Archive for March, 2021

WWE Raw Ratings Slightly Down For Go-Home Fastlane Edition (3/15)

Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.843 million viewers with a 0.56 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. This is down from last week 1.897 million viewers, but up from a 0.55 rating). 

This was the go-home edition of Raw for Sunday’s Fastlane pay-per-view event. Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Monday night:

  • The first hour did 1.874 million viewers and a 0.53 rating (A18-49).
  • The second hour did 1.873 million viewers and a 0.56 rating.
  • The final hour of the show had just 1.782 million viewers and a 0.59 rating.

This episode featured The Hurt Business (Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander) vs. The New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships, Matt Riddle vs. Mustafa Ali for the United States Title, and Bobby Lashley vs. Sheamus in the main event. 

SmackDown Viewership

Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.171 million viewers. This is down from the 2.252 million viewers on FOX that the show did for the previous week.

SmackDown pulled in a 0.61 rating in the 18-49 demos, up from the 0.60 rating the previous week’s show. The episode drew an average of 2.010 million viewers in the overnight ratings, down from the previous week that did 2.166 million viewers. 

The first hour saw it pull in 2.028 million viewers while hour two did 1.992 million viewers. The show did 2.153 million viewers in hour one while hour two did 2.179 million viewers two weeks ago.

Posted March 16th, 2021 in News, WWE.

Updated Lineup For NWA’s Back For The Attack

The National Wrestling Alliance returns on Sunday with the “Back for the Attack” PPV available on FITE. The promotion added a few matches to the show recently.

Yesterday, the NWA announced that Thunder Rosa will face Kamille on the PPV. The winner of that match will earn an NWA Women’s Championship match against Serena Deeb, who is currently out with a knee injury.

The NWA also recently announced that The Pope (FKA Elijah Burke) will defend the NWA Television title against Thomas Latimer on the show.

A Jordan Clearwater vs Jax Dan vs Slice Boogie vs Crimson fatal 4-way match has also been booked.

The NWA previously announced that Aron Stevens will challenge Nick Aldis for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on the card. Stevens is the former tag partner to “The Question Mark” Joseph Hudson, who passed away last month. Stevens put out a statement that he will be wrestling as his true self on the show and not portraying a character.

Following the PPV this weekend, the NWA will be filming content for future episodes of Powerrr. The last set of official NWA tapings took place in January of 2020. At the onset of the pandemic, the NWA was forced to cancel the planned 2020 Crockett Cup.

Posted March 16th, 2021 in News, NWA. Tagged: .

Update On When Kenny Omega Is Expected Back In Impact Wrestling

Kenny Omega will face Rich Swann in a title vs title match at Impact Wrestling’s Rebellion PPV next month. Omega will most likely be a fixture on Impact programming in the build-up to the event as well.

According to a report from PW Insider, Omega was in Nashville yesterday as Impact is taping content this week. This would give the promotion several episodes with Omega to build up the match.

Impact is coming off of a big event on Saturday that aired on Impact Plus. Several notable developments occurred at Sacrifice. Rich Swann beat Moose to move onto Rebellion and Kenny Omega. Juice Robinson & David Finlay won the Impact tag-team titles from Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows. Also, Ace Austin defeated TJP to win the X-Division Championship.

The following matches are scheduled for tonight’s episode on AXS TV and Twitch:

  • Deonna Purrazzo, Susan, Kimber Lee, Tenille Dashwood & Fire N Flava vs ODB, Alisha Edwards, Jazz, Jordynne Grace, Havok & Neveah
  • Rohit Raju vs Shera
  • Trey Miguel vs Sami Callihan
  • FinJuice vs Team XXXL (Non-title)

Impact Sacrifice Results:

  1. Decay (Black Taurus & Crazzy Steve) (w/Rosemary) defeated Reno SCUM (Adam Thornstowe & Luster The Legend) (7:48)
  2. Kaleb With A K & Tenille Dashwood defeated Havok & Nevaeh (7:09)
  3. Violent By Design (Deaner & Joe Doering) (w/Eric Young) defeated Beer Guns (Chris Sabin & James Storm) (w/Jake Something) (11:30)
  4. Hold Harmless Match
    Eddie Edwards defeated Brian Myers (16:45)
  5. Knockouts Tag-Team Championships
    Fire ‘N Flava (Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz) (c) defeated Jazz & Jordynne Grace (10:30)
  6. X-Division Championship
    Ace Austin (w/Madman Fulton) defeated TJP (c) (12:12) – New Champion
  7. Knockouts Championship
    Deonna Purrazzo (w/Kimber Lee & Susan) (c) defeated ODB (8:28)
  8. Impact Tag Team Championships
    FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) defeated The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) (c) (14:34) – New Champions
  9. Impact/TNA World Championship Unification
    Rich Swann (c) [Impact] defeated Moose (c) [TNA] (20:16)

Posted March 16th, 2021 in TNA. Tagged: .

Lio Rush Announces “Lio Mania” & Match Against nZo

Lio Rush and nZo (FKA Enzo Amore) will kick off WrestleMania week this year by facing off against each other in a match to air on YouTube. Rush took to Twitter recently to announce the match between the two former WWE Cruiserweight Champions will take place on April 5th.

https://twitter.com/TheLionelGreen/status/1371641020878778368

Rush has been wrestling for NJPW and MLW since being released from WWE last spring at the onset of the pandemic. He is currently both the AAA World Cruiserweight Champion and the MLW World Middleweight Champion. Rush has been performing on episodes of New Japan Strong from NJPW’s Los Angeles dojo as of late as well.

nZo hasn’t kept as active a wrestling schedule in recent years. He was in attendance for Big Cass (CazXL) making his return to pro wrestling recently, however.

Rush will also be at The Collective over Mania week. He released the following promo for the event:

https://twitter.com/TheLionelGreen/status/1370173342213238785

GCW will be running shows on April 8th, 9th, and 10th in Florida during Mania week.

The 6th edition of Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport will take place the night of the 8th. Joey Janela’s Spring Break Spring Break 5 will take place the following night, as will Allie Kat’s “Real Hot Girl S**t” show. Social distancing measures will be in effect, masks will be mandatory, and all events will take place outside.

Posted March 16th, 2021 in GCW, News. Tagged: , , .

WWE RAW Results (3/15): New Champions Crowned, WWE Title Match Set For WrestleMania

WWE RAW aired live from the ThunderDome inside Tropicana Field. It was the final episode of RAW before WWE Fastlane this Sunday night. Hurt Business defended their RAW Tag Team Championships against New Day during tonight’s episode. In addition to the takeaways below, Alexa Bliss challenged Randy Orton to a match at Fastlane and he later accepted.

RAW Results (3/15)

  1. Drew McIntyre def. The Miz
  2. Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose def. Naomi & Lana
  3. New Day def. Hurt Business to become new RAW Tag Team Champions
  4. Damian Priest def. Jaxson Ryker
  5. Asuka def. Shayna Baszler
  6. Riddle def. Mustafa Ali to retain the United States Championship
  7. Lashley def. Sheamus

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

McIntyre Will Face Lashley At WrestleMania

It was announced at the beginning of the show that Drew McIntyre will face Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. WWE Champion Bobby Lashley then made his way to the ring with MVP.

MVP said that they have entered the All Mighty Era and Lashley boasted about proving the doubters wrong. Lashley vowed to destroy McIntyre in the main event of WrestleMania before The Miz & John Morrison interrupted. The Miz claimed that they were just out here to congratulate Lashley but said that their rivalry was just getting started.

The Miz added that it is 3:16 week and did a Stone Cold impression while suggesting that Lashley face him at WrestleMania. Miz said he didn’t want to diminish any of Lashley’s accomplishments but had to defend the title twice in one night while suffering from cramps.

Drew McIntyre joined the party and walked right by The Miz and got into the ring with the WWE Champion. McIntyre noted that they have had similar paths with so many years traveling the roads and paying dues while opportunities kept passing them by. McIntyre added that they both weren’t in WWE and had to scratch and claw their way back.

McIntyre noted that he beat 30 other men to win the Royal Rumble and beat Brock Lesnar in five minutes to win the title. Drew joked that all Lashley did was make a deal with The Miz. McIntyre wondered why MVP was even here as Lashley can speak for himself. The Miz and Morrison hopped on the apron and Drew claimed that he forgot Miz was standing there. McIntyre told Miz that he is going to turn his back and finish the conversation with Lashley.

Drew added that if Miz tries to fight him tonight, he is going to injure him. McIntyre added that he will end the All Mighty Era at WrestleMania and get back the WWE Championship. Lashley then attacked McIntyre and Miz joined in on the beat down. Lashley left the ring and Sheamus jumped him on the entrance ramp as RAW went to a commercial break.

Sheamus was interviewed backstage and said he attacked Lashley because he wants to face McIntyre at 100% at Fastlane. Sheamus challenged Lashley to a match tonight as well.

Drew McIntyre Sent A Message To Bobby Lashley

McIntyre faced The Miz in the first match of the night. The Miz unloaded some punches but McIntyre quickly battled back. Drew bounced The Miz’s face off the turnbuckle and beat him down in the corner of the ring.

Drew launched Miz across the ring and then leveled him with a headbutt. John Morrison distracted McIntyre by throwing his sunglasses at him. McIntyre stomped on the sunglasses but Miz capitalized on the distraction with some punches.

McIntyre shrugged them off and connected with a Clothesline. Drew followed it up with a Reverse Alabama Slam and set up for the Claymore but Morrison dragged Miz out of the ring. The referee then kicked Morrison out from ringside as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, The Miz booted McIntyre in the knee and planted him with a DDT for a near fall. Miz went for the Skull Crushing Finale but McIntyre countered into an Arm Drag and followed it up with a massive Clothesline. McIntyre once again hurled Miz across the ring and then hit a Neckbreaker.

McIntyre sent Miz out of the ring and drove him into the barricade. McIntyre slammed Miz into the ring apron and then onto the barricade again. Drew broke the referee’s count but quickly returned out of the ring and bashed Miz’s face off the steel steps several times.

Back in the ring, McIntyre connected with the Future Shock DDT and then the Claymore for the pinfall victory. After the match, McIntyre pointed at the WrestleMania sign before applying the Hurt Lock (Full Nelson) to The Miz in an effort to send a message to WWE Champion Bobby Lashley.

Braun Strowman Challenged Shane McMahon

Braun Strowman marched down to the ring tonight. Shane stopped on the entrance ramp and Strowman stated that his whole life he has been bullied by guys like McMahon. Shane stated that he finds Braun’s comments disgusting and he would never make fun of another human being. Strowman flipped out and challenged Shane to a match tonight. Shane McMahon said now he knows Braun Strowman is stupid and that it will be “Brain versus Braun” tonight.

Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke Picked Up A Win

Naomi & Lana squared off against Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke tonight. Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax joined commentary for the match. Shayna and Nia will defend the titles against SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair this Sunday at WWE Fastlane.

Mandy Rose connected with a Fallaway Slam and then sent Naomi to the corner. Dana tagged in and hit Naomi with a Splash. Rose tagged back in and connected with a knee to the face for a near fall. Naomi escaped and tagged in Lana.

Lana hit a series of kicks before planted Mandy Rose with a Bulldog. Lana then planted Mandy Rose with a Neckbreaker and went for the cover but Dana Brooke broke it up. Mandy and Dana slammed Naomi to the canvas. Mandy then planted Lana with a Suplex before RAW Women’s Champion Asuka’s music hit.

Asuka made her way down the entrance ramp and Shayna sprinted after her. Asuka booted Baszler in the face and unloaded some punches before Adam Pearce and some WWE officials broke it up. Mandy Rose rolled up Lana for a two count and Dana Brooke tagged back in. Lana hit Mandy with a Facebuster but Dana Brooke caught Lana with a Neckbreaker for the pinfall victory.

Styles & Omos Will Face New Day At WrestleMania

Hurt Business defended their RAW Tag Team Championships against New Day to begin the 2nd hour of this week’s show. Alexander and Woods started off the action. Woods applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring but Cedric reversed into an Arm Bar. Woods rolled up Alexander for a near fall and then connected with an Arm Drag.

Kingston tagged in and Cedric caught him with a boot to the face. Shelton Benjamin tagged in and planted Kingston with a Spinebuster for a near fall. Hurt Business dominated the next few minutes and kept Kingston isolated in the corner. Benjamin hopped out of the ring and sent Woods shoulder first into the steel steps and then tagged in Alexander.

Alexander perched Kofi up on the top turnbuckle and traded punches with him. Kofi got the better of the exchange and delivered a Dropkick off the top rope. Woods tagged in and knocked Hurt Business to the outside. New Day then tried to leap onto them but Hurt Business was ready and laid them out as RAW went to a break.

When RAW returned, Cedric and Xavier were trading Clotheslines in the ring. Alexander connected with a Michinoku Driver and went for the cover but Woods was able to kick out at the last moment. Kingston and Shelton tagged in and Benjamin hit an Enziguri for a near fall.

Kingston responded with a Hurricanrana and then a Double Stomp for a two count. Kofi followed it up with SOS for another near fall. Kingston made his way to the top but Benjamin caught him with a slam for a two count. Woods knocked Cedric out of the ring and hit him with a Tornado DDT on the floor. Kofi hit Trouble in Paradise on Shelton and tagged in Woods. Kofi hit Cedric with a Suicide Dive as Woods connected with an Elbow Drop. New Day then hit Daybreak on Shelton Benjamin for the pinfall victory. New Day are the new RAW Tag Team Champions.

After the match, AJ Styles and Omos came to the ring. Styles said that they currently do not have anything planned for WrestleMania. Omos stated that they should be RAW Tag Team Champions and AJ announced that they are a tag team now. Styles told Omos that it is his time to shine and they challenged New Day to a title match at WrestleMania. Kingston asked AJ if they were even registered as a tag team and then New Day accepted the match.

The Miz Attacked Bad Bunny

Damian Priest battled Jaxson Ryker tonight on RAW. Bad Bunny and Elias were ringside for the match. Ryker went right after Damian but Priest connected with Broken Arrow. Priest followed it up with Hit the Lights for the pinfall victory. After the match, Elias attacked Damian from behind. Elias brought his guitar into the ring but Bad Bunny ripped it away. Elias tried to slam Bad Bunny but he escaped and punched him in the face. Damian then planted Elias with the Hit the Lights. John Morrison came down the entrance ramp for a distraction and Miz hit Bad Bunny from behind with the guitar but it didn’t break.

Shane McMahon Humiliated Braun Strowman

Shane McMahon was set to face Braun Strowman tonight. Before the match, Shane rolled out of the ring and grabbed a microphone. Shane walked everyone through his warm up routine as Braun shouted at him to get into the ring. McMahon did some hopscotch and said it could help Strowman learned to count.

Strowman chased after Shane and caught him outside the ring. Braun launched Shane into the barricade and followed it up with a massive kick to the midsection. Strowman went for a shoulder tackle but Shane hit him with a camera to the face. Shane cleared off the announce table before cracking Strowman over the head with the camera again.

McMahon climbed to the top turnbuckle and delivered an Elbow Drop. Shane then taunted Strowman and poured green slime all over him. Shane called Braun stupid before pouring another bucket of slime on him. McMahon shouted at Braun to never challenge him again. It was then announced that Shane will face Strowman at Fastlane.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1371645050975875074?s=20

Asuka Got Revenge On Shayna Baszler

Asuka battled Shayna Baszler to begin the final hour of this week’s RAW. Shayna put Asuka on the shelf a few weeks back by booting a couple of her teeth out. Baszler said she enjoyed it and wanted to do it again tonight. Asuka dominated early and booted Nia Jax out of the ring. The match officially started and Asuka hit Shayna with a Hip Attack. Asuka delivered a Hip Attack to Nia Jax as well. Shayna caught Asuka with a knee to the face and the RAW Women’s Champion grabbed her mouth.

Baszler unloaded some punches to the face but Asuka broke free and applied an Armbar. Asuka broke the hold to hit Nia Jax with a Dropkick as she tried to get into the ring. Shayna went for the Kirifuda Clutch but Asuka countered into a cover for the win.

After the match, Baszler tried to attack Asuka but it backfired. Asuka hit a German Suplex and booted Shayna in the face several times. Asuka then bashed Shayna’s face into the turnbuckle and then exposed the metal ring beneath it. Asuka took out Shaya’s mouthpiece and put Baszler’s teeth around the exposed metal. The referee hopped in the way and Shayna escaped.

Riddle Retained The US Title

Riddle defended the United States Championship against Mustafa Ali tonight on RAW. RETRIBUTION was ringside for the match. Riddle controlled the action early and booted Mustafa out of the ring. Riddle followed Ali out there but Mustafa slammed him onto the announce table.

Back in the ring, Ali hit Riddle with a kick to the midsection and then both superstars battled on the ring apron. Ali slammed Riddle to the floor outside the ring with a Neckbreaker as RAW went to a commerical break.

When RAW returned, Ali hit another Neckbreaker and went for the cover but Riddle was able to kick out at two. Ali applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring but Riddle broke free. Riddle booted Mustafa in the chest and followed it up with some jabs. Riddle connected with a Pele Kick and a forearm to the face.

Riddle connected with a Suplex and then a Broton for a near fall. Riddle went for the Final Flash but Ali dodged it. Ali rolled up Riddle but T-Bar had the referee distracted. Riddle then planted Mustafa with the Bro Derek for the pinfall victory. Riddle is still the United States Champion.

Lashley def. Sheamus

Drew McIntyre came down to the ring again and said it caught his attention that MVP made some guarantees tonight. McIntyre guaranteed that he and Sheamus will bring a level of physicality that hasn’t been seen before. McIntyre added that he will be ringside for the match between Lashley and Sheamus.

Lashley and Sheamus took turns beating each other down in the corner of the ring to start off the match. Lashley leapfrogged Sheamus and leveled him with a Clothesline in a ridiculous sequence. Sheamus hit Lashley with a chop block and unloaded some strikes to the midsection.

Lashley planted Sheamus with a Suplex and stared at McIntyre who was seated on the entrance ramp. Bobby brought Sheamus over to McIntyre and lifted him up in a Fireman’s Carry. Sheamus escaped but Lashley sent him into the ring post.

Back in the ring, Sheamus punched Lashley in the face and went for 10 Beats of the Bodhran but Lashley blocked it. Lashley then planted Sheamus with a Suplex on the floor and stared at McIntyre again as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Lashley was still in control as the action had returned to the ring. Lashley immediately sent Sheamus back out of the ring and slammed him into the barricade. Lashley went for a Spear but Sheamus got out of the way and the WWE Champion crashed into the ring post.

Sheamus connected with a Flying Clotheslines off the top rope for a two count. Sheamus hit the 10 Beats of the Bodhran and followed it up with the Irish Curse Backbreaker but Lashley kicked out at one. Sheamus hit another Irish Curse Backbreaker and Lashley kicked out at one again.

Sheamus applied the Cloverleaf submission but Lashley broke free. Lashley connected with a Powerslam and went for the cover but Sheamus was able to kick out at two. Lashley connected with a Superplex and went for a Spear but the Celtic Warrior countered with a knee to the face. Sheamus followed it up with White Noise and went for the cover but Lashley was able to kick out at two. Sheamus went for the Brogue Kick but Lashley countered with a Spear for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Lashley applied the Hurt Lock to Sheamus. McIntyre got into the ring and leveled Lashley with a Claymore to close the show.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1371657907352313856?s=20

Posted March 15th, 2021 in Results. Tagged: .

Top Matches Set For WWE Fastlane, Updated Card

New matches have been announced for the WWE Fastlane PPV.

On Monday night, the company confirmed that Drew McIntyre would face Sheamus in a singles match at this show. Shane McMahon vs. Braun Strowman has also been booked. 

McIntyre and Sheamus have been at odds since dating back to early February.  It was originally reported WWE had plans for them to work a Last Man Standing Match at this show with the winner becoming the new #1 contender for the WWE Title and face Bobby Lashley for it at WrestleMania 37. However, WWE had other plans as they announced at the top of the Raw broadcast that McIntyre vs. Lashley would take place at Mania. 

After a weird promo segment last week, WWE followed it up with them wrestling on Raw that ended with McMahon hitting an elbow drop off the top rope to send Strowman through a table. He then poured slim on Strowman to end the segment. 

WWE presents the Fastlane pay-per-view event on Sunday, March 21, 2021 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida that will air on the WWE Network and Peacock. 

Updated WWE Fastlane Card

  • WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan 
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs. Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks
  • WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E vs. Apollo Crews
  • Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus
  • Shane McMahon vs. Braun Strowman

Posted March 15th, 2021 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

Asuka Returns To In-Ring Action On WWE Raw

After being on the sidelines, Asuka made her return to in-ring action on Monday Night Raw. 

The Raw Women’s Champion did so by taking on Shayna Baszler in a non-title match on the show. The match saw Asuka score the pinfall victory as the champion reversed the Kirifuda Clutch into a roll-up. Following the match, Asuka shoved Baszler’s face into the turnbuckle with a kick. 

Asuka had been out of action since the February 22nd episode of Raw when she worked a tag team bout alongside Charlotte Flair against Baszler and Nia Jax. This is where she was kicked in the mouth and lost a tooth. 

There was speculation that she suffered a concussion when this happened, but since WWE doesn’t confirm this type of injury it wasn’t known until Dave Meltzer reported it last week. 

Before WWE had announced Asuka was back, the uncertainty about her WrestleMania 37 status was brought up as the problem with a concussion is that someone could be fine in a short amount of time while in other instances it will keep a wrestler out of action for a long period of time. Thus, her match at Mania was in jeopardy of not happening, but that’s no longer the case. 

Asuka is currently penciled in to defend the Raw Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 37.

Posted March 15th, 2021 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

The New Day Win WWE Raw Tag Team Titles, WrestleMania Match Confirmed

The New Day is not only just the top tag team on the Raw brand again, but they’ve also received opponents at WrestleMania 37. 

During Monday’s Raw, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods beat Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander to win the Raw Tag Team Titles. 

The finish saw Kofi catch Benjamin with a head kick then Woods hit with an elbow dive off the top rope and finally Kingston connected with a foot stomp off the top rope for the win. 

As a result, the group has held gold 11-times. They have surpassed Dudley Boyz for the most Tag Team Championship reigns in WWE by a set of partners reigning together. Also, this marks Kingston’s 13th Tag Team Championship reign of his WWE career. He is just behind Edge for having the most total Tag Title reigns in WWE history by an individual Superstar.

https://twitter.com/WWEStats/status/1371631376953401350
The New Day Win WWE Raw Tag Team Titles, New WrestleMania Match Confirmed

After the match, AJ Styles came out to the ring for a promo where he talked about how he’s held all the titles in WWE except for the tag team straps. He and Omos challenged The New Day for the titles at WrestleMania 37. 

Kingston questioned whether they were registered as a tag team or if they knew how to work as a pair. Woods accepted the challenge. 

Posted March 15th, 2021 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre Confirmed For WrestleMania 37

As expected, Bobby Lashley will defend the WWE Title against Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 37. 

WWE confirmed the match in the opening of Monday’s episode of Raw. The first segment saw Lashley cut a promo alongside MVP where he talked about how he destroyed McIntyre at Elimination chamber and will do so yet again at WrestleMania.

He vowed that he will reign supreme going forward because it’s the all-mighty era. McIntyre later came out to do a promo about facing Lashley and regaining the WWE Title. He said that they will knock the hell of each other and also called Lashley a “big bald b*tch.”

This match was expected to happen, but the way WWE handle it wasn’t as just like week it was reported the plan was for McIntyre to battle Sheamus at the upcoming Fastlane pay-per-view event in a Last Man Standing Match to determine the new #1 contender for the title. That clearly changed.

WWE presents the pay-per-view event on Saturday, April 10th, and Sunday, April 11, 2021 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. 

Updated WWE WrestleMania 37 Card

  • WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Edge
  • WWE Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre
  • WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair

Posted March 15th, 2021 in News, WWE. Tagged: , , .

Leyla Hirsch Signs With AEW

Leyla Hirsch has officially signed with All Elite Wrestling. 

On Monday afternoon, the company’s president, Tony Khan, announced the signing on social media by writing the following: 

“Congratulations and welcome aboard officially to @LegitLeyla Hirsch, I’m thrilled to have you signed to @AEW,” he wrote. “Thank you very much to Leyla and to all of you great fans who support @AEWonTNT for making this possible!”

Since last October, Hirsch has been wrestling regularly for AEW as she made her promotional debut in a losing effort against Hikaru Shida on an episode of AEW Dark. She continues to work Dark episodes in addition to appearing on AEW’s flagship show, Dynamite, on TNT. 

She most recently worked the AEW Women’s World Title Eliminator tournament where she ended up losing to Thunder Rosa in the first round.

Hirsch broke into the business in 2017 where she regularly competed in CZW in addition to training in their dojo. She also worked for various promotions such as Stardom, Beyond Wrestling, and wXw. Hirsch also competed on a Bloodsport card last October.

Posted March 15th, 2021 in AEW, News.

WWE NXT Dealing With Another COVID-19 Outbreak

On Monday, it was reported that WWE NXT is dealing with another outbreak of those exposed to COVID-19. 

Fightful first reported that there will be changes made to Wednesday’s NXT episode due to several wrestlers being pulled from the show outright or at least told to quarantine. It was later reported there were “lots of positive tests” over the past week. There was a meeting last Thursday seeing Performance Center trainees required to attend and some people were not taking the proper COVID-19 precautions. 

It appears the outbreak may have started when wrestlers were doing ring crew work this past Thursday. Pwinsider.com reported this situation is being looked at as a possibility how the outbreak started as dozens of wrestlers were moving and resettling rings in Orlando. It was said many were not wearing masks during that process.

One person told the media outlet there needs to be far more enforcement of masks than there has been in some time and hopes this outbreak will cause the company to crack down on enforcement of people wearing masks. 

Dave Meltzer reported wrestlers started getting sick last Friday and the rings were being moved at a building next door to the Performance Center. He mentioned people who have tested positive were there for the ring work while other people who have tested positive were not there for the ring work.

There’s still no word yet on which wrestlers tested positive for the virus, but no main roster wrestlers have been impacted by this latest coronavirus outbreak. It was said there are “substantial numbers” of positive tests for this outbreak in NXT.

Posted March 15th, 2021 in News, WWE.

Charlotte Flair To Star In “Walking Tall” Reboot

Charlotte Flair is slated to take part in the remake of the “Walking Tall” movie.

On Monday, Deadline reported writer/producer David Eick is currently developing a remake of the 1973 feature film. It was later remade with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the leading role. 

It should be noted the new version with Flair is being produced for the USA Network with the idea of first doing a two-hour TV movie and hopefully making it into future installments as an ongoing series.

The WWE star will portray a Tucson, Arizona police officer who finds herself caught in a web of fraud, exploitation, and murder. She is forced to go full vigilante to protect her hometown from falling victim to modern corruption. 

For fans of the films, it is similar to the role that Joe Don Baker played in the original movie and then for the remake in 2004 starring the former WWE Champion. 

It’s being produced by Village Roadshow in association with WWE Studios, Mosaic, and Three Rivers. As of this writing, there’s no word yet as to exactly when the movie begins filming, or if Flair will need to take time off from WWE to do the project.

Posted March 15th, 2021 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

Update On When NXT Is Moving To Tuesday Nights

There have been several reports as of late that WWE NXT will be moving to Tuesday nights in the not-too-distant future. This has to do with NHL games possibly being broadcast on the USA Network on Wednesday nights soon. According to an update from PW Insider, it is looking as though the episodes of NXT directly following WrestleMania this year will be the first to air on Tuesday night.

The first Tuesday night episode is expected to air on April 13th, 2021.

Cody Rhodes and Shawn Michaels Comment On NXT Possibly Moving Nights

Shawn Michaels recently commented on NXT possibly moving to Tuesday nights:

“I think it would only be fair to say everyone knows that when you are not competing against another similar show that it makes it a little bit easier,” said Shawn Michaels to the New York Post. “It allows people to enjoy that. And then you think about the follow from Raw the next night. So, clearly, it certainly wouldn’t hurt.”

Cody Rhodes also commented on NXT possibly moving nights.

“Not trying to sound braggadocios, we have destroyed them [NXT] for over a year now in that space. Them leaving, perhaps that opens up a different viewership for us on Wednesdays,” Rhodes said to ESPN radio recently.

“We’re not reactionary to their booking and won’t change anything we do with what they decide to do on Wednesdays,” Cody continued. 

“There are a lot of smart people who work for WWE and perhaps they are planning something else, maybe it’s Wednesday Night Raw for all I know. I’m not assuming their white flag, moving to Tuesday nights, is a true white flag. I’ll wait and see.”

Posted March 15th, 2021 in News.

WWE Surveys Fans About AEW, NJPW, & More

WWE sent out a survey to fans recently that includes questions about competing promotions AEW, ROH, Impact, and NJPW. The questions ask fans how familiar they are with shows such as AEW Dynamite, Impact, ROH, NJPW, and even RAW and Smackdown.

Fans have been posting screenshots of the survey online:

Sami Zayn On Backstage Reaction To Him Mentioning AEW on RAW

Zayn noted recently that his mentioning AEW during one of his “Electric Chair” segments is what eventually led to the segments being dropped.

“So it wasn’t entirely, entirely off the cuff but it was off the cuff to a certain degree, and the reaction was, uh, let’s say unfavorable since the electric chair met its demise that very same week,” Zayn said to Sportskeeda last month.

“So it was right on everybody’s mind. It was super, super fresh and I think they had just announced this TV deal. They had just announced that this wasn’t just going to be a pay-per-view. This is going to be a competitor and all this sort of stuff. And they tell me that we’re doing this segment where it’s legitimately, you know, unplanned questions and anybody could ask anything. So at the time, this was the number one topic in the wrestling world. So you kind of expected to be asked about it.”

Posted March 15th, 2021 in News, WWE.

Britt Baker Talks Headlining AEW Dynamite This Week

Britt Baker will face Thunder Rosa in a Light’s Out match on Dynamite this week. The match has been announced as the main event of St. Patrick’s Day Slam. Technically, it has already been taped and will air on Wednesday but Baker spoke with SI.com recently about the match’s importance.

“There is only one chance at having the first-ever women’s main event, and I get to be part of it. This is a match you’re going to remember for a long time,” Baker said during the interview.

Baker responded when questioned about Hikaru Shida not being featured in the first-ever women’s main event on Dynamite. Baker feels she’s the biggest start in the division no matter who is the champion.

“I truly believe I am the biggest star of the women’s division,” Baker continued. “You could put me in the main event with one of Kenny Omega’s broom girls, and people are still going to watch it. I want to put all eyes on me when I come on TV.”

“This is a show that has the likes of Jon Moxley, Cody Rhodes, Matt Hardy, Penta and Eddie Kingston, and I’m the main event. Part of me can’t believe this is happening, while the other half is saying, damn right, it’s happening.”

Baker continued to say that her and Thunder Rosa will go all out this Wednesday night and put on a special show.

“You can say it’s because of Thunder Rosa; you can say it’s because of me, but we are going to add a lot of respect to the women’s division this Wednesday on Dynamite. We’re going to go all out,” Baker continued.

“We both have a different vision of who is pioneering this women’s division. Someone has to win; someone has to lose, but it’s going to be a fight. I promise this is going to be a can’t-miss main event match that people will be talking about for years.”

Posted March 15th, 2021 in AEW, News. Tagged: .

Good Brothers Comment On Losing Tag Titles To FinJuice

At Impact Wrestling’s Sacrifice on Saturday night, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows (The Good Brothers) dropped the tag belts to Juice Robinson and David Finlay (FinJuice).

With the win, FinJuice becomes the 37th team in history to win the belts. They begin the 56th reign in the title’s lineage. Santana & Ortiz hold the record for most combined days spent with the belts (662). Beer Money (James Storm & Bobby Roode) and Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards are tied for the record of most reigns with 5. Ethan Page and Josh Alexander hold the record for the longest single-reign with the belts at 380 days.

Karl Anderson took to Twitter to comment on the loss:

Brian Myers was evidently impacted by the loss as well:

David’s father, Fit Finlay, also commented:

Anderson and Gallows’ reign with the titles finished at 120 days. They originally won the titles from Ethan Page and Josh Alexander (The North) at Turning Point. The North had won and lost the titles to the Motor City Machine Guns. Alex Shelley, however, is not able to continue wrestling due to his non-wrestling career until after the pandemic. Chris Sabin has since been teaming with James Storm in Impact since Shelley is not currently able to wrestle.

Posted March 15th, 2021 in News, TNA. Tagged: , , .

Moose Comments On Loss To Rich Swann At Sacrifice

Rich Swann rolled Moose up into a pinning combination and got the 1-2-3 to close out Sacrifice on Saturday night. With the win, Swann moves on to next month’s Rebellion PPV to challenge Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship.

Former TNA Heavyweight Champion, Moose, took to Twitter to comment on the match and loss.

“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,” Moose Tweeted.

The finish of the match came after Moose had missed 4 straight spear attempts, crashing into the corner turnbuckle each time. The loss is seemingly the end of an era for Moose, who had been claiming to be the TNA Champion since the spring of 2020. With Swann moving on to a program with Omega, Moose will look to rebuild as he mentioned in his Tweet.

The show also featured Juice Robinson and David Finlay defeating the Good Brothers for the Impact tag-team championships. Rhino also turned heel and aligned with Eric Young’s Violent by Design faction. Ace Austin beat TJP to win the X-Division title.

Posted March 15th, 2021 in News, TNA. Tagged: .

Chris Jericho Calls Out Grammys Over Minimal Eddie Van Halen Tribute

Chris Jericho and other Van Halen fans are upset with the Grammys over what many are calling an inadequate tribute to Eddie Van Halen at this year’s awards ceremony. The legendary guitarist passed away in October from a stroke. He was 65-years-old.

A 15-second tribute to Eddie Van Halen aired on the Grammys last night. Many fans feel this was not a fitting tribute considering the contributions he made to the music industry. One of those upset with the lack of tribute was Chris Jericho, who evidently missed what little tribute did take place.

Other Van Halen fans also commented on the minimal tribute given to Van Halen.

Florida-based journalist Jon Alba was also not impressed:

https://twitter.com/FrankieKazarian/status/1371485391069515785

“I was the perfect age to love Van Halen. Because when the 1984 album came out, I was 13 or 14 years old. I was their demographic,” Jericho said during an interview last year. “I remember seeing Van Halen in 2007 and Eddie was having an exceptionally good night. And I was like, ‘Yeah. That’s the reason why they call him the greatest of all time. He’s absolutely the greatest.’ His legacy is being the greatest guitar player of all time in my opinion. And it’s not even close.”

Posted March 15th, 2021 in AEW, News. Tagged: .

Big E Want To Face Roman Reigns At WrestleMania 38

Big E was who his ideal opponent for WrestleMania 38 would be, and he named one of the top guys in the company. He suggested that he would like to face Roman Reigns at the “Grandest Stage Of Them All” next year at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Intercontinental Champion said that it is his objective to be on Reigns’ level, adding that he has done an outstanding job as the top performer.

“That’s the goal, you know? To be in that tier, to be at the very top, Big E told Adam Wilbourn of WhatCulture. I think Roman’s done a stellar job. ‘Stellar’ isn’t even a good enough superlative to describe how much he’s elevated himself, even though he was already at the top. And I think his presentation, the promos, the character stuff, all that stuff has been really cool to see, and he’s been killing it. Much respect to him.”

Roman Reigns has become the face of SmackDown after his return at SummerSlam as a heel, and captured the Universal Championship from Bray Wyatt at Payback last year. Reigns has held the title since, and has consistently delivered good in-ring work and promos. While the Head of the Table is on the top of his game right now, Big E hopes that he can be a touch challenger for him.

While it’s completely possible that Roman Reigns could lose the title by next year over the 400 days, Big E hopes he’s still got the title and that would be his dream match at WrestleMania. “I think that would be as far as if I could pick any opponent, that would be the one. So hopefully by next year he’s still got the title – and that’d be over 400 days. We’ll see, there’s a lot that can happen from now until then, but that would be it.”

For now, Roman Reigns is set to defend his title against Daniel Bryan at Fastlane, and if he successfully defends, he will go against Edge at WrestleMania 37. Big E, on the other hand, will defend his Intercontinental title against Apollo Crews this Sunday.

Posted March 15th, 2021 in News, WWE. Tagged: , .

WWE Signs 2 Australian Independent Wrestlers

WWE has locked up two talented wrestlers from the Australian independent scene. According to a report from PW Insider, Matty Wahlberg and Steph De Lander have signed with the company and are expected to start their WWE careers in NXT.

30-year-old Matty Wahlberg is from the Sydney area and was trained by Robbie Eagles and Madison Eagles. He has wrestled primarily for the PWA promotion in Australia over the last year.

Steph De Lander is also from Sydney. She too trained with Madison Eagles. She made her professional debut in 2017. Similar to Wahlberg, De Lander has been wrestling primarily on the independents in Australia, including PWA.

Indi Hartwell On Getting Signed to WWE

One current wrestler in WWE who can relate with signing with WWE off the independents is Indi Hartwell. She spoke to Wide World of Sports about the experience.

“I was only a few months into wrestling and WWE was coming to Australia for an NXT tour. My trainer at the time let me know there was a tryout and coming up and let me know to send in a resume,” Hartwell said.

“I got invited to the try out which was in December of 2016, so I was only a few months into wrestling,” she continued. “At the time it was a no but that got my foot in the door and since then I was in conversation with them.”

Posted March 15th, 2021 in News, WWE.

Mustafa Ali On What Vince McMahon Originally Thought About His Talking Skills

Mustafa Ali has been part of the WWE roster since 2016 and while he started out as a babyface, the former 205 live star is currently in middle of a run as a heel as the leader of Retribution.

The high flying star recently had an interview with TV insider where he talked about things such as his evolution in the company, the reaction Retribution has gotten from the fans and more.

When asked if it took a lot for the WWE creative to give him the freedom to say what he wanted, Ali shared his experience with the WWE chairman Vince McMahon and explained how he won his confidence:

“I can only speak of my experience with [Chairman] Vince McMahon and the creative team, but not really. You can always tell them what you’re capable of doing, or you can show them. The first time I told Vince McMahon I’m a talker, he didn’t believe I was.

So I recorded my own promos. I record my own videos.” said Mustafa Ali, “It’s a lot easier to show them what you’re capable of doing than telling them. I’ve got a pretty good range in terms of saying the things I do.”

The 34 year old star also discussed Retribution’s mix reaction from fans and explained that they haven’t gotten the chance to explain their motives.

While Mustafa Ali acknowledged that being part of the group provides them the opportunity to be on TV every week, he said that he hasn’t been able to explain who they really are. You can check out his full interview here.

Posted March 15th, 2021 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

Paul Heyman: Christian Ran Away To AEW To Escape Roman Reigns

Paul Heyman, the Special Counsel to Roman Reigns, had a lot to say this past week on Talking Smack about the Edge vs. Jey Uso matchup that’s scheduled for this week’s SmackDown. The winner of this match will determine who will be the special enforcer at the Universal Championship match between Daniel Bryan and Reigns at Fastlane next Sunday. While he was ranting about the match, he also worked in AEW’s Christian Cage leaving WWE for the rival promotion into the storyline. Christian had made a surprise comeback after seven years at the 2021 Royal Rumble match, and even had a reunion with Edge in the ring. it was then revealed a month later at Revolution that he was the surprise signee for a multi-year contract with AEW.

Paul Heyman blasted Edge for challenging Roman Reigns for his title at WrestleMania. He said that he expected a person like him with a surgically repaired neck to not piss off the “Tribal Chief.” Then he brought up Edge’s friend and former tag partner Christian. Heyman said that Christian went to AEW so that he wouldn’t have to face Reigns someday.

“Edge, your best friend in this world knew he was going to become Roman Reigns’ target just to get into your head and what did he do?” Paul Heyman said regarding Christian. “He ran away, before Roman Reigns could target him. How many, of your ‘Christians’ need to convert before you realize it’s not smart to piss off Roman Reigns? You, Edge, have pissed off Roman Reigns. You wanna be the special enforcer? You wanna involve yourself in Roman Reigns’ match against Daniel Bryan? Why? Because you know, it’s an easier fight against Daniel Bryan than it is against Roman Reigns who is untouchable, who is unbeatable…”

Roman Reigns (with Paul Heyman) will defend his Universal title against Daniel Bryan at Fastlane on Sunday, March 21. This week’s SmackDown will determine who will be the special enforcer via a match between Edge and Jey Uso.

Posted March 15th, 2021 in News, WWE. Tagged: , .

NWA Announces Nick Aldis vs Aron Stevens To Main Event “Back For The Attack”

The National Wrestling Alliance has announced that Aron Stevens will challenge NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis for the belt this weekend at Back for the Attack. It will be an emotional contest as Stevens is the most recent tag-team partner of “The Question Mark” Joseph Hudson who passed away last month.

Stevens released a statement on Twitter that he would not be portraying a character in the match. Rather, he would be wrestling as his true self.

Thunder Rosa, Trevor Murdoch, Elijah Burke, Tim Storm, and Kamille were announced for the show previously. Tyrus, Crimson, Chris Adonis, Jordan Clearwater, and Slice Boogie were announced recently. The event will stream on FITE on Saturday, March 21st, 2021.

Nick Aldis On New PPV Deal Between FITE and NWA

Nick Aldis was interviewed by Metro recently about FITE carrying NWA PPVs in the UK.

“We just hope that it means we can encourage a few more UK fans to give her a go and check out what we have to offer,” Aldis said during the interview. “The main thing that I really wanna convey to anyone who’s gonna read this – if you are one of the millions of fans around the world who have fallen out of love with wrestling because the industry just doesn’t quite hit the notes that you remember it hitting, you might find that the NWA hits those notes.”

Posted March 15th, 2021 in News, NWA. Tagged: .

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin Week Lineup Announced By WWE

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin will be celebrated on “Austin 3:16 Day” this coming Tuesday, as WWE has announced that a special lineup of specials on WWE Network will air as part of the “Stone Cold Steve Austin Week.” The week-long celebration will commemorate the 25-year anniversary of Austin’s debut in WWE as well. WWE Network and Peacock will see “Stone Cold”-themed programming which includes new documentaries, Austin’s interview with Randy Orton on The Broken Skull Sessions, and more.

Here are the details of the programs that will be released this week:

Meeting Stone Cold on Tuesday, March 16 on WWE Network: “WWE Superstars and Legends recall their first impressions of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The Undertaker, Ric Flair, Booker T and others recount a slew of unforgettable moments and memories they shared with Austin throughout the last 30 years.”

Birth of the Stunner on Friday, March 19 on Peacock and WWE Network:
“Learn about the origin of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s famous finisher, its history with Austin and how the legacy of the Stunner lives on today through WWE Superstar Kevin Owens.”

The Best of WWE: Best of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on Saturday, March 20 on Peacock and the Free Version of WWE Network: “The Texas Rattlesnake battles iconic opponents like The Rock, Bret “Hit Man” Hart and The Undertaker in this collection of his greatest matches.”

Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions: Randy Orton on Sunday, March 21 on Peacock and WWE Network: “‘Stone Cold’ welcomes first-time guest Randy Orton to his acclaimed interview show. Nothing will be off-limits when The Viper and The Texas Rattlesnake sit down to talk about Orton’s legendary career.”

A new book surrounding “Stone Cold” is also on its way on March 16 titled Austin 3:16. It will feature 316 facts and stories about the Hall of Famer, and is written by DC Comics and WWE author Michael McAvennie. It is released by ECW Press.

When the March 16 was branded as 3:16 day, Steve Austin said he didn’t know what WWE was planning. “Now, I didn’t declare this holiday,” Austin said on his show, The Steve Austin Show last year. “I didn’t declare it a national holiday on my own behalf. It seems like the WWE Universe has declared 3/16 to be Steve Austin Day because of the famous promo I cut way back at King Of The Ring in 1996 when I got kicked in the mouth by Marc Mero.”

Posted March 15th, 2021 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

Bobby Lashley On Who Came Up With The Name For The Hurt Business

While Bobby Lashley made his return to WWE in 2018, his career really turned around after the formation of the Hurt Business which has since led to the All Mighty winning the WWE championship for the first time in his career.

The current champion recently had an interview with The Wrap where he talked about his time in the company since his return in detail including his storyline with Lana and more.

During the interview, Lashley discussed the origin of the Hurt Business. The Raw star revealed that he was the one who came up with the name for their group and explained where he got the idea from:

“It was me. I was thinking about this before, I was thinking about the whole thing before, Originally, a boxing coach that I had down in Coconut Creek at American Top Team. He used to always wear this T-shirt and I was like, man, that is incredible man, that needs to be in WWE because that’s my character.”

The former TNA star then talked about the formation of the group. He remembered how MVP’s return was originally going to be a one night thing and he explained how they chose the other members of their group:

“And then when MVP had that Royal Rumble, he was only going to do that, but when he was there, we had worked before and I told him, ‘you are kind of a mix between Suge Knight, and Don King.’ I said, ‘If you mix all those up that is you.’ And I told him about this and then me and him got together and he was like, ‘We can make a real little faction out of this.’

And of course we thought about Shelton (Benjamin), because Shelton wasn’t really doing anything, everybody knows how good Shelton is. I was like, man we got to bring Shelton, because Shelton gets it. And then we needed a young boy to come up, and Cedric (Alexander) is phenomenal.”

Lashley aligned himself with MVP in May last year. They were joined by Shelton Benjamin a month later in June to create the Hurt Business. The three fueded with Apollo Crews, Cedric Alexander and Ricochet for a while before Alexander joined the trio as well.

Apart from this, Bobby Lashley discussed how his current WWE run is different than his previous runs with the company and more. You can check out his full interview at this link.

Posted March 15th, 2021 in News, WWE. Tagged: , .

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