returned to the ring. As it stands right now, there’s word yet on how long Castor will be out of action this time. 

The Shaquille O’Neal & Jade Cargill vs. Cody Rhodes & Red Velvet match took place earlier this month on an episode of AEW Dynamite and received rave reviews. 

This was the in-ring debut under the AEW banner for the NBA Hall of Famer. The AEW Executive spoke about the contest during an appearance on Action Sports Jax On ESPN690. 

In addition to the limited experience of Shaq, Velvet and Cargill were also green, which is totally understandable for fans to have low expectations, according to Rhodes. 

He said he is part of the hardcore audience as well, but he’s always surprised when people doubt him because he never does anything without a gameplan and being extremely organized. He noted that he took on a lot of responsibility with completely new talent. 

“After it was over, I can tell you, he’s got the bug. It happens. I’ve seen it happen to older wrestlers. I’ve seen it happen to people coming for the first time. Stephen Amell, very similar situation. He’s got the bug. We didn’t converse much, but I said, ‘I think you’re a wrestler now,’ and I really mean that. I’d love to have him back.”

Rhodes continued by noting that there are obvious matches that fans want to see and Shaq is taking training seriously, which is a good thing. He brought up how Shaq brings more eyes to AEW’s product and perhaps those fans will stay. 

There’s no word yet on when Shaq might work another match.

Andrade is creating buzz this morning after the former NXT champion has taken some actions which are making people wonder about his WWE future.

The former NXT star as seen in the below screenshot has removed all mentions of WWE from his Twitter bio and the profile is no longer verified on the social site:

Update: SEScoops has learned that Andrade requested his release from WWE this past Monday at Raw. The news was first reported by WrestlingInc. It is unclear at this time whether or not his release will be granted, but we can confirm – Andrade wants out.

Andrade’s WWE Run

Andrade had a promising start to his WWE career and he quickly rose through the ranks in NXT after his signing in 2015. He had a successful run with the NXT title.

He was then moved to the main roster in 2018 and the former US champion was said to be one of the talents seen as future stars by Paul Heyman during his run as the Executive Director of Raw.

Andrade’s push came to a screeching half after Paul Heyman was removed from the position. It’s been said that Vince McMahon does not see Andrade as somebody who can draw money for WWE.

The Mexican star’s last storyline in WWE was when he was teaming up with Angel Garza but he has not been part of any angle since their breakup. Andrade hasn’t been seen on WWE programming since October 2020.

There is no word yet on what these recent actions mean for the future of the WWE star but we will keep you posted as more details about his status with the company become available.

A mysterious group known only as “Azteca Underground” has infiltrated Major League Wrestling. The group’s owner has never been named but is said to have a lot of money and is referred to as “El Jefe” frequently on Fusion. Azteca Underground has purchased Salina de la Renta’s “Promociones Dorado” faction.

Former Lucha Underground Champion, Mil Muertes, has arrived in the promotion as well. He defeated Savio Vega in an Azteca Jungle Fight on MLW’s special “Filthy Island” event. Muertes then returned to MLW on Fusion this week, attacking Alexander Hammerstone and stealing his National Openweight Championship.

MLW recently Tweeted out a link to the Azteca Underground website with a clip of Muertes’ attack on Hammerstone:

https://twitter.com/mlw/status/1370210437623644162?s=12

Mil Muertes and Azteca Underground

The Azteca Underground website has received some updates since it was first published. Currently, the mysterious webmaster is asking his followers to help with rental space:

Another section of the website states that Azteca Underground is hoping to uncover some lost artifacts:

Details of the artifacts is also included on the website:

So far, the only official members of Azteca Underground are Mil Muertes, Salina de la Renta, LA Park, LA Park Jr. and El Hijo de LA Park. Los Parks currently hold the MLW World Tag Team titles after winning them from Ross & Marshall Von Erich.