World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest made a surprise appearance after this week’s episode of SmackDown from Vystar Veterans Memorial in Jacksonville, FL went off air.
The Judgement Day star was there to compete in a dark match. He successfully defended his title in the bout against fellow Raw star Kofi Kingston.
These two weren’t the only Raw stars stopping by as the rest of the Judgement Day were also in the building and ready to compete.
Though unlike Priest, the duo of Finn Balor and JD McDonagh found themselves on the losing side when they challenged Awesome Truth for the tag team titles.
What Happened On SmackDown
Elsewhere on the show, the Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and the United States Champion Logan Paul made their match official for the upcoming King and Queen of The Ring PPV in Saudi Arabia.
The YouTube star, however, backed out of the originally agreed terms and decided that he didn’t want to defend his title against the American Nightmare after all.
Paul tore down the old contract and introduced a new draft made by his lawyer which was for Cody’s title only. After some back and forth, the former AEW star signed the new contract making the match between them official.
We also saw the King and Queen of The Ring tournament continuing on SmackDown. You can check out the results of the tournament matches contested on the show here.
Having a famous father is a double-edged sword for a performer trying to make his name in the same profession. On one hand, it can get you early opportunities but also create an unfavorable perception of you in people’s minds from the start. This is why Rey Mysterio believes that separating from him was the best thing for Dominik.
The wrestling veteran recently appeared on the JAXXON PODCAST where he discussed things such as the importance of his mask, his WCW career and more.
Rey also spoke about the struggles his son Dominik Mysterio had to face early in his career because of the comparison to his Hall of Famer father:
“The career that I’ve had, the longevity. [I] started at the age of 14. I’m 49 now. So I’ve been grinding for the past 35 years in this business, this profession.
For my son to come in out of nowhere and not have my style, have a different build. he’s 6’1. He’s about 190. So it was just, it was very hard for him at the beginning to try to adapt and find his role as a wrestler.
The comparisons were, they were made and of course, he couldn’t live up to ’em. Not until we separated and he continued on his own path without having his dad by his side. And that was the best thing that could have ever happened to him.”
Dominik Mysterio started making regular appearances on WWE programming alongside his dad back in 2019. His first official match for the company came at SummerSlam 2020 and the father-son duo even went on to win the SmackDown tag team titles in 2021.
Though the evolution of the young star really started when he turned on Rey Mysterio at the 2022 Clash At The Castle event. He subsequently joined the Judgement Day faction. This move made him one of the most hated wrestlers in all of sports entertainment and helped him develop an identity completely opposite to his legendary father.
Konosuke Takeshita has opened up about his struggles as a Japanese wrestler trying to make his mark on an American wrestling program.
The 28-year-old recently spoke to DDT Pro to promote his upcoming match with Minoru Suzuki at Referee Matsui’s 30th-anniversary produce show on May 19th.
During the interview, the AEW star opened up about his struggles in America. He mentioned that he thought hard work would get him the spot he desired in the company. There have been aspects at play, however, that have gone against him:
“Discrimination is not the word here but unfortunately there’s a lack of space for an Asian person to be on a TV show watched by Americans. No matter how good my condition was nor the amount of matches I was put it, or how many times they said my match was good, it felt like I couldn’t make it in the starting lineup, to put it in Baseball terms.”
I Didn’t Feel The Enjoyment: Konosuke Takeshita
Takeshita also discussed the effect these conditions have had on his psyche. He explained that everyone wrestling in Japan felt like they were having fun, which isn’t necessarily the case in US:
“I didn’t had any fun wrestling ever since I got to America. The effort was bearing fruit, but I didn’t feel the enjoyment. It was the most mentally exhausting period in all 12 years of my wrestling career. However when I stopped having fun, my matches were better received and I gained more recognition. And its not proportional.”
The young star later took his Twitter to clarify this part of the interview. He explained that he is taking the current phase of his career as a challenge:
I don't want you to misunderstand this is not necessarily a bad thing. In other words,taking on a challenge is hard work. It's like a cutting phase for bodybuilders. I understand that time is necessary to shine at the top. I make sure my choice had not been wrong. I'm The Alpha. https://t.co/gLKKd3ssNB
Konosuke Takeshita was considered one of the most promising prospects when he made his AEW debut in 2021. His matches with people such as Hangman Page and Eddie Kingston helped showcase his talent and led to his official signing with Tony Khan’s promotion in late 2022.
Since signing a contract with the promotion, however, things have not gone the way he had hoped. While Takeshita has continued delivering impressive performances in the ring, the lack of character development and the company’s backstage troubles have stopped the Japanese star from being featured as prominently as he had hoped.
Takeshita has most recently been announced to face Jon Moxley in the IWGP World Title Eliminator Tournament at the upcoming Double or Nothing PPV. You can check out the full card for the show here.
Gunther isn’t sure if a Brock Lesnar match is in the cards for him anymore.
There were strong rumors before WrestleMania 40 that The Ring General was on his way to face The Beast Incarnate in a big showdown at the Grandest Stage of Them All. The company had planned to build this rivalry up starting at the 2024 Royal Rumble.
All plans for the former Universal Champion, however, were scrapped by the creative team when Lesnar was linked to the Vince McMahon sex trafficking lawsuit.
The former IC Champion addressed the rumors about his planned match with Lesnar at WrestleMania in an interview with DailyMail. Gunther claimed that he also heard something about it:
The Ring General explained that he has always been presented as the final boss in different phases of his WWE career, whether it be his run as the UK Champion or the most recent IC title reign. Brock Lesnar similarly was the final boss of the whole WWE for a long time. To reach the position the former UFC champion was in, the Austrian star has to get in the ring with him.
I’m More Than Up For It: Gunther
(Photo: WWE)
Gunther also discussed the potential of a future showdown between the two. He noted that he is not informed about the current status of Brock with the company, but he is more than ready for something like that if it comes his way:
“We’ll see if there’s a chance for it to happen again. I’m more than up for it. How the situation is exactly right now, I’m really not that informed about it, to be honest. I think we had that one face off in the Royal Rumble, the reaction that was there and that was a confirmation for me.”
Considering the gravity of the accusations against Vince McMahon, it’s very much possible that we may never see Brock Lesnar on WWE TV again if he gets implicated in the proceedings of the case in any way.
Though the company is certainly keeping their options open by not completely cutting ties with Brock the same way they have done with the former chairman of the boards. So there is a distinct possibility that he could return to act as ‘The Final Boss’ for Gunther down the line.
Jey Uso knows that his WrestleMania 40 match with brother Jimmy Uso didn’t live up to the expectations and he believes that time constraints were the reason for it.
The Raw star recently had an interview with DailyMail where he opened up about things such as splitting up with his twin brother, choosing his ring gear, and more.
The former tag champion was then asked for his thoughts on how the match between the two brothers played out. Jey explained that getting a singles WrestleMania match against his brother was still surreal but he did feel like the bout failed to live up to the expectations:
“To be honest, it was still a dream match, just me and my brother. I kind of felt I kind of let the people down, though. It was all due to timing issues, so our match was fairly quick. Sometimes you’ve just got to roll with it. It is what it is. “
Uso said that the positive side of it is that they were able to check that box off. The former Bloodline member claimed that he isn’t mad at the other matches and he is just glad that he and his brother got a WrestleMania moment.
When asked about it, Jey Uso said that he always wanted his dad to be involved in some way whether it be in the match itself or the storyline leading up to it:
“Hell yeah, I always wanted my dad involved, whether it be a referee… I just don’t think my dad could have kept up, just getting up and down, because referees, they’re doing like, push up burpees the whole match too, they’re getting a great workout. Maybe like a go home promo, just some kind of cool promo segment. There might be another time for it.”
Jey also talked about his increased popularity since leaving the Bloodline and his unique entrance that has been garnering attention from not only fans but the WWE officials as well. You can check out the future plans for his entrance here.
Ricky Starks has no idea why he has been kept off AEW TV.
The young star has not been seen on AEW programming since the March 30th episode of AEW Collision. He and tag team partner Big Bill were defeated by Top Flight in a tag team title tournament match during the show.
Starks addressed his unexplained absence from TV during a recent interview with WhatCulture. He was asked if he’d be a part of the upcoming Double or Nothing PPV on May 26 and Ricky claimed that he doesn’t know:
“I really have no clue. It’s just a very interesting time, I feel like. I wish that I was on Dynamite, or I wish I was on Dynasty. I wish I was on these things, but I think at a certain point, just for my own sanity, I can’t go too crazy about it because the proof is in my work and my effort that I’ve constantly given.”
The 34-year-old said that he constantly gives 1000% effort and the biggest lesson he has learned is not to worry too much about the things that are not in his control.
Starks’ latest match with AEW saw some last-minute changes. An audible was called for Top Flight to go over in the bout after the wrestling star seemingly got hurt while taking a tandem DDT.
The former FTW Champion further addressed his health status during the interview. He confirmed that medical issues are not the reason for his prolonged absence from the ring:
“I’m not hurt. Even that night [on AEW Collision], I specifically stated, hey, I’m not hurt. I was just being cautious about it because at the moment, I didn’t know what was happening, especially with this side of my body. So I wasn’t hurt. I was never put on an injury list or anything like that. I have no answers.”
He reiterated that he has no clue why he isn’t involved in any ongoing feud. Ricky Starks did note that receiving messages from concerned fans is encouraging for him.
Starks’ former tag team partner Big Bill recently joined hands with Chris Jericho. This signifies the end of the partnership between the former AEW tag champions.
What is the real issue preventing the former champion from returning to AEW programming is anyone’s guess. We hope that he will be back on TV entertaining the fans once again very soon.
Ryan Nemeth has revealed how Bray Wyatt was exceptionally kind to him during the latter’s second run with WWE’s development territory.
The AEW star recently had an interview with the Developmentally Speaking podcast. He talked about things such as his love for storytelling. Ryan revealed that his AEW contract features a clause that allows him to take off whatever time he needs for his outside projects without being punished for it.
Speaking about his time with rival promotion WWE, the Hollywood Hunk detailed his start with the company. He specifically remembered getting invited to a week-long tryout at FCW, after impressing John Laurinaitis:
“I remember how great to me everyone in that roster was. It was like such a welcoming group of people. In particular, someone at the time who went by the name Husky Harris was so great to me. He would go on to change his name to Bray Wyatt. I loved him. He was great.”
Everyone There Was So Great: Ryan Nemeth
Ryan Nemeth then told a story about the talent that would eventually become Bray Wyatt. He recalled how Wyatt was exceptionally kind to him during one of their interactions:
“I remember doing this really really long grueling endurance drill. It’ll be like one man in the middle and everyone else would switch out every two minutes. I was in there for 37 minutes straight maybe at one point.
But he as we’re locking up just goes ‘Just take it slow, breathe, don’t worry, relax.’ I thought ‘Man this is really nice; I am your competition basically and you can be a dick to me if you want.’ Everyone there was so great.”
The AEW star started his wrestling career with a run in OVW back in 2010. After his tryout with the company, he was offered a WWE development contract for FCW in 2011.
The Eater of Worlds returned to the brand around the same time after his Nexus run. He first adopted the character of hockey mask-wearing Axl Mulligan before developing the much-loved Bray Wyatt persona in 2012.
Gunther almost gave in to the temptation of the Yeet after this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw from Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC went off air.
The episode featured 4 quarterfinal matches for King and Queen of The Ring tournaments with both male and female competitors getting two matches each. Lyra Valkyria, Iyo Sky, and Gunther picked up the victories in the first three bouts.
The fourth match between Jey Uso and Ilja Dragunov was the main event of the show. WWE had earlier teased a semi-final between Dragunov and the Ring General but Uso ended up picking the victory in the bout.
This led to a confrontation between the former Bloodline member and Gunther to end the broadcast. After Raw went off air, Jey Uso tried his hardest to make Gunther break and do the yeet.
Even the referee and ring announcer Samantha Irvin joined in on the celebration and it looked as if the former IC Champion may have given up to the temptation.
Gunther however decided against it at the end and he chose to attack his future opponent. Though Jey managed to get the upper hand with a spear and he celebrated with the crowd as the former champion retreated:
Elsewhere in the show we saw The Judgement Day picking up a win in a triple threat tag match. They earned the right to challenge Awesome Truth for the tag titles.
The ongoing QR code mystery continued on Raw with another tease for Uncle Howdy. The code led to a bunch of images with one of them teasing a development in the story later this week.
The King and Queen of the ring tournaments will continue on SmackDown on Friday. You can check out the updated results and the current standings of the same here.
The Undertaker liked some aspects of the 2024 WWE Draft but he believes that more could have been done to make things exciting for the fans.
The Dead Man reviewed the latest episode of Monday Night Raw on his Patreon Page where he talked about things such as the many commercial breaks during the show and more.
This year’s Draft ran from April 26 to April 29. WWE had brought in a number of legends to announce the picks. The actual Draft results were still criticized by many fans for a lack of any prominent changes.
The WWE Hall of Famer first mentioned that he liked certain presentation aspects of the Draft. The Undertaker later explained, however, that it would have been more exciting if brands were allowed to trade with each other:
“You know what it missed for me? I want to see some deals made right. You know what I’m saying? Like a lot of teams, they want a quarterback. They trade up or they trade down.
You know, that would to me be more compelling to watch. You’re expecting your fan base to watch two nights of TV content. And I mean, to be completely honest, there wasn’t a whole lot of change really.”
There Needs To Be Something More: The Undertaker
The Last Outlaw discussed how there were some promising NXT call-ups in the Draft. He also acknowledged that the officials have to think about the future plans for any talent before placing them on a brand. Though Taker still thinks that something big needed to happen during the Draft:
“It’s difficult to get everyone placed right. You got to get everyone placed where they’re supposed to be moving forward, and I can tell they’re making efforts to do that. The way the Draft is promoted. I just think there needs to be some more something like you said drama, something needs to happen big where people get hooked.”
While the Drafts did not bring in any big change for WWE, there were still some surprising picks made during the two nights. You can check out some superstar reactions to the Draft here.
R Truth feels very happy seeing the rise of black talent in wrestling and it makes him emotional to know that all of them have huge respect and admiration for the wrestling veteran.
One half of the current world tag team champions recently had an interview with the Battleground podcast. He discussed things such as winning the World Tag Team Championship with The Miz at WrestleMania 40 and more.
During the interview, they played a clip of the new AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland discussing Truth’s status as a legend of the industry. The WWE star returned the favor saying that what we have seen is only the beginning for Swerve:
“Man, I get emotional. It’s such a prestige [and] honor to have. Let me say this, I want to congratulate Swerve. Definitely gotta congratulate him man on his achievement, his accomplishment. I meant to call you. I’m sorry I haven’t called you yet. I’mma text you. He’s been killing it for a while. He’s so talented, man, so humble, so well-deserving of what he’s doing now. You’re just seeing the beginning of him.”
It’s A Surreal Moment For Me: R Truth
Just like Swerve in AEW, a number of young black talents have made their mark on WWE TV in recent times. Carmelo Hayes has only recently concluded his successful NXT run after being called up during the 2024 Drafts. Current NXT Champion Trick Williams and NXT North American Champion Oba Femi are some other names that are gaining new followers every day.
Speaking about all these talents breaking through the barriers to earn their rightful place in the industry, R Truth said that it’s a surreal moment for him:
“Trick, Obie, Carmelo, these guys are just like — it’s such a good time to be a part of this. It’s such a good time to see these guys give me my flowers. Strickland have always talked good about me, man. Again, it’s a surreal moment for me to be in the position I’m in.”
Of course, Truth himself has been a pioneer in the industry for almost 3 decades now. Apart from having a Hall of Fame worthy career in WWE, Truth has made history by becoming the first-ever African American NWA World Heavyweight Champion back in 2002.
His successful music career speaks for the diversity of talents possessed by the current champion. It’s only a testament to his skills that even at 52 years of age, Truth continues to perform at the highest level in the industry and can go toe to with any current or upcoming talents.
Braun Strowman has returned to WWE after a year on the shelf and he is already getting involved in high-profile angles.
The US Champion Logan Paul was in attendance for this week’s episode of Raw. He brought in some high-profile guests with him, including Superbowl MVP Patrick Mahomes.
The Maverick confronted Jey Uso in a segment after the former Bloodline member called out the current champion in an interview earlier in the night. Finn Balor and JD McDonagh walked out to confront Uso as well.
Logan Paul then borrowed three Superbowl rings from Mahomes to attack Jey as McDonagh held him up. Uso managed to duck at the right time, however, and McDonagh ended up catching the punch.
Balor and Paul joined forces to attack Jey Uso afterward but Braun Strowman’s music hit. The Monster Among Men made his return after almost a year of inaction and he choke slammed Balor.
Logan knew better than to confront the former Universal Champion. He retreated through the crowd leaving Mahomes and his teammates from Kansas City Chiefs to confront the returning star. Jey Uso then calmed Strowman and they returned to the back.
What’s Next For Braun Strowman?
The Monster Sized Athlete had been recovering after a neck fusion surgery for the past year. He last wrestled during the May 1st, 2023 episode of Raw, where he teamed up with Ricochet for a win over the Alpha Academy.
Strowman was drafted to Raw earlier in the night so we can expect to see him regularly on Monday Nights once again after his return.
There is a possibility that we may see Braun going after The US Champion following their confrontation tonight. Considering Paul remains on SmackDown roster, however, a long-term feud between the two is not very likely. You can check out our draft tracker to see the other picks made during Raw.
CM Punk had a run-in with Chad Gable after this week’s episode of SmackDown.
The Blue Branded Show came live from Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio featuring night 1 of WWE Drafts 2024.
The Straight Edge Star was advertised locally for the episode. While he didn’t appear on the broadcast, the former world champion came out after SmackDown went off air.
He first provided an update on his health confirming that his triceps is not 100% yet but he is on track. The WWE star then endorsed hometown hero Pete Rose for MLB Hall of Fame.
Before he could finish his promo, however, CM Punk was interrupted by Chad Gable and the rest of the Alpha Academy. Gable challenged Punk for a fight but the former AEW star refused on account of his injury.
He offered to introduce a friend of his who had recently returned from the injury for the proposed fight and it turned out to be Sheamus.
What Happened On SmackDown
The Celtic Warrior then had a singles match with the former Olympian. This wasn’t the only dark match of the night as The Miz and R Truth also defended their tag titles against Judgment Day’s Finn Balor and JD McDonagh after the show.
Elsewhere in the night, we saw a contract signing segment between the Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and his Backlash challenger AJ Styles. Rhodes also competed in the main event of SmackDown against Carmelo Hayes.
WWE had brought in a number of Hall of Famers to announce the Draft results. You can check our Draft Tracker to find out which stars were picked up during Night 1.
Jinder Mahal has revealed the lengths WWE Creative went to keep his segment with The Rock a surprise and when he actually found out that he was working with The Great One.
Officials had announced the return of a ‘former WWE Champion’ for the Day 1 episode of Raw. The segment was planned for the Hollywood star, but the Maharaja came out first to swerve the audience. This created even more excitement for The Rock when he came out and delivered a people’s elbow to Mahal after a verbal exchange.
The 37-year-old spoke to Chris Van Vliet over the WrestleMania 40 weekend. In the interview that was released on April 23, Mahal was asked if he ever thought he was intended to be the announced former WWE champion for Day 1.
Jinder explained that he pieced together the fact that he was going to be involved in the segment somehow after the travel department messaged him personally instead of their group chat with Indus Sher:
“So I put it together, I kind of pieced it together. I got a text from creative ‘Hey, you guys have nothing this week.’ And then actually travel text says ‘Hey you guys are not flying out.’ I’m in a group chat with Indus Sher with our travel department.
Then 20 minutes later I get a separate text saying, ‘Actually, you are going’ I thought it was a little weird that it was just me and not Indus Sher but I didn’t think anything of it.
Then like a few hours later, I see the announcement on Twitter – Former WWE champion returns. I knew it wasn’t gonna be me but I figured like I’m going to be a part of it. So I texted Indus Sher ‘Hey, are you guys going to Raw?’ They said, ‘No.’ Alright, it’s just me going.”
The Segment With The Rock
Jinder Mahal revealed that the creative plans were not relayed to him even after this. He found out about the segment with The Rock only a couple of days before the show:
“So I’m like, ‘okay, good chance. I think it’s me.’ And actually it was Christmas week. I was with my family in Calgary. I flew back I think on the 30th. Yeah, I was flying back on the 30th. When I was in my flight, I got a text from one of the writers ‘Hey, can you talk on the phone?’
I said ‘I’m in the plane for a few more hours when it lands I’ll call you.’ When I landed just one of the writers he said ‘Yeah, so we got you in a segment….with the Rock.’ They’re like ‘Kayfabe.’ I said ‘Yes. Yes. 100%. Looking forward to it.’ So that’s how I found out. I found out two days before.”
The segment led to a prolonged buzz for Jinder Mahal. He was put in a world heavyweight championship match with Seth Rollins right after it. Many people came to his defense when Tony Khan decided to name-drop him on Twitter to defend his booking of AEW star Hook.
Mahal unfortunately has been released from his WWE contract since then and the former champion is currently waiting for his non-compete clause to expire.
NJPW star Yota Tsuji had an interview with Tokyo Sports where he shared some interesting thoughts on the booking of the company’s top title.
The 30-year-old first questioned the decision to put the title on Moxley even if he agreed to hold the belt. He said that the problem lies with officials of New Japan:
Where did the value of IWGP go? If Moxley agreed to be the champion, he certainly has the right to have a championship match. The problem is New Japan Pro Wrestling, which doesn’t say anything about it.
Moxley already has title defenses set against Ren Narita and Shota Umino. Before these matches that will be taking place on NJPW shows, however, he will be defending the title against Powerhouse Hobbs on this Wednesday, May 24 episode of Dynamite.
‘We Have To Find A Way Out of This Situation’: Yota Tsuji
The 2024 New Japan Cup winner asked why Hobbs who has never been to NJPW himself is suddenly eligible to challenge for the top prize of the company:
Then what are the NJC and G1 for? He may be a great player, but even if he doesn’t win the NJC, a player who has no connection to New Japan or has never been to New Japan will suddenly reach the top. It would be strange for him to challenge for the belt of Hobbs.
In the first place, I wonder if that player has a visa. Even if he wins the belt, will he be able to come to Fukuoka? How long will he be under the influence of AEW, who have no respect for IWGP? I think we have to find a way out of this situation.
Jon Moxley became the first person to hold the heavyweight gold in WWE, AEW, and NJPW when he picked up the IWGP title at the April 12 event.
Yota Tsuji defeated Hirooki Goto to win the 2024 New Japan Cup in March. It was his first big accolade in the company that earned him the right to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Title. Tsuji, however, was defeated by Naito when he challenged for the title at Sakura Genesis on April 6.
The quotes in the article have been translated through Google translate
Things do not seem to be going Judgement Day’s way and it appears that after Rhea Ripley, Dominik Mysterio has also suffered an injury.
The former NXT North American Champion was expected to work the European Tour last week. Ricochet replaced him on the shows. The unannounced change concerned people.
The latest episode of Monday Night Raw from Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio further confirmed that Dirty Dom is not 100%. The Judgement Day star was announced to team with JD McDonagh on tonight’s episode of the Red Branded Show.
He appeared on the screen, however, wearing a sling on his left hand. Santos Escobar then replaced Dominik in the match against Ricochet and Andrade. The faces won the match when Andrade delivered The Message to McDonagh for the pin.
The opening segment of this week’s Raw then saw Damian Priest confronting his Backlash opponent Jey Uso. After a heated exchange between the two, JD McDonagh emerged out of nowhere and tried to blindside the former Bloodline member.
Priest appeared to have no knowledge of the attack. He ended up on the business end of a superkick when he was trying to stop McDonagh from going after Uso.
I'm sore. I'm tired. I'm pissed off.
And I think I've helped Judgment Day more than Judgment Day has helped me. https://t.co/1iUzwmcQP7
The World Heavyweight Champion made another appearance on the show after McDonagh’s tag team match. He told both JD and Dominik that he didn’t need either of them.
Elsewhere in the show, a backstage segment also teased a potential collaboration between Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan in the absence of the Mami.
With all the teases of tensions within the Judgement and the new alliance between Morgan and Dom, it won’t be a surprise if we see the group imploding sooner rather than later.
It will also depend on the health of Mysterio. Though considering that the company is keeping him on screen and teasing plans for him it doesn’t seem likely that he will miss a lot of ring time.
Giovanni Vinci has seemingly been kicked out of the Imperium after tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw from Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.
This week’s episode of the red-branded show saw the first appearance of Gunther after he lost his Intercontinental Championship to Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 40.
The Ring General said that people expected him to talk about his loss but he had something else in mind. The former champion then officially declared himself as the first entrance for the upcoming King of The Ring tournament.
The New Day then made their way to the ring and Xavier Woods talked about being the last King of The Ring winner. The back and forth between the two groups lead to a tag team match featuring Ludwig Kaiser and Vinci taking on Woods and Kofi Kingston.
By The Orders of The Ring General?
The ending of this bout saw Wood delivering a double stomp on Vinci and pinning the Raw star for the victory. Gunther who was at the ringside was seemingly disappointed with this result and he stormed to the back after throwing his chair.
Kaiser helped Vinci get back up at the ringside and hugged him. He followed this up, however, by attacking his tag team partner. Kaiser continued the assault for a while and sent his partner crashing through the ring post and the announce desk before the officials sent him back.
Until this point, it appeared that Kaiser had snapped but as the German star returned to the Gorilla position, he ran into Gunther once again. Both the men smiled upon seeing each other suggesting that it was a pre-planned attack.
Elsewhere in the show, we saw the crowning of the new women’s world champion after Rhea Ripley relinquished her title due to an injury last week. You can click here to know who became the new champion.
Hardy first reiterated that he loved working for Tony Khan during his time with All Elite Wrestling and that they are still negotiatiating a potential new deal:
“I will start by saying I love AEW, I loved working with Tony Khan. He’s a great guy. My contract ended up expiring and we hadn’t reached a deal yet. We’re still in the midst of talking. I have literally, in the last week, I have talked to every promoter from every promotion that there is.”
Pro Wrestling Is Best When It’s Unpredictable: Matt Hardy
Speaking about his surprise return at the TNA PPV, Matt Hardy claimed that they started talking about it on Wednesday and the deal only came together within a couple days:
“So last night was me showing that pro wrestling can still be unpredictable. I popped up. This was done in a couple days notice. we kind of started talking about this on Wednesday. Then this kind of materialised over a couple days doing some shots for TNA and a little story arc. Pro Wrestling is at its best when it’s unpredictable.”
The former WWE star also revealed that he hadn’t even told his brother Jeff Hardy about the appearance and Jeff only found out after the show was over.
Matt Hardy confronted TNA World Champion Moose during the PPV event and delivered a Twist of Fate to him. The altercation sets up a match between the two but an official announcement for the same has not been made yet.
Toni Storm did not hold back on non-PG wrestling references during her appearance on the post Dynasty media scrum.
The AEW Women’s World Champion defeated Thunder Rosa to retain her title at the company’s latest PPV event. At the press conference afterward, she decided that she didn’t wanna answer questions from the reporters. Storm read a pre written statement for everyone instead.
The female star made references to the Cody Rhodes – Bloodline story in her speech and also explained why Nikki Garcia decided not to join the company:
“How long do I have to do this? Week after week, night after night, before you realise that I am the one who is transcending this business? Just because I don’t go out there and say it, doesn’t mean it’s not true. Do I really have to tell you every single night. Are you that thick?
Too busy chasing people blithering about goosebumps and levels and storytelling and cinema, go see a fucking movie. Nicole Garcia thought about joining AEW when she saw Mercedes did. You know why she didn’t? Because then she saw me and realised, she can’t hold a pussy scented candle to what I do.”
It’s The Greatest Thing That Could Ever Happen To You: Toni Storm
Toni Storm then claimed that she is taking AEW to new heights by just being herself and that her success is her own:
“I am the one taking this company to new heights. And I don’t even try to. I’m just being me and it’s the greatest thing I could ever be. It’s the greatest thing that could happen to all of you too. For every one of you who saw me all those years ago and thought she has potential. You had absolutely no idea it was going to get this good, did you? Tomorrow morning your headlines should read ‘Holy fuck was I wrong?’
And Anthony, I promise you no matter how many matches I win, no matter how many stories I finish. I will never call you into the ring to celebrate with me. Being timeless means I’m not on your watch. My success is my own and [you’re] damn lucky to be a part of it. If any of you have a single question after that you are as stupid as you look.”
Storm was referring to the remarks the former WWE star made while talking about Mercedes Mone’s AEW debut. Nikki had said that she almost called Tony Khan after listening to Mone’s debut promo.
Tony Khan says airing the All In footage helped explain Jack Perry’s absence from AEW TV ahead of his return to the company at tonight’s AEW Dynasty PPV.
Perry had been suspended from AEW following his altercation with CM Punk at the All In event in August 2023. He stayed away from wrestling for over 5 months before resurfacing at NJPW’s Battle in the Valley show this past January.
On the post-Dynasty media scrum, Khan was asked if the footage helped Jack Perry feel like a bigger star during his return at the PPV. Tony first mentioned how ‘The Scapegoat’ had a great run in NJPW before his comeback tonight which helped generate some buzz for him:
“Well I’m really excited about a lot of things happening in AEW. I think Jack Perry’s return got a lot of excitement and got a huge reaction. Again, I mentioned we were in Chicago. It was a great night for the company when Jon Moxley became the IWGP World Champion. I got to watch Jack Perry’s return to American wrestling in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
He got a massive star reaction at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Windy City show and I think he’s been doing great work in New Japan Pro Wrestling. When you go over do an excursion and have a great run like he had in the New Japan Cup and a great performance like he had against Shota in Chicago. I think that had a lot to do with it.
We Made The Bold Call: Tony Khan
Speaking about the All In footage, Tony Khan admitted that it did heighten the circumstances around Jack Perry’s return to his promotion:
“I do think we made a bold call in the run up to this match. Really it heightened the circumstances and I do think it added to the presentation of the moment of Jack Perry’s return tonight at AEW Dynasty. The pay per view was a home run. I think a lot of people felt like it was a great return.
Also I felt like it was important to explain partially where Jack’s been because the last time we saw him on AEW television was at Wembley Stadium. He went through the curtain. We never saw him again since, so I did feel like some responsibility to the viewer given I knew Jack was going to return to AEW that we explain where he’s been.”
AEW Dynasty featured the finals of the Tag Team Title tournament between FTR and The Young Bucks. A Man in Sting mask interfered in the bout at the very end and helped The Bucks secure the victory over their opponents. The security quickly grabbed the mystery man and Jack Perry was revealed when they removed the mask.
Will Ospreay has confirmed that he will be retiring the Tiger Driver 91 after the scary spot with Bryan Danielson in their match at tonight’s AEW Dynasty PPV.
The high-flying star had talked about the dangers of the move at the post-Revolution media scrum last month after he used it to pin Konosuke Takeshita at the PPV event.
— Anutosh Bajpai || SEScoops || Wrestling News (@AuthorAnutosh) April 22, 2024
During the Dynasty Media scrum, the AEW star spoke about the incident with Bryan on the PPV and revealed that he didn’t see the referee call for the medics:
I’m super glad that everybody enjoyed the match. A little bit of a dampener on how it’s all kind of [turned out] the dust has settled now. I’ve reviewed the footage myself. It seems Bryan got hurt on the storm driver and I didn’t see the doctor call, the referee called for the doctor and I just didn’t see it.
So I want to apologize on that. Obviously like within the confines of wrestling I do go like I said in the ring it is more or less it’s your life vs mine until you kind of see it staring at your face sort of the way it did.”
Will Ospreay Says He Feels Awful
Will Ospreay said that he feels awful about the spot. He apologized to Danielson for continuing the match after that and confirmed that he will be retiring the Tiger Driver 91, also known as Storm Driver 93:
“Honestly I feel awful about this. So even though 90% of the time that move has been absolutely fine. Seeing the damage that it has kind of done, I am gonna retire using the Storm Driver 91. I don’t think it’s right for me to continue using it after seeing what it did to Bryan. Someone that I’ve got huge amounts of respect for.
This was kind of my dream match. This is something I’ve wanted since I was a kid. So to see the outcome although I’m happy everyone enjoyed the match, I’m kind of disappointed in myself. So I apologize to Bryan. I apologize to AEW medics, I apologize to Tony.”
Ospreay defeated Bryan in what many are already calling the match of the year during the latest AEW PPV. The ending of this match, however, left a lot of people concerned.
The finish of the bout saw Ospreay hitting the Tiger Driver 91 and the referee called for the medics as Danielson appeared to be hurt from the spot. Ospreay however, missed the referee’s call and he hit the former WWE star with an elbow to the back for the pin.
The quotes in the article have been edited for clarity
Matt Riddle has revealed that the WWE creative originally laughed at the idea of the RK Bro tag team and it only came to fruition after Randy Orton himself pushed for it.
The Original Bro recently spoke to Johnny I Pro Show for an interview. He discussed things such as his favorite wrestlers growing up, why he hesitated in choosing pro wrestling as a career at first, and more.
The Birth of RK-Bro
Riddle’s team with WWE’s Apex Predator was easily the most entertaining part of his run. He was asked how this pairing originally came about.
The former WWE star revealed that Randy Orton pushed for doing more work with Matt Riddle after they had a singles match during the March 19, 2021 episode of Monday Night Raw:
“Randy was supposed to wrestle Braun Strowman one night and I was supposed to tag with Drew against Mace and T Bar you know when Retribution was still around.
I don’t know what happened but Randy and Braun didn’t end up wrestling and they switched Braun with me. So I got to wrestle Randy instead. After we worked Randy spoke very highly of me. He’s like ‘I want to do something else with him’ and they already had plans that we tag.”
Though the former WWE star also claimed that he got laughed at when he originally pitched the idea of teaming with The Legend Killer:
“Weeks before this I suggested we tag as RK Bro and the writing team just kinda laughed at me. Which most of my ideas they laugh and then like 2 weeks later they’ll be like ‘Hey I think we gotta do this’ and I’m like ‘Sounds awesome.’ I don’t even bring it up to them.”
Matt Riddle first pitched the idea of a tag team to Randy Orton on the same episode of Raw where they locked horns for a singles match. Orton had originally dismissed the idea but he accepted the proposal after losing to Riddle in the bout.
RK Bro saw a lot of success and they had two reigns with the Raw Tag Team Championships in their 13-month-long run together. Their stint came to an abrupt end however as Riddle got released from his contract in September 2023, at a time when Orton was on the shelf rehabbing his back injury.
Matt Hardy has confirmed that he is still a free agent despite his return to TNA.
The company had been teasing the reveal of a ‘lights out mystery’ over the past few weeks. The secret was finally unveiled at Saturday’s Rebellion PPV event.
Moose defeated Nic Nemeth to retain the TNA World Title in the main event of the show. The lights went out after the bout and Broken Matt Hardy made his surprise return to the promotion. He delivered a Twist of Fate to the World Champion and the PPV ended with Hardy holding the title.
After the PPV event, the wrestling veteran shared an interesting ‘Matt Fact’ graphic reading that he is in no rush to sign a new contract. In response to a fan, Hardy further confirmed that he remains a free agent despite his return:
No. I’m a free agent. I will appear when I want to appear.
Matt Hardy had seemingly been unhappy with his position on the AEW card for a while and he even spoke up about things such as backstage issues hurting the goodwill of the company.
If the latest development is any indication, Matt Hardy seems to be looking for creative satisfaction more than anything else at this juncture of his career.
The TNA appearance seems to be the start of a program. It won’t be a surprise if Hardy stretches his free agency further and we don’t hear news about him finding a new long-term home anytime soon.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful then provided an update and noted that alongside Mahal, Xyon Quinn and Xia Li have also been let go by the company. You can check out the updated list of talents released in April 2024 below:
Jinder Mahal
Xyon Quinn
Xia Li
Veer Mahaan
Sanga
This is the latest WWE shake-up to take place. In the past month, the company has parted ways with major behind-the-scenes names such as Executive Vice President of Talent Relations, Dan Ventrelle and Senior Vice President of Athlete ID & Development Trent Wilfinger.
The release of longtime WWE Director of Community Relations and Hall of Famer Sue Aitchison raised a lot of eyebrows and Artist Rob Schamberger also confirmed his departure from the promotion earlier this week.
Wrestling World Reacts To April 2024 WWE Releases
Veer Mahaan took on his Twitter to write a message in Hindi after the news of his release became public knowledge. His tweet translates to: “When it comes to the honor and respect of Indians, sacrifice comes first. Good Bye WWE”
??? ?? ?? ??????????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ? ??? ?? ????? ???? ????? Good Bye WWE ??
Xia Li posted a statement on Twitter thanking Triple H and everyone else who helped her through this run. She said that it’s not the end but a new beginning. Kairi Sane who is a close friend of Xia was among the people who reacted to her post:
This is the second time Jinder Mahal has been released by WWE after his initial release in 2014. He returned to the company in 2016 leading to his WWE Championship reign in 2017. He returned to NXT for a run most recently as well.
Xia Li was signed by the company in 2017 after a tryout in China. She became the first Chinese woman to compete in a WWE ring when she entered the 2018 Mae Young Classic tournament. After an NXT stint she made her main roster debut in 2021.
Xyon Quinn had a somewhat similar WWE experience. He signed a development contract with NXT in 2018. Quinn made his on-screen debut for the company during a SmackDown episode in April 2020 losing to Sheamus in a singles match.
He continued his stint with NXT despite multiple main roster appearances. He was declared a free agent during the 2023 Drafts and made occasional appearances on both of WWE’s premiere shows.
Mahal noted on his Twitter bio that the standard 90 days non compete clause applies to his release and the same should be true for the other departures as well.
Considering the backstage shakeups preceding the latest set of WWE releases, more names leaving the roster can emerge in the next few hours. You can stay tuned to SEScoops for any updates.
Wrestling fans who were live in Orlando for this week’s NXT tried to give Carmelo Hayes a proper send-off after the show went off the air, but the former champion was having none of it.
Hayes competed in a Steel Cage Match against his former best friend Trick Williams in the main event, a rematch from Stand and Deliver (which saw Williams get the W). Carmello’s security detail getting involved was the beginning of the end. They started climbing the cage but Williams meet them up at the top and sent everyone crashing.
Another guard, however, entered the cage with a chair, and when Trick was busy taking the guard out, Hayes picked up the weapon. Though Trick Williams showed some quick thinking and delivered the Trick Shot to Hayes through the chair for the win.
After This Week’s NXT
The 4/16 NXT went off air with Ilja Dragunov making an appearance at the ringside with his NXT title and staring Williams down. Once both Williams and Dragunov had returned to the back, the crowd began a “Thank you, Melo.” He was interested and left after doing a bras d’honneur.
The NXT Crowd was thanking Carmelo Hayes after his loss tonight but he wasn't impressed.
— Anutosh Bajpai || SEScoops || Wrestling News (@AuthorAnutosh) April 17, 2024
What’s Next For Carmelo Hayes
WWE has announced that the Drafts will be returning on April 26 and April 29 on SmackDown and Raw respectively. NXT’s involvement has been confirmed and Carmelo Hayes is one of the two stars believed to be main roster-bound.
Hayes with Ilja Dragunov are expected to be assigned a brand during the upcoming event. More names could be added to the list and there is even a real possibility of some main roster names leaving Raw or SmackDown to join WWE’s third brand.
The A-Champion has had a successful run with NXT which includes multiple impressive title reigns. There is little doubt that he will fair well in the main roster under the creative supervision of Triple H.
The Undertaker understands the backlash surrounding his induction of Muhammad Ali into the WWE Hall of Fame earlier this month.
The Dead Man played a pivotal role in this year’s WrestleMania and discussed the entire weekend in-depth on his Six Feet Under podcast. The Undertaker shocked fans by appearing in the Bloodline Rules main event to lay the smack down on The Rock one more time. The experienced provided him a sense of closure on his decades-long WWE career. However, the weekend was not without controversy.
Boxing legend Muhammad Ali was a cultural icon and a highly controversial figure. Much of the conflict surrounded his unwillingness to conscript in the US Army during the Vietnam War back in 1967. The Undertaker says some people called him out and even questioned his patriotism for honoring Ali. He has a special message for those folks, as you can read below.
“I mean, my goodness!”
The Dead Man explained that even through he doesn’t agree with Ali’s decision to avoid serving in the US military when called upon, he is still able to recognize what Muhammad Ali accomplished as a boxer and humanitarian.
“I was there and I was so tickled to be there and be able to induct Muhammad Ali. I’m glad you brought that up. So I got a little heat from part of the veteran community. For people that don’t know, Muhammad Ali, I don’t know who wouldn’t know this, but Muhammad Ali refused to go into the army.
He didn’t want to go to Vietnam. He didn’t see why that he was gonna go 6000 miles away from home to fight somebody that had no….and he didn’t do it and he ended up losing everything. To be honest, for a large part of my life, I resented Ali over that.”
“But the thing when you look at everything that Muhammad did and not even the athletic end of it, not even the boxing side of it, but the things that he did as a humanitarian and everything. I don’t agree, I still don’t agree with not going. Your country asked you to go do something, you could do it.
That’s how I am and I wouldn’t, but when you think about the conviction that he must have had in the beliefs, such a strong belief in what he thought was right and what he thought wasn’t. He gave up everything.”
The Undertaker shares strong political opinions and knows that many people disagree with. However, he’s not going to stand for anybody hurling insults at him or questioning his loyalty to the United States of America.
“I think too it was like ‘I thought Undertaker was a patriot.’ Man, kiss my ass! Kiss my Patriot ass. It just rubbed me a little bit. There are a lot of reasons.. I get some of it but to give me hate over inducting Muhammed Ali. I mean, my goodness.”
Muhammad Ali registered for conscription in the US Army on his 18th birthday in 1962. As a result of his refusal to join the Army for the Vietnam War, the New York State Athletic Commission suspended his boxing license.
The World Boxing Association then stripped him of his title and other boxing commissions followed suit. A case was also registered against Ali but his conviction was reversed by the Supreme Court in 1971.