The WWE Championship belts could be getting a redesign under the new regime.
According to a new report from Dan Beltzer, the word going around is that Triple H is making “numerous” belt design changes. Mr. Beltzer is a very well-known belt maker for professional wrestling companies.
He’s also a collector with a track record of breaking stories related to titles. Some of his past clients include big names such as WWE, 2K Sports, New Japan Pro Wrestling, NWA, The New York Yankees, AEW, and many more.
The report did not specify which titles could be getting redesigned.
Rumor mill says Triple H making numerous belt design changes.
It should be noted that WWE has seemingly been attempting to restore the prestige to their secondary titles such as the Intercontinental and United States Titles in recent weeks. A redesign of the actual titles themselves could certainly be a part of that plan.
WWE United States Championship
Currently, the United States Championship on Monday Night RAW is held by “The Almighty” Bobby Lashley. Also, over on SmackDown Live, Gunther continues to reign as the Intercontinental Champion, as he continues to make waves since jumping up from NXT.
It will be interesting to see if WWE decides to completely redesign the titles yet again as we seemingly enter a new chapter of the company’s journey.
WWE Raw rolls into Pittsburgh PA tonight for a live edition of Monday Night Raw from the PPG Paints Arena. This is the ‘go home’ edition of Raw ahead of Saturday’s Clash at the Castle premium live event.
WWE has momentum after several weeks of strong programming that’s been well-received by critics and fans alike. We are only a month into this new era under the leadership of Triple H, but we’re off to a very strong start.
Tonight, WWE will crown new Women’s tag team champions. We’ll also see a special appearance from a hometown hero, Bobby Lashley defending the United States championship and more.
Raw Preview (8/29)
WWE Women’s Tag Team XChampionships
WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s Raw from Pittsburgh:
New WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions will be crowned. The finals of the Women’s Tag Tournament will see Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah vs. Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky.
United States Champion Bobby Lashley puts his gold on the line against The Miz.
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle will appear in front of his hometown crowd.
Seth Rollins and Riddle will face off ahead of their match this Saturday at Clash at the Castle.
Raw and SmackDown tag team champions The Usos will appear, along with Sami Zayn.
The advertised dark match main event will see Seth Rollins facing off against Riddle.
Ahead of tonight’s WWE Raw, check out this video recapping the intense feud between Riddle and Seth Rollins.
Finn Balor would like to have AJ Styles to join his Judgment Day faction.
Balor was the latest guest on the Out of Character podcast with Ryan Satin. This was recorded during SummerSlam weekend in Nashville.
During their discussion, they spoke about a wide range of topics, including his experience living through the pandemic. Balor says the pandemic was the most mentally challenging period of his life, without question.
He was landlocked in the United States and dealing with visa issues that prevented him from going back to Ireland and resolving things. He vented that it was super challenging. His father got sick and he couldn’t be there for him. He also couldn’t see his siblings or their children, who were babies before the pandemic and ‘little humans’ 2 years later.
Judgment Day
Balor said he’s really excited about the Judgment Day faction. He really enjoys working with his partners, Damien Priest and Rhea Ripley.
He thinks Priest has a really cool look and is a total badass. Ripley has big star potential and feels this could be the vehicle to solidify her in that role.
All three of them get along great and he loves that the group is presented as equals. There is no leader and he’s truly excited for what lies ahead. However, he said, “Hopefully we add more members.”
Adding Another Member
This got Ryan Satin’s attention, who pressed Balor on who he’d like to add to the faction. He said this could be talent from Raw, SmackDown or NXT. Balor threw out several names, but focused on one man he’d most like to see in the group.
“I had thought of a couple people, said Balor. “I love Walter (Gunther), but he’s doing his own thing. Tommaso Ciampa is doing his thing with Miz, so that’s kind of off the table.”
“Maybe AJ, you know. We haven’t essentially fallen out, we’re just not on the same page. Maybe AJ, bring AJ in. I think his work as a heel is just, pardon the pun, but phenomenal.
– Finn Balor
“.. or we could go and find someone new, a fresh face from NXT. Given a little more time to think about it, I could have given you a better answer. I’d love Brock in the Judgment Day.”
Listen to Finn Balor’s appearance on the Out of Character podcast with Ryan Satin:
Finn Balor says he craves a mega “cheat meal” powered by McDonald’s once a week.
Balor known for having one of the best physiques in wrestling. However, looks can be deceiving. In previous eras, we’ve seen men with eye-popping physiques who were anything but healthy. Balor says the older he gets, the better he feels.
At 41 years old, he’s never felt better. He’s not sure if that’s because he’s getting better in the ring and learning to work a safer style, or if he’s getting smarter with his training. Back when he was 31, he was wrestling in Japan, which was a much more physical style and may be a factor.
He also credits sleep as the key to feeling good. His worst day of the week is Tuesdays, because he’s traveling late after Raw and doesn’t get the sleep he needs.
Finn Balor’s Ultimate Cheat Meal
Finn Balor considers himself “super OCD” with his diet and it shows. However, he does allow himself a break once a week.
Balor used to never cheat on his diet, but eventually convinced himself that he needs to treat himself once a week. Now, he goes big on cheat days. So big that his wife jokingly telling him to reign it in.
“I’ve got super OCD with everything, including my eating, but now, Tuesdays, I’m just craving McDonald’s. I’ll get home on Tuesdays, it will be 10pm and I’ll be moping around the house. I’ll Uber Eats two double cheeseburgers, a McFlurry, a sundae, large fries and large coke. Now it’s to the point where [my wife is] telling me, ‘We can’t have that today.’ But I will keep everything in line the rest of the week, so it’s just the one cheat meal.”
– Finn Balor
Balor said he loves ice cream so much, he can’t decide whether to order the McFlurry or an ice cream sundae from McDonald’s, so he orders both. His wife taught him to dip french fries into ice cream and “Man, it is just delightful.”
Listen to Finn Balor’s appearance on the Out of Character podcast with Ryan Satin:
At Ring of Honor’s Supercard of Honor XV event this past April, Samoa Joe made his return to the promotion.
Joe had been released from WWE in January, as part of several cuts to the team running WWE NXT, all of which had either been signed by or worked closely with Triple H.
His January release marked his second time being cut by WWE, after being released in April 2021.
Where has he been?
In addition to his work in ROH, where he is the reigning World Television Champion, Joe also makes appearances for Tony Khan’s other promotion, AEW.
Over the past month, Joe has been away filming for the character of ‘Sweet Tooth,’ for the Peacock live-action adaptation of the popular video game Twisted Metal.
Fans may not be waiting much longer to see Samoa Joe back in the ring, as the show’s first series has wrapped shooting.
On Twitter, showrunner Michael Johnathan confirmed that the show has wrapped.
Joe is providing the physical performance for his character, while Will Arnett (The Lego Batman Movie, Arrested Development, Bojack Horseman) will be providing the voice.
His absence from programming has been explained as him recovering from an injury after being attacked by Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt.
Joe Outside of the Ring
The character of Sweet Tooth will be a huge role for Samoa Joe, but that’s not the only role for him.
Joe has also provided voice-over work for the character of King Shark, as part of the upcoming game ‘Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.’
The game, which will include fellow squad members Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and fan-favorite Harley Quinn, is scheduled for a 2023 release.
Earlier this year, WWE implemented a rule that resulted in several Superstars having their names changed.
The rule was that Superstars would no longer be allowed to use any part of their real name on WWE TV, which could be later used outside of the company if they left or were released.
This led to several Superstars who used their real names being changed including WALTER (Walter Hahn) to Gunther, Tommaso Ciampa (Tommaso Whitney) to just Ciampa and Pete Dunne (Peter England) to Butch.
Not Just a Theory
One Superstar who had their name changed was Austin Theory, whose name was shortened to just Theory.
Theory’s real name is Austin White, and on WWE TV, it was explained that he wanted nothing to do with the ‘Austin’ name.
This came shortly after WWE WrestleMania 38, where both Theory and his mentor Mr. McMahon received stunners by ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.
Now, Theory may be getting his first name back, as CageSideSeats reports that Theory was advertised under his full name for this weekend’s live events.
On Instagram, Theory’s handle also uses his full moniker and can be followed at ‘austin_theory.’
Doing Away with the Rule
It’s unclear if Theory will receive his first name back or not, but there have been changes made.
During the taping for the episode of SmackDown that’ll air this Friday, Butch competed against Ludwig Kaiser, but worked in his Pete Dunne-era ‘Bruiserweight’ attire.
Recently, Angel teased bringing back the Angel Garza name, while his tag-team partner Humberto is rumored to be returning to being Humberto Carrillo.
In 2005, WWE embarked on one of their most real feuds ever, pitting Matt Hardy against Edge.
While Hardy was out with an injury, Matt’s real-life girlfriend Lita had started a relationship with Edge, a real-life good friend of Hardy.
When Hardy made the affair public, WWE subsequently fired him, citing ‘unprofessional behavior’ on his behalf.
Summerslam
Weeks later, and after over 15,000 signatures on a petition, WWE rehired Hardy, and made his real-life issues with Edge and Lita into a feud.
At Summerslam 2005, the pair were scheduled to face off, with some unique advice from Vince McMahon.
On the latest episode of his ‘Extreme Life’ podcast, Matt recalled the unique way the then-WWE Chairman tried to motivate him (via Fightful.)
“This might sound crazy, but when two animals — the primal instincts kick in and survival kicks in, and it’s their basic primal instincts, and we all have them, even as human beings,” McMahon said, according to Hardy.
“If you see someone weaker than you, you see someone that’s crippled or in a wheelchair, deep down your primal instinct, you want to destroy them, you want to eat them, you want to eat them alive! […] You want to take the person who’s weaker than you, that is below you in the food chain, and you want to f***ing EAT THEM! Do you understand?! That’s what I want to see out of this match.”
“You see someone that’s crippled or in a wheelchair, deep down your primal instinct, you want to destroy them.”
Vince McMahon motivating Matt Hardy before Summerslam 2005.
Rather than the scrappy brawl McMahon was hoping for, the match went under five minutes long and ended via referee stoppage.
When Hardy was busted open on the ring post, he was unable to defend himself and the referee called for the bell, giving Edge the win.
After Summerslam
Despite the underwhelming Summerslam bout, Matt and Edge would continue feuding, with Hardy getting his win back in a Steel Cage match at Unforgiven.
At WWE Homecoming in October, marking Raw’s return to the USA Network, Edge defeated Matt in a Loser Leaves Town Ladder match for Edge’s Money in the Bank contract, and Hardy was moved to SmackDown.
WWE Extreme Rules 2022 is already on the verge of selling out.
The show will take place on October 8th at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of now, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns is not advertised for the premium live event.
According to Wrestle Tix’s Patreon, WWE has already sold 10,032 of a possible 11,186 tickets for Extreme Rules. With over a month remaining until Extreme Rules, it is reasonable to assume that the company will be hosting another sold crowd for the show.
WWE Survivor Series will take place on November 26th. The premium live event will air from the TD Garden in Boston, MA.
Despite the show being three months away, the show virtually sold out during the pre-sale earlier this week. There is not a match announced for Survivor Series 2022 but WWE fans area clearly every excited about it.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer stated that he hadn’t seen a WWE show sell out as fast as Survivor Series in years.
“Survivor Series in Boston basically sold out during the presale today. Whatever is held back will sellout during the public onsale. I can’t think of a WWE show in years to do that.”
Survivor Series in Boston basically sold out during the presale today. Whatever is held back will sellout during the public onsale. I can't think of a WWE show in years to do that.
The ratings for both RAW and SmackDown have been on the increase since Vince McMahon’s departure from the company. Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan were named the new co-CEOs, and Triple H replaced John Laurinaitis as EVP of Talent Relations. The Game was also named Head of Creative for the promotion and the WWE Universe have had a very positive response to the changes at the top of the company so far.
Johnny Gargano returned to WWE this past Monday on RAW after leaving the promotion nine months ago.
He arrived during the show’s final hour and got a terrific reaction from the crowd in Toronto, Canada. Johnny said he decided to return to WWE because it is the only place he can become Intercontinental Champion, United States Champion, WWE Champion, and perform at WrestleMania.
Money in the Bank winner Theory interrupted and mocked Gargano. Theory suggested that Johnny be his errand boy on the main roster. Johnny opted to deliver a Superkick to Theory’s face instead and left him laying in the ring to end the segment.
The former NXT Champion’s return was kept a secret from talent until just a few minutes before his entrance at the Scotiabank Arena. WWE reportedly felt they had a good chance of re-signing Johnny after Triple H took over as Head of Creative.
Jim Cornette on Johnny’s Return to WWE
On the latest edition of Jim Cornette’s Drive Thru, he discussed Johnny’s return to the promotion. Cornette has never been a fan of Gargano’s, often citing his lack of facial expressions in the ring.
He noted that while there are certain fans that will be excited about Johnny’s return because of his in-ring skill, overall the 35-year-old does not represent a game changer for WWE.
“Obviously, this is the furthest thing from a game changer in any wrestling war that Johnny Gargano… has returned to entertain us with his generic build, his diminutive body, his pale complexion, his undemonstrative face, and his general overall silly demeanor.”
Cornette also believes that Theory should be playing a more important role on the show after winning the Money in the Bank contract at the premium live event on July 2nd.
“Theory needs to be in the mix with top guys in order not only to learn the style of working that the top guys there, but also to be brought up in the people’s eyes, the fans’ eyes. As he’s an upper echelon guy to mix with the top talent. Instead of here’s this guy who just came back after his glorious run in NXT a year and after his wife just had a baby.”
The Judgment Day’s Rhea Ripley has caught the attention of WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix.
Edge formed The Judgment Day group alongside Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley. However, the group betrayed The Rated-R Superstar after Finn Balor joined. Edge returned to WWE at SummerSlam and vowed to destroy the group he created.
He is off to a good start, as the 48-year-old defeated Damian Priest in the main event of this past Monday’s RAW. The show took place in Edge’s hometown of Toronto and he said that he will retire when the promotion returns to the area again next year.
After the match, Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley rushed to the ring. Rhea hit Edge with a low blow and Finn set him up for the con-chair-to. Beth Phoenix hopped over the barricade and chased the heels off. RAW went off the air with Beth and Edge standing tall in the ring.
Rhea Ripley Deletes Tweet About a Potential Match Against Beth Phoenix
Earlier today, Rhea tweeted out a bizarre message addressed to herself. A member of the Squared Circle subreddit captured the tweet that hinted at a future match against The Glamazon. You can check out the full deleted tweet here.
“I just know @RheaRipley_WWE is going to bring some hell to Beth Phoenix. I’m rooting for her all the way!”
Beth recently joined Busted Open Radio and delivered a warning to the 25-year-old: “I’m not really happy about the ball shot, but that really pissed me off. So, I hold a grudge really deep in my heart, and whether or not I get to exact some revenge remains to be seen, but I’d love to see that happen.”
In July, it was reported that WWE was planning on changing the rating for Monday Night Raw from PG to TV-14.
After 14 years of the PG rating, fans were excited about the change, but reports were premature, later clarifying that it was an idea that had been floated around.
“That’s the new regime… Vince maybe was considering it. Stephanie’s thing is let’s not make Mattel unhappy and we don’t need it [the TV-14 rating.] You know what I mean? And they don’t.”
Meltzer added that WWE’s rationale is that they’ve been able to succeed in improving their shows and viewership in recent weeks without having to go to the same rating as AEW.
“AEW is not going up [in the ratings, compared to Raw/SmackDown] and we [as in WWE’s rationale] are going up. So why do we need to fight them to do what they did that stopped working? If you look at the trajectory of everything, it’s kind of like, yeah that’s probably a decision that we shouldn’t make right now.”
Prior to the U-turn, it was reported that much of WWE would not change, other than profanity was expected to be allowed on the TV-14 Raw.
From the moment Jon Moxley joined AEW, his character has been vastly different to the man fans knew as Dean Ambrose in WWE.
Free from his former employer’s creative shackles, Moxley has been able to improvise more in addition to being more violent in the ring.
Moxley is not only the reigning AEW World Champion, having unified the Liminal and Interim World titles earlier this week, but is the only two-time AEW World Champion.
The Worst Guy
In addition to making his name in singles competition, Moxley is also part of the Blackpool Combat Club.
The group, named after William Regal’s hometown of Blackpool, England, consists of Regal, Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Yuta, and Ring of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli.
When discussing the group, Moxley also made reference to a recent dig by CM Punk, who called him the worst part of stables.
“CM Punk said ‘oh you’re the third best guy in your group. [referencing The Shield.] It’s actually an awesome situation to be the worst guy in your group because I get to learn from those guys… I want to be around people that are better than me. Iron sharpens iron, and I want to keep getting better… If you don’t get any better, you’re going to regress because the world is going to pass you by.”
Changing Opinions
AEW and Moxley have certainly proven to be popular with fans but they have also struggled to win over some people.
In the interview, the AEW World Champion said that early into the promotion’s tenure, they tried to book the Heritage Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, Moxley’s hometown.
He said that at the time the arena “did not want to do business” with AEW and made that clear.
Things have clearly changed, as the Heritage Bank Arena will play host to AEW this October.
“”Things have changed now and it’s a hot ticket and we are gonna be down there at the Heritage Bank Center this time.”
Jon Moxley.
Moxley explained that he’s especially looking forward to the Heritage Bank show, not just because it is in his hometown but also because he worked at the arena.
The show, set for October 18, will air on Tuesday night and go head-to-head with WWE NXT 2.0.
CM Punk
This week’s Dynamite saw Moxley dethrone CM Punk, becoming the AEW Undisputed World Champion.
In the interview, Moxley addressed his title reign, and couldn’t help but take a jab at Punk.
“Belts come and go, you know, I’m gonna lose this one at some point. Somebody will beat me, but then I’ll just get right back up on the horse and get another one. I’m not gonna go quit for 7 years, or feel sorry for myself, that’s just how these things go.”
Moxley’s line about quitting for seven years is of course in reference to Punk’s seven-year break from wrestling after walking out of WWE in 2014.
Before making it to AEW in 2019, Anthony Ogogo was an accomplished Boxer, having won Bronze at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.
Unfortunately, three years earlier, a fight with Craig Cunningham for the vacant WBC International Middleweight Title resulted in Ogogo suffering a fractured eye socket.
This injury resulted in Ogogo being registered as blind in one eye, and ultimately led to his retirement.
Watching the Dream
Before his retirement, Ogogo had remained hopeful that he would box again, but for the time being, had to watch others live his dream.
Speaking to the Metro UK newspaper, Ogogo explained how it felt seeing others going on to boxing success while he had to wait and hoped for recovery.
“It sounds horrible, but it was like watching another bloke have sex with your missus. Being handcuffed to your seat and not being able to do anything about it.”
Ogogo spent over £100,000 (over $117,000) on surgeries in the United States hoping to fix his eye.
After Retiring
In March 2019, nearly two-and-a-half years after his last fight, Ogogo confirmed that he had retired from boxing.
Even now, Ogogo struggles to enjoy boxing, and was in a very bad place at the time of his retirement.
“When I first retired, I was sick of the sight of boxing. Hearing the word boxing made my skin crawl, I got so angry, so bitter, so aggressive. I became a person I didn’t want to be.”
“Hearing the word boxing made my skin crawl.”
Anthony Ogogo
Moving On
Ogogo still struggles to think about boxing, but as he told the Metro UK, he is improving.
Realizing the bad head-space he was in, Ogogo worked on moving on from his former career.
“I started to realize it’s not just my dream, it’s their dream too. I had to let it go and walk away. Boxing made me feel sick to my stomach when I knew I couldn’t do it anymore. I’m not quite there yet and I’m not going to torture myself by going to fights. But I’m getting there.”
“I had to let it go and walk away.”
Ogogo on realizing that he had to let Boxing go.
AEW and Finding “Fun”
Nowadays, fans can find Ogogo in AEW, which he said has become a much better place for him.
Comparing Boxing and wresting as “chalk and cheese,” Ogogo said that unlike his previous career, working in AEW is fun.
“What I love about wrestling, it is fun… Professional boxing ain’t fun. It is great when you win but no boxer can honestly tell you it’s fun. I was never laughing at that 1000th sit up of the day.”
Ogogo’s most recent match saw him defeat Luke Kurtis on the August 21, 2022 tapings of AEW Dark.
Earlier this month, AEW stars Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo got married, in a ceremony attended by both AEW talent and WWE’s Nikki A.S.H.
The couple’s wedding came mere months after the duo got engaged in June, after a brief dating period.
It was last year that Guevara proposed to his then-girlfriend Pam Nizio prior to the August 18, episode of AEW Dynamite from Guevara’s hometown of Houston, Texas.
Firing Back
Guevara and Nizio confirmed their split in December 2021, and at the time both he and Tay Melo, then Tay Conti, received backlash from fans.
Some accused the wrestlers of seeing each other prior to the Guevara-Nizio engagement ending.
Speaking with Denise Salcedo this week, Melo was confident that she did nothing wrong, and reiterated that she and Guevara dated after he and Pam broke up (via Wrestling Inc.)
“I know who I am, and I know I did nothing wrong… People just talking s***.”
Tay Melo on her relationship with Sammy Guevara.
Positive Experiences
Melo and Guevara both received backlash for their relationship, but they did also receive a lot of support.
Speaking about Pam Nizio, Melo said that she and Guevara have maintained a healthy friendship and that she wanted to make sure they were both okay at the time.
“After the whole [social media] drama, she was the one that text us, to check on us.”
Tay Melo on Sammy Guevara’s ex-fiancee Pam Nizio.
Melo added that when Guevara speaks about Pam, he talks about her with “a lot of respect and love.”
AEW had been battling the injury bug pretty badly over the last few months. As soon as one star would come back, another would go down in its place. Most recently the promotion lost two of their top women’s division stars, as Kris Statlander tore her ACL and women’s champion Thunder announced that she was battling a severe back injury. In La Mera Mera’s absence an interim women’s champion will be crowned at ALL OUT.
One of the women competing for the interim championship will be Rosa’s ThunderStorm tag partner, Toni Storm. However, Storm may have just missed out on missing some action as she recent underwent dental surgery. She shared a photo on her Instagram Stories of her recovering at home, assuring fans that she will be back on AEW Dynamite this Wednesday.
In case you forgot…one of AEW’s biggest superstars is in fact, a dentist. Britt Baker saw Storm’s post and took the opportunity to weigh-in with her expertise.
Baker writes, “Toni should probably stay home and rest, but I know a great dentist if any post-op problems arise.”
At ALL OUT Storm will be competing against Jamie Hayter, Hikaru Shida, and Britt Baker, but ahead of that four-way she’ll team up with Shida to battle Hayter and Baker on this Wednesday’s go-home edition of Dynamite.
Aron Stevens has a very unique look at how fans use social media to discuss professional wrestling.
The man formerly known as Damian Sandow in WWE recently spoke with Gary Horne on NWA Extra, where he helped promote this weekend’s 74th Anniversary pay-per-view, a two-night event that will feature a slew of top matchups. It was during this interview that Stevens gave his thoughts on the effects of social media on today’s society.
Everyone Has A Platform
The main point Stevens makes when asked about the likes of Twitter, TikTok, or Instagram is that everyone now has a platform to share their opinion on whatever topic they decide to talk about, and the world is subject to seeing it.
“Look fans have opinions. What social media has done, it has given everyone a platform to display their opinion. Cause people have opinions but never before in the history of humanity where we can put them on display for the world to see.”
When discussing how he feels personally about the whole ordeal Stevens states that social media isn’t necessarily good or bad because people are allowed to have opinions, even if those opinions are incredibly bad.
“My view on social media [is that] it’s not good or bad, it simply is. We can use it for positive things, we can use it for negative things. I think as humans we are all pre-disposed to kind of toe that line right at time. Depending on how we’re feeling and what kind of day we’re having and what the subject is etc. But I also think that everyone is entitled to an opinion. Doesn’t mean the opinion is right.”
Stevens has accomplished quite a lot since returning to the NWA in 2019 He is a one-time NWA National champion, as well as a one-time NWA tag team champion. In WWE he had a magnificent tag team title run with The Miz, where he served as the A-Lister’s doppelganger.
(If quotes are used please credit Sescoops for the transcription)
At Summerslam 2022, Io Shirai received her call-up to WWE’s main roster, appearing alongside Bayley and Dakota Kai.
Upon her call-up, Shirai was given the name IYO SKY, and has picked up tag-team victories so far on Monday Night Raw.
The Name Change
When WWE changed Io Shirai to IYO SKY, some fans were confused as to why the change took place.
Given that the Raw Superstar’s real name is Masami Odate, it is certain that the change wasn’t due to WWE’s policy of banning real names, which has led to Gunther, Butch and others having their names altered.
“I think that the image of the former ‘Shirai’ is conveyed in kanji to Japanese people, but that’s not the case in the United States. I think it’s a good name because the image is conveyed by adding ‘Sky’ there.”
SKY added that changing Io to IYO also makes things easier for those reading her name.
“Some people misread it because it looked like a lowercase letter L and O (lo), or it looked like a number. I think it became easier to understand with ‘IYO’ in all capital letters.”
What’s next for IYO SKY?
Earlier this year, it was reported that SKY (then Shirai) was expected to leave the company when her contract was set to expire.
Now, not only is that not the case, but she and Dakota Kai will face Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez on next week’s Raw to crown the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Bayley, SKY, and Kai will face Alexa Bliss, Asuka, and Raw Women’s Championship Bianca Belair at WWE Clash at the Castle next week.
Upon leaving WWE, many former Superstars have found success as part of Impact Wrestling.
Christian Cage, Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy would all do big things as part of the Nashville-based promotion, though they would all eventually return to WWE.
While many Superstars released in recent years have found success in Tony Khan’s All Elite Wrestling, Impact has proven to remain a viable alternative for wrestlers after WWE.
Metalik’s debut
At this week’s TV tapings, former WWE Superstar Gran Metalik made his debut for Impact Wrestling.
Metalik, who now works under the name Mascara Dorada, debuted in Dallas, Texas, and picked up the victory over fellow WWE alum Alex Zayne (formerly Ari Sterling.)
On Twitter, Metalik thanked Impact Wrestling for the opportunity, and shared a brief clip of his match with Zayne.
In July 2013, WWE opened its Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, a state-of-the-art facility where recruits and Superstars could train.
The Performance Center also allows talent to work on non-physical aspects of the job, including entrances, and develop their skills on the mic.
In more recent years, the Orlando Performance Center has been the home of NXT 2.0 and NXT Level Up.
Tourist Attractions
WWE has certainly made use of its Performance Center, but now the facility could be used for a different purpose.
PW Insider reports that WWE has been considering turning the Performance Center into a publicly-attended venue that would allow fans to tour the area.
WWE is gauging interest with a survey sent to fans on their mailing list, to see whether fans would be willing to go to a Performance Center.
PW Insider added that the facility would serve as a “roadside attraction” for fans visiting the area.
Future Locations
WWE currently has two Performance Centers, one in Orlando, Florida, and a second in London, England, which was opened in 2019.
The survey sent to fans adds that WWE is considering opening more Performance Centers that would serve this ‘tourist attraction role in addition to being a place for talent to hone their skills.
Atlanta, Georgia, Dallas, Texas, Nashville, Tennessee, and Tampa, Florida are all listed as potential markets for WWE.
A potential idea being floated around is for these new Performance Centers to be set up in prominent locations such as within a mall or similar cultural hub, where there is a lot of foot traffic.
WWE taped the September 2 episode of SmackDown from Detroit alongside tonight’s episode of the show. It featured the final build for the Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre Clash at The Castle match and more.
You can check out the full spoilers for the show below:
Karrion Kross wrestles first match since his WWE return and defeats Drew Gulak.
Ronda Rousey cuts an in-ring promo calling out Adam Pearce. They talk about her suspension and how it was lifted because she paid her fine. Her arrest was unwarranted as it was not a criminal act and she is reinstated immediately. Pearce tells Ronda that he would fire her if it was in his hands. The WWE producer calls her “The single biggest bitch he’s ever met,” leading to Rousey locking him in an armbar.
Hit Row defeats Maximum Male Models in a tag match. Humberto and Garza attack Hit Row after the bout and The Street Profits make the save.
Happy Corbin comes out for a promo. He trash talks Detroit and issues and open challenge. Shinsuke Nakamura accepts the challenge and defeats him via pinfall.
Butch defeats Ludwig Kaiser in a singles match. Gunther and Sheamus come face to face but Ludwig breaks it up and leads Gunther away. Butch apparently had his Bruiserweight gear back for this bout.
Viking Raiders face The New Day in a Viking Rules match. Raiders win the match after putting Kofi through double-stacked tables.
The Usos and Sami Zayn hosted a Championship Celebration for Roman Reigns. Reigns pulls up in the arena but gets taken down with a Claymore as soon as he gets out of the car. Drew McIntyre then heads to the ring and clears it of the rest of the Bloodline. He puts Jimmy Uso through the announce table and Jay through the Barricade. McIntyre emphasizes WWE as ‘World WRESTLING Entertainment.’
In 2019, All Elite Wrestling signed a deal with WarnerMedia for their content to be aired as part of TNT and later TBS.
Later that year, AEW would premiere their weekly flagship show Dynamite, while AEW Rampage would be added to the schedule last August.
The Relationship
Over three years into the relationship between AEW and what is now Warner Bros. Discovery, and things seem to be going well for both sides.
Sources within Warner Bros. Discovery told Fightful that AEW’s current programming had made “no negative waves,” and that the promotion had held up their end of the deal.
Warner Bros. Discovery is also said to be pleased about how well AEW has done with cross-promotion of other brands, including Shark Week and House of the Dragon.
Fightful noted that there is no tension between Tony Khan and Warner Bros. Discovery, something that Khan himself has claimed in the past.
Dispelling a recent rumor, sources for Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed there are no plans to cut AEW Dynamite to one hour.
Beth Phoenix was in the front row this past Monday to watch her husband, Edge, battle Damian Priest in the main event of RAW.
The match took place in Edge’s hometown of Toronto, Canada. Edge defeated The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest in the first step in destroying the group that betrayed him a couple of months ago.
After the match, Rhea Ripley hit the 48-year-old with a low blow and Finn Balor brought a chair into the ring. Beth hopped over the barricade and entered the ring with a chair of her own. The Judgment Day retreated as Beth stood tall with her husband as the show went off the air.
After the show went off the air, The Ultimate Opportunist revealed that he plans on retiring when WWE returns to Toronto. You can check out his full comments here.
Beth Phoenix warns Rhea Ripley
The Glamazon joined Busted Open Radio today with Dave LaGreca and Tommy Dreamer. During the discussion, Tommy asked if a potential match with Rhea is a possibility. Beth didn’t answer the question directly but hinted that it could happen.
“We’ll have to see. I don’t know. With wrestling, it’s like, I take it one day at a time. Everything changes, anything can happen,” said Pheonix. “I feel that is a young lady that I have loved watching grow, flourish and thrive, and Adam’s promo was a shoot. The intention in having Rhea, Damian Priest, and Finn Balor from the start was to give three talents that deserve to be at the top of the heap that platform.” [00:09-00:40]
She then discussed Rhea hitting Edge with a low blow and admitted that it really pissed her off.
“But they also have to shine on that platform. You saw Damian Priest kick ass on Monday. We saw Rhea Ripley, she’s standing out, and stepping up like she deserves. But I’m not really happy about the ball shot, but that really pissed me off. So, I hold a grudge really deep in my heart, and whether or not I get to exact some revenge remains to be seen, but I’d love to see that happen.” [00:41-01:05]
Former NXT UK champion Butch apparently got his old gimmick back during tonight’s double SmackDown tapings in Detroit before the Clash At The Castle PPV.
This week’s episode of SmackDown saw a confrontation between the current IC champion Gunther and the #1 contender for his title Sheamus.
The Intercontinental champion had Ludwig Kaiser on his side while Sheamus was accompanied by Butch and Ridge Holland.
The ending of this segment saw Butch attacking Kaiser. Sheamus and Gunther later broke them up. The IC champion then had a stare down with the Celtic Warrior before he left the ring.
Though this wasn’t the last of these two groups fans saw on the night. They came out again during the second set of SmackDown tapings.
Pete ‘Butch’ Dunn
The tapings for next week’s SmackDown saw Butch taking on Ludwig Kaiser in a singles match. Though what’s interesting is that the former NXT UK Champion, previously known as Pete Dunn brought back his old ring attire for this bout:
Dunn has been teasing the return of his old character after Triple H took over WWE creative. He recently changed his name on Twitter to suggest the same.
This SmackDown appearance seems to be another sign that Pete Dunn will be returning to his roots sooner rather than later. He might even get his old ring name back after the Clash At The Castle PPV.
AEW Rampage was taped following Dynamite this week in Cleveland. Claudio Castagnoli defended the ROH Championship against Dustin Rhodes in the main event.
Rampage Results (8/26)
Dark Order def. House of Black to advance in the Trios Tournament
Wardlow def. Ryan Nemeth to retain the TNT Championship
Sammy Guevara & Tay Conti def. Ortiz & Ruby Soho
Claudio Castagnoli def. Dustin Rhodes to retain the ROH Championship
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Dark Order Advanced In Trios Tournament, Sting & Darby Allin Saved Miro
Dark Order faced House of Black in the Trios Tournament in the first match of the night. It was the semifinals of the Trios Tournament. Silver and Buddy Matthews battled to start off the match. Malakai Black and Alex Reynolds tagged in and traded strikes.
When Rampage returned from a commercial break, Malakai delivered an elbow to the face and a bunch of kicks to Reynolds. 10 tagged in and connected with a Spinebuster on Malakai. 10 followed it up with a Full Nelson but Malakai escaped after ripping the brace off of 10’s injured knee. Miro rushed down the entrance ramp and attacked Brody King and Buddy Matthews. The distraction allowed Reynolds to roll Black up from beind for the pinfall victory.
After the match, House of Black attacked Miro but Sting & Darby Allin made the save.
FTW Champion Hook was asked about Matt Menard and Angelo Parker taking shots at him during a recent promo. Hook simply said he didn’t care and walked off. Menard and Parker showed up and stopped him. They said the audience can see through Hook and he’s nothing without the FTW title.
Wardlow defended the TNT Championship against Ryan Nemeth tonight on Rampage. The champ hit a headbutt, a Clothesline, and a bunch of Powerbombs for the quick win. Wardlow remains the TNT Champion. Satnam, Sonjay, Jay Lethal, MTMG looked on from the entrance ramp.
Jay Lethal, with Sonjay Dutt, Satnam Singh and Chris Sabin – one half of @IMPACTWRESTLING’s Motor City Machine Guns, have made their presence known tonight at #AEWRampage, keeping a close eye on Wardlow ahead of their scheduled match at #AEWAllOut! Watch #AEWRampage on TNT NOW! pic.twitter.com/Fhi6DdYgZI
Powerhouse Hobbs Dominated, The Factory Attacked Ricky Starks
Powerhouse Hobbs battled Ashton Day on this week’s episode of AEW Rampage. Hobbs started off the squash match with a Clothesline. Powerhouse sent a message to his opponent at All Out, Ricky Starks, by hitting his pose in the middle of the ring before connecting with the Spinebuster for the quick win.
A dominant victory for #PowerhouseHobbs tonight on #AEWRampage, sending a message directly to his former teammate and friend Ricky Starks, ahead of their match at #AEWAllOut LIVE on PPV on Sunday September 4! Watch TNT right now! pic.twitter.com/Nn5kuWvOu5
Jade Cargill was interviewed backstage and issued a challenge for her TBS Championship. Jade challenged Athena to a match at All Out on September 4th. Athena then attacked backstage and the two separated by security.
TBS Champion Jade Cargill challenges Athena to a match at #AEWAllOut, but an enraged Athena seemingly cannot wait until the PPV to get her hands on the Champ! Watch #AEWRampage on TNT right now! pic.twitter.com/VA4aVwERmV
Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo teamed up to battle Ortiz and Ruby Soho on tonight’s edition of Rampage. Ruby and Tay start off the match in the ring. Tay controlled the action early and unloaded a series of kicks. Ruby battled back with a knee strike and an elbow to the face.Ortiz and Sammy tag in and trade punches. Sammy connected with a jumping knee to Ortiz’s face as Rampage went to a break.
When Rampage returned, Ruby and Tay were battling in the ring again. Soho planted Melo with a Suplex for a two count. They climbed to the top turnbuckle and Ruby leaped off into a Hurricanrana on Sammy. Tay connected with a Crossbody on Soho for a two count. Ruby connected with No Future and went for the cover but Sammy broke it up at two. Anna Jay rushed the ring and threw Ruby into the steel steps. Sammy capitalized on the distraction and connected with a Cutter on Ortiz for the pinfall victory.
CM Punk lost the AEW Championship in embarrassing fashion this past Wednesday on Dynamite. Moxley squashed him and hit two Deathriders for the quick win. Rampage aired footage of Punk backstage after the match and he hinted that his foot is broken again.
Claudio Castagnoli defended the ROH Championship against Dustin Rhodes in this week’s main event. Mark Henry interviewed the competitors before the match in split screen. The action started off back and forth. Dustin took control and rolled up Claudio for a near fall.
It’s TIME for the MAIN EVENT! Ring Of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli puts the title on the line against #TheNatural Dustin Rhodes on #AEWRampage right now; tune in to TNT! pic.twitter.com/9cJ3IOgZmg
Castagnoli battled back with an uppercut and slammed Dustin into the turnbuckle. When Rampage returned from a break, Claudio had a Crossface locked in on Dustin in the middle of the ring. Rhodes escaped and hit a Clothesline. Dustin followed it up with a Hurricanrana off the top turnbuckle and then a Code Red but Claudio was able to power out at two.
Claudio connected with The Swing and went for the cover but couldn’t keep Dustin down. Dustin responded with a Powerslam and then a Powerbomb for a two count. Claudio hit the Pop-Up Uppercut for the pinfall victory and remains the ROH Champion.
#AndStill!!! The Ring of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli retains the title after an absolute battle against Dustin Rhodes in the main event of #AEWRampage tonight on TNT! pic.twitter.com/ZETXJRKtjX
