AEW is reportedly going to tape more content beginning on May 6th, 2020 from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. The most recent episodes have been from tapings held at the Monster Factory gym in Georgia. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, unless circumstances change, AEW is planning to return to taping content in the first week of May.
“The plan right now is for AEW to go back either weekly or more often starting on 5/6 from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
AEW did not use people who would be traveling from areas highly-impacted by the ongoing pandemic at their last set of tapings. As a result, wrestlers from California and the New York area were not used. Several of these wrestlers are expected to take part in upcoming tapings, however. It is being reported that the company believes they will have twice as many wrestlers available for the next tapings. Wrestlers traveling from areas highly-impacted by the coronavirus will quarantine at least two weeks before being brought in.
Wrestlers from outside the United States will still be unable to travel in. This includes any roster members currently in the U.K, Mexico, or Canada.
The last set of tapings focussed on the TNT championship tournament. The next set is expected to focus on the build to Double or Nothing on May 23rd, 2020, however.
The state of Georgia will allow certain businesses to open back up for business this Friday. Gyms, bowling alleys, barbershops, and salons will be allowed to open in the state provided they adhere to social distancing guidelines. One gym which won’t be reopening in the state, however, is Diamond Dallas Page’s DDPY location in Smyrna, GA.
DDP was featured on CNN recently talking about his decision to stay closed.
“I’m very fortunate that my DDP Yoga program isn’t solely based on walk-up traffic,” DDP said on the show. “Of course the DDP Yoga Performance Center in Smyrna, that is and that will be closed. My DDP Yoga company which is app, DVDs, that if anything that’s booming right now. So, I’m in a much better position than a lot of people who are in a spot that got gyms.”
“For me, I’m going to err on the side of caution because first of all, I’m 64, so I definitely don’t want to be out there working with people, putting my hands on people or anything.”
DDP also spoke about the difference between rural Georgia and places like Atlanta in terms of COVID-19 cases. The discussion then led to how gyms will have to change the way they do things once they reopen.
“I believe the gym business is going to have to change the way they do business moving forward,” DDP continued. “I know for sure, when I open at some point, I will definitely be changing the way I do things.”
DDPs comments can be heard in the player below:
Ex-pro wrestler and yoga instructor Diamond Dallas Page says he will not be reopening his gym tomorrow despite the announcement from Georgia Gov. Kemp.
Last year, Chris Hemsworth was announced for the role of Hulk Hogan in a biopic on the famous wrestler’s life. The film will be directed by Todd Phillips, who is coming off of having directed 2019’s “Joker.”
Hemsworth was asked about the biopic recently in an interview with Screenrant. According to Hemsworth, he doesn’t know much about the film as of yet.
“Look, I haven’t read a script yet,” Hemsworth said. “I know it’s being written now and worked on. I know very little about that. It’s sort of in the process now.”
Hemsworth would continue to say that he’s excited about the role, however, and is interested in the world of wrestling.
“I’m just fascinated by that world, and I think they’re pretty keen to show a side of the world that people haven’t seen before. I’m as intrigued as you are.”
A script is currently in production. Scott Silver (Joker, 8 Mile) and John Pollono (This is Us) are writers on the project.
Hogan is a consultant for the film. It will be released on Netflix. Although not much is known at this point about the film, it is expected to focus on Hogan’s early years and rise to fame.
Britt Baker was shown on camera during NXT TakeOver: War Games last year. During the main event, Baker was shown looking on in concern with her hands covering her mouth. Mauro Ranallo noted that Baker was Adam Cole’s partner while she was shown on camera. According to WWE, the production crew wasn’t aware of who Baker is and believed they were just shooting a fan in the crowd.
Baker was recently a guest on Talk is Jericho and spoke about what Triple H and Stephanie McMahon said to her backstage about it.
“Triple H came up to me right away. He’s like, ‘Ah, I’m so sorry. We didn’t mean for that to happen.’ I’m kinda like, ‘Wait, what?’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, we got you on camera with your reaction to the bump. I’m so sorry. The head [of] production didn’t know who you were,’” Baker said.
“Do I believe that? I don’t know, but he was very apologetic to me, super-nice, him and Stephanie both were so sorry about that. ‘I hope you don’t get in trouble,’ which Tony didn’t care at all because after that night, I was the top Google search of that entire show — of the entire NXT show was Britt Baker, just because of that one little blip they showed me on TV.”
The Britt Baker Challenge
Baker being shown on camera during an NXT event then led to a spoof on AEW Dynamite. This time, Baker was shown reacting to Nyla Rose going on a rampage in much the same way she was shown reacting to the NXT show.
Cody has named a move after Gail Kim. He used the move on AEW Dark this week to defeat Joe Alonzo. Cody noted that the move is named the “Gail Lock” as he took the move from a clip of Gail Kim.
The Gail Lock helped Cody improve his record to 7-1 on the year. In the latest AEW rankings, Cody moved up to the #1 spot. Jake Hager was previously in the top-contender spot but dropped 3 places after losing his title match with Jon Moxley. Cody is unable to challenge for the AEW World title, however, due to losing his title shot against Chris Jericho at AEW Full Gear.
On Impact Wrestling as of late, Kim has been vocal about the potential she sees in the newly signed Kylie Rae. At Rebellion, Kylie Rae defeated Kiera Hogan with an STF.
Kim also recently commented on the return of Crazzy Steve to the promotion. The former Decay member was Tommy Dreamer and Rhino’s surprise teammate at Rebellion.
AEW has released its weekly rankings for April 22nd, 2020. The promotion releases new top-5 rankings every Wednesday for its men’s, women’s and tag team divisions.
AEW Men’s Division
World Champion: Jon Moxley (9-0)
Cody Rhodes (7-1) (+1)
Chris Jericho (0-1) (+1)
Kenny Omega (3-0) (+1)
Jake Hager (4-1) (-3)
Lance Archer (3-0)(previously unranked)
After Jon Moxley’s successful title defense last week, title-challenger Jake Hager drops from the #1 spot all the way to #4. As a result, Omega, Cody, and Jericho all move up one spot. Lance Archer defeated Colt Cabana on Dynamite last week. The win moves him into the rankings and into the TNT title tournament semi-finals. He bumps Darby Allin out of the rankings this week as well.
Cody picked up his 7th win of the year on Dark this week, defeating Joe Alonzo. Both Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega had the week off from competition.
AEW Women’s Division
Champion: Nyla Rose (4-1)
Hikaru Shida (7-1)
Kris Statlander (2-3)
Yuka Sakazaki (1-1)
Britt Baker (3-3) (+1)
Riho (3-3) (+1) (-1)
Britt Baker moves up one spot this week after defeating Cassandra Golden in single’s competition. Penelope Ford is likely just outside the top-5 as well after picking up a win over Anna Jay on Dark. Those were the only two matches in the division on the most recent episodes of Dark or Dynamite.
AEW Tag Team Division
Champions: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (6-0)
The Dark Order (5-0)
The Young Bucks (2-2)
Best Friends (4-3)
SCU (2-3)
Lucha Bros (1-2)
There was no movement in the tag team rankings this week. It does not appear as though the matches on BTE are counting toward official AEW records. There were no tag-team matches this week. Dynamite consisted of 6 single’s matches and Dark had 2 single’s matches. Chuck Taylor of the Best Friends lost to Kip Sabian in single’s competition, however. No other ranked tag competitors competed on Dynamite or Dark.
The still-unsolved murder of Dino Bravo was the topic of the latest episode of Vice’sDark Side of the Ring. During the episode, Jacques Rougeau is interviewed and he revealed what Dino Bravo said to him the night he was murdered.
The episode covers how Bravo got involved with organized crime shortly after leaving the World Wrestling Federation. Bravo’s last match in WWF was May 16th, 1992. He would be dead less than 10 months later. It was suggested during the show that Bravo likely new his life was in danger shortly before he was murdered.
“One night, Dino calls me. ‘Hey Jaques, can you come and see me?’ I’m going ‘Dino’s calling me to go see him?’ We’re not that close of friends,” Rougeau said during the documentary. “We respect each other but we’re not that close of friends.”
“I said ‘ok, I can’t go today but I’ll go tomorrow.’ He says ‘come and see me as soon as you can.’ That was his last words to me,” Rougeau continued.
That night Dino is said to have been at home watching a hockey game.
“The next morning I’m at the gas station, now I’m going to see him,” Rougeau continued. “At the pump, the guy says ‘yeah, your friend your buddy there he got it, huh?’ I looked at the paper, the front page of the Montreal paper. He got 11 bullets in the body and 7 bullets in the head, that’s a rough way to go.”
The documentary goes into further detail regarding the known details of Bravo’s murder. It features interviews with Jimmy Hart, Jacques Rougeau, as well as Bravo’s family.
Impact recently taped months worth of content in Tennessee including the 2-part Rebellion event. Former Impact World Champion Sami Callihan took part in the tapings and his match against Ken Shamrock from Rebellion aired on last night’s show. When the global pandemic first began to impact live events, Callihan stated he would not be wrestling during this time. He spoke to SI.com recently about what made him feel safe taking part in the recent tapings for Impact.
“The reason that I was 100% OK with doing that was because Impact took amazing care of us,” Callihan said during the interview. “From the time we got there to the time we left, I knew no one from our crew was going to be in any danger. Impact took every precaution to make sure our television taping was the safest television taping going on right now.”
Sami Callihan on Recent Impact Tapings
Unfortunately, several members of the roster were unable to attend the tapings. Neither Tessa Blanchard nor Eddie Edwards attended. Tag champions the North were unable to travel to the state due to the US-Canada border being shut down. A Knockouts title match between Taya Valkyrie and Jordynne Grace has been scrapped from Rebellion as well.
“I put my entire trust in Impact management to make sure we all get taken care of,” Callihan continued. “I’ve wrestled for every major wrestling company on the planet, and Impact Wrestling truly is a family. I know it’s crazy to think how many ‘families’ there are in this crazy world, but our entire locker room and our entire staff took care of each other so we could all be safe.”
Callihan took on a new gimmick in Impact Wrestling shortly after losing the world title to Tessa Blanchard. He has been revealed as the hacker behind the “ICU” videos on the show. He spoke with Chris Van Vliet recently about the character.
Dustin Rhodes will take on Kip Sabian tonight on Dynamite. The match will be in the 1st round of the TNT Championship tournament. Rhodes has also said that if he fails to defeat Sabian tonight, he’ll retire from wrestling. He spoke with TV Insider recently about his time in AEW so far. During the conversation, Dustin opened up about his relationship with his brother Cody.
“There is a huge age difference between my brother and myself,” Dustin said about his brother who is 17-years younger than him. “We don’t have a lot in common. He has grown up his way, and we were blessed to tag with each other in WWE. He went off on his own and left. I was stuck there, which is exactly what it was.”
Was this your @dustinrhodes moment? In Austin, TX, he gained a win against @sammyguevara. Let us know your favorite moment from the #AEW career of the Natural!
Dustin went on to praise Cody’s creative ability. He also noted that much of Cody’s hunger and desire he’s shown in the business can be attributed to their shared family lineage.
“He was hungry and had it in him because he is a Rhodes. Our legacy is strong,” Dustin continued. “He has that creative ability and insight not a lot of people know or see. What he does backstage, before the show, and what he puts together before the show – it’s incredible.”
Dustin would continue to say that he’s enjoyed being able to reconnect with Cody and Brandi in addition to all the others at AEW.
“He has my dad in him 150 percent. For me to come on the scene and reconnect, even though he lives in Georgia and I live in Texas, [and] for me to reconnect with him and Brandi and all these people, it’s great.”
AEW Dynamite Lineup
This week’s edition of Dyanmiate features 2 TNT title tournament matches. Dustin Rhodes vs Kip Sabian will take place in addition to Sammy Guevara vs Darby Allin. The winner of Rhodes vs Sabian will meet Jake Roberts’ client Lance Archer in the semi-finals. The winner of Guevara vs Allin tonight will face Cody in the 2nd-round. It’s possible the two Rhodes brothers could meet each other in the finals of this tournament, though there are 4 other wrestlers still alive in the tournament who will be looking to prevent that from happening.
Dustin covers many other subjects during the interview. The full discussion can be read here.
Was this your @dustinrhodes moment? Let us know your favorite moment from the #AEW career of the Natural!
Impact Wrestling presented the first night of its Rebellion event last night on AXS TV and Twitch. The show featured an X-Division title match and was headlined by Sami Callihan taking on Ken Shamrock.
Impact Rebellion Night 1 Quick Results:
Tommy Dreamer, Rhino & Crazzy Steve defeated OVE (Madman Fulton, Dave & Jake Crist)
The Rascalz (Dez & Wentz) defeated XXXL (Acey Romero & Larry D) and Fallah Bahh & TJP
Unsanctioned Match Ken Shamrock defeated Sami Callihan
Ken Shamrock Defeats Sami Callihan In Cinematic Main Event
Ken Shamrock got his hands on Sami Callihan last night to headline Night 1 of Rebellion. This unsanctioned match would spill to the outside shortly after Shamrock jumped off the stage and landed on Callihan. From there, things took a very cinematic turn. We’ve seen a lot of these matches in other promotions as of late but Impact has a fair amount of experience and history with this emerging genre of pro-wrestling. There was no magic or otherworldly powers involved here, though.
Callihan’s former OVE stablemates joined the attack and it looked as though Shamrock would be heavily outnumbered. Callihan took a baseball bat to the members of OVE, however, taking them out of the equation and confirming he is no longer aligned with the group. From there, Shamrock and Callihan agreed to take things outside to the street. Callihan had Shamrock locked in a rear-naked choke but Shamrock managed to get out. He then locked in the Ankle Lock on Callihan. The man behind the ICU videos who now claims to “see ev-ree-thing” would not tap but rather lost consciousness and the ref called for an end to the match.
Willie Mack Wins X-Division Gold
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUSbYH6RRg8
Willie Mack left Rebellion with X-Division gold after defeating Ace Austin in a match that seemed like it could go either way. Austin countered a Stunner attempt by Mack into a Fold but Mack kicked out from the champion’s finish. Mack then hit a pop-up Stunner which Austin kicked out of. As Mack went for the 6-star frog splash, Austin rolled away to an opposing corner. Mack then landed a coast-to-coast on the unsuspecting Austin. The finish of the match then came when Austin was setting Mack up for something on the turnbuckle but took a Stunner from Mack (who crotched himself on the turnbuckle in the process) and then delivered a 6-star frog splash for the win.
Mack becomes the 46th person to win the title and begins the 91st reign in its lineage.
After the title win, Rich Swann noted that there was no reason why they couldn’t still go for the tag titles. Johnny Swinger also showed up in the back and lamented the end of the “Mack and Pack Connection.”
Uncertain Impact World Title Picture
"Years from now when people are looking back on champions in IMPACT Wrestling, Michael Elgin is going to be number one."
It was noted on the broadcast that neither Tessa Blanchard nor Eddie Edwards was able to attend the tapings in Tennesse. This left only Michael Elgin from the 3 wrestlers scheduled to compete for the world title at Rebellion. Elgin promised that a new world champion will be crowned next week, though it was never revealed how that will happen. Impact is advertising that the future of the world title will be revealed on next week’s show.
Kylie Rae Scores Big Win Over Kiera Hogan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RpCYw7lMpQ
Last week on Impact, Kiera Hogan made Kylie Rae stop smiling and get a little angry. Kylie snapped at Hogan that she was not very nice after Hogan noted that there were no friends in the Knockouts locker room setting up this match here.
Kylie was able to pick up the victory via submission with an STF. It was noted on commentary that when Kylie does the move, the acronym stands for “Smile, it’s The Finish.”
Tag Titles Stuck Up “North” As Rascalz Win Multi-Team Bout
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjLMYHXOvqQ
Dez and Wentz from the Rascalz picked up a win in a triple threat tag match this week. While the win likely moves them up the rankings and closer to a title shot, the current champs are unable to cross the border into the United States at the moment. An interview with Ethan Page and Josh Alexander this week involved the team saying that they plan to defend the titles against Canada’s top teams as soon as possible.
Crazzy Steve Returns To Impact
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqF44ZO8KJs
Tommy Dreamer and Rhino promised a surprise partner to take on Madman Fulton and the Crist brothers this week. Their teammate turned out to be Crazzy Steve formerly of the Menagerie and Decay in TNA. Steve is a one-time tag team champion along with Abyss. Rhino would pick up the victory for his team with a Gore on Dave Crist.
The Full Metal Mayhem match for the Knockouts title appears to have been scrapped. It has been replaced with Havok vs Rosemary in the same type of match but without the title on the line. It doesn’t appear as though either Taya or Jordynne Grace were able to make the tapings.
Here are the matches lined up for Night 2 of Rebellion next week:
Jake “the Snake” Roberts made a surprise debut in AEW last month. He confronted Cody on Dynamite and noted that he was bringing a client into AEW. That client turned out to be Lance Archer. The former member of the Killer Elite Squad was a guest recently on Busted Open Radio and spoke about working with the legendary Roberts.
During the conversation, Bully Ray asked Archer why Roberts was his manager in AEW and noted that Archer doesn’t need anyone to speak for him.
“He was one of the best speakers in this business today,” Archer said on the show. “I believe that I’ve grown in my ability to get out there and say what I need to say when I need to say it.”
Archer continued to talk about the benefits of having Jake by his side.
“I think it just helps me transition back into a full-time American fan base. I think that’s one of the biggest reasons why. And I think this is a good transition with someone they absolutely know and they adore that is Jake ‘the Snake’ Roberts.”
Bully then suggested that Jake’s abilities could take the spotlight away from Archer. He asked Archer if he was worried about sharing that spotlight.
“Absolutely not,” Archer answered. “Once I step in the ring, I command the spotlight when I step in the ring. Jake commands the spotlight because he’s Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts and when he speaks people are listening.”
Archer’s comments can be heard in the Tweet below:
Former commissioner of the XFL, Oliver Luck, is suing Vince McMahon. Luck is suing for money that he was guaranteed upon accepting the position to run the league in May of 2018.
His XFL contract was believed to be worth $20-25 million over 5 years. It stipulated he was to receive all money owed if terminated without cause.
Luck was not listed as a creditor from the XFL’s bankruptcy filings earlier this month. This was as a result of a judge approving Alpha Entertainment’s rejection of several top-executive contracts. As a result, Luck’s only recourse to recoup his losses from the league’s folding is to sue McMahon.
“Luck’s contract was not with McMahon personally. Will the court be convinced that McMahon’s pledge to provide his own money adds personal liability? Seems to be a stretch,” stated lawyer Darren Heitner with Heitner Legal in regard to the suit.
Several XFL coaches were listed as creditors in the XFL’s bankruptcy filings, however.
Bob Stoops – owed $1.08 million
Marc Trestman – owed $777,777
Jonathan Hayes – owed $633,333
The XFL officially filed for bankruptcy on April 13th, 2020. The league issued the following statement to TMZ:
“We have filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. This is a heartbreaking time for many, including our passionate fans, players and staff, and we are thankful to them, our television partners, and the many Americans who rallied to the XFL for the love of football.”
Bankruptcy filings revealed WWE owned 23.5% of the league.
At today’s Orange County Board of County Commissioners meeting in Florida, a public comment was submitted by someone claiming to be a WWE employee. The person was referred to only as “Jon.” The statement reads:
“My employer, World Wrestling Entertainment aka WWE is forcing me to work the TV tapings for its weekly shows despite work-at-home orders for Coronavirus. I am unable to speak out as I need this job and I know I will be fired if I approach my higher-ups.”
“Despite sanitary precautions, we cannot maintain social distancing and have to touch other people. I request the government to shut down these tapings and enforce the stay at home order so my colleagues and I may follow social distancing rules without fear of repercussion of losing our jobs.”
As the comment was made anonymously, it cannot be verified if “Jon” really is employed by WWE.
Florida-based journalist Jon Alba has been Tweeting on the news:
At Tuesday's Orange County Board of County Commissioners meeting, a #WWE employee named "John" submitted public comment they're being "forced to work" TV tapings despite stay at home orders. Says he's unable to speak out and feels he will be fired if he approaches his higher-ups. pic.twitter.com/UJTvX1RGc7
As we covered last week, #WWE had initially been ruled a non-essential business in Orange County, and the Orange County Sheriff had been called several times to the Performance Center. Then, an April 9 Executive Order by Gov. DeSantis included it as an essential business.
While there isn't really way to verify this is 100% absolutely a #WWE employee given the nature of the complaint, it should be noted there have been several within the company who have expressed concern, many privately, over the tapings continuing.
WWE has since issued the following statement denying the allegation:
“These accusations aren’t true. Employees know they can confidentially go to Human Resources, not the public. Notwithstanding the appropriate protocol, no one would be fired if they were uncomfortable with their surroundings. We’ve made accommodations for individuals upon request.”
There were numerous reports on Monday that a recently released wrestler from WWE would be returning on RAW. Further reports revealed that Sarah Logan was the wrestler in question. Her return did not happen, however. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer, Logan’s return had been scheduled but was pulled last minute.
According to the report, Logan’s return had been scripted but was pulled after the show had already started. It was also noted that Logan has not officially been rehired by the company. Additionally, it was noted that all recently released wrestlers are being paid for 90 days and WWE feels they can still use them during this time.
Former 205 Live General Manager, Drake Maverick, was released last week but will still be participating in the interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship tournament.
Logan was shown on RAW last night in two different highlight packages. Shayna Baszler broke her arm in storyline the previous week and replays of the segment were shown on RAW. Logan was also featured in highlights packages of the Riott Squad before the Liv Morgan vs Ruby Riott match last night.
There are no further updates on if Logan will be rehired by the company or not.
Sami Zayn successfully retained his Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania over Daniel Bryan. He hasn’t been on Smackdown since, however. Zayn recently revealed on Twitter a possible reason for his absence. It appears the current IC champion recently had his wisdom teeth removed.
In lighter news, I had my wisdom teeth taken out last week so I've been on an #AllPuddingDiet for days and now I'm ripped to shreds.
The unofficial dentist of pro-wrestling, Dr. Britt Baker DMD, had some advice for Zayn as well.
Beware of dry socket
— Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (@RealBrittBaker) April 21, 2020
Sami Zayn Critical Of Anti-Lockdown Protests
While Zayn is likely having trouble speaking in the aftermath of his surgery, he has been vocal on social media. Most notably, Zayn has been critical of the anti-lockdown protests in the United States.
Sami Zayn’s faction on Smackdown is now being referred to as “the Artist Collective.” The stable consists of Zayn, Cesaro, and Shinsuke Nakamura. He talked a bit about his current role on Smackdown during an episode of WWE’s “the Bump”
“It’s funny because even though I’ve made a name for myself as a guy who could go in the ring. Now I’m doing that just in a different avenue just by running my mouth, so it’s kinda interesting to me too,” Zayn said on the show.
AEW’s California-based roster has not been competing on Dynamite as of late. Many of them have been wrestling at the BTE compound, however. Last week on BTE, a rather bizarre Royal Rumble type match took place with Nick Jackson coming out the winner.
With the win, Nick got to pick whatever match he wanted for BTE 200. The match he wanted is the one he said could prove that he was back to 100% health following the backstage attack by the Inner Circle last month. Nick’s pick was to face his own brother Matt in the main event of BTE 200. The match aired today on YouTube.
Nick Jackson vs Matt Jackson – BTE 200
The match actually started off on the tennis court as Nick attacked Matt before the bell. A “falls count anywhere” stipulation was placed on the match as well.
Nick put Matt on a golf cart and wheeled him around until they ended up at the BTE gym seen in recent episodes. The brothers would exchange near-falls from pinning combinations until the match then spilled into Nick’s backyard. It was in Nick’s yard that Matt would hit a series of 5 continuing Northern Lights Suplexes before Nick hit a tornado DDT using his fence for leverage.
As the match moved out from Nick’s backyard, the younger Young Buck started to play dirty by throwing dirt in Matt’s face. This allowed Nick to set Matt up on a table and jump off his roof with a senton for a near-fall. Nick then held Matt’s head underwater briefly before his brother fought back. Matt then hit a Canadian Destroyer off the diving board and into the pool for a near-fall with the ref counting on the surface of the water.
Nick then used his “Merch Freak” magic to send Matt Jackson to an alternate universe. All of a sudden, Matt Jackson was dressed as Marty Jannetty and Nick as Shawn Michaels. The brothers then recreated the famous “Barber Shop” moment that broke up the Rockers. When Matt came back to reality, Nick hit him in the back with a shovel and the two exchanged clotheslines on the deck.
After Matt delivered a tombstone to his brother, things started to get weird again. Matt brought out a pair of sharply spiked cleats and put them on. He then superkicked his brother in the face with them. They recreated the Shawn Michaels/Ric Flair “I’m sorry I love you” WrestleMania moment. Then Matt gave his brother an elbow from the deck for the win.
After the Match
After the match, the two brothers sat atop the deck and cleared the air. Nick noted that he is not 100% but he’s feeling pretty good. After 4 years of doing BTE, Nick noted it’s been the best 4 years of his life. An emotional montage then played before Nick and Matt were seen in the car saying there was one more thing they had to do. They did not mention what that is, however.
There is reason to believe it’s possible that one of the many wrestlers released from WWE last week will be on RAW tonight. There is no information on who the wrestler might be, however. Ryan Satin recently noted on Twitter that his sources are telling him one released wrestler might appear on RAW tonight:
Hearing it’s possible that one of the wrestlers who was released from WWE last week could be making an appearance on RAW tonight.
RAW will be live tonight as WWE doesn’t revert back to taping episodes until next week. Drake Maverick has already committed to finishing out the NXT cruiserweight tournament despite being announced as one of the roster cuts last week.
WWE Recently Released Wrestlers
The following names were officially released from WWE last week:
Drake Maverick
Luke Gallows
Karl Anderson
EC3
Curt Hawkins
Lio Rush
Heath Slater
Eric Young
Kurt Angle
Aiden English
Erik Rowan
Sarah Logan
Mike Chioda
Primo & Epico Colon
Mike Kanellis (Bennett)
Maria Kanellis
Zack Ryder
No Way Jose
Deonna Purrazzo
Additionally, several backstage producers/agents had their contracts furloughed (provided they were full-time WWE employees, otherwise they were released outright).
Dixie Carter brought Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff into TNA Wrestling in early 2010. The deal actually came together in late 2009 but both Bischoff and Hogan would be on TNA programming that January. On an episode of Bischoff’s “83 Weeks” podcast, Bischoff discussed the impact Hogan had on TNA and the limitations they both felt while with the company.
“I was excited, I was excited at the possibilities and the potential that appeared at least initially to be there,” Bischoff said about debuting in TNA alongside Hogan in 2010.
He continued to say he didn’t feel TNA as a company did much to capitalize on the momentum they had shortly after Hogan and his debut, however.
“Had TNA as a company done the things necessary to take advantage of some of that momentum it may have carried itself forward.”
Bischoff then said that as things continued in TNA, he became less confident in the company’s ability to capitalize on the star power they had.
“The deeper we got into it the more we realized that there were no real resources put behind any of this by TNA. It was really wishful thinking on their part that all you had to do was throw these big names out there.”
“There were a lot of big names that were in TNA when we got there that weren’t really moving the needle the way they should have and I think a lot of that is because TNA didn’t know what to do with them.”
Eric Bischoff on TNA Running Monday Nights
Bischoff also spoke about TNA’s brief run on Monday nights during that period.
“The idea of moving to Monday night wasn’t so much because we thought we could be competitive to the WWE,” Bischoff said. “I hope someone from AEW is listening to this. It wasn’t because we thought we were going to be able to be competitive but we knew when we went if we went head-to-head with Monday Night RAW much like making an announcement at Madison Square Garden we knew that going head-to-head whether it was for a short period, it was an experiment. We knew that it was an experiment. It was never intended to be or committed to be any kind of a long-term decision but we knew we would create a buzz.”
Major League Wrestling presented its 2nd show as part of the AAA vs MLW Super Series. The event was held in Tijuana, Mexico and this week’s show featured 2 more matches in the series.
The full episode can be viewed in the player below:
MLW Fusion 4/18/20 Quick Results:
Averno defeated Douglas James (AAA leads 2:1)
Team Filthy (Dominic Garrini & Tom Lawlor) defeated Xtreme Tiger & Puma King (Tied 2:2)
After King Mo’s suspension was upheld, Tom Lawlor said Team Filthy would adapt. He also said that he and Dominic Garrini would form a tag team with the goal of relieving the Von Erich brothers of the MLW tag titles. This week, Garrini and Lawlor teamed up against Xtreme Tiger and Puma King. Team Filthy broke out some new double-team moves this week but in the end, it would be a basic rear-naked choke from Lawlor that would earn his team the victory.
There was some confusion at the end of the match as the referee didn’t signal for the bell right away after Tiger tapped. The referee immediately attempted to pry Lawlor off the luchador and neglected to ring for the bell until after Lawlor relented. Earlier in the contest, the referee had disallowed a blind tag by Team Filthy as well. There were concerns about AAA-bias from the officials in the night’s opening contest as well.
The night’s opening contest saw Douglas James of MLW take on AAA’s Averno. After Averno took the early advantage, throwing his opponent through a table on the outside and delivering a buckle bomb inside the ring, James then took control. James’ comeback led to a beautiful Meteora which looked to have his opponent finished. An extremely slow count from the referee allowed Averno time to recover, however.
In Mexico, it is not uncommon for a referee to show a little bias and it looks as though that is what happened here. After Averno recovered he delivered a massive forearm to James, knocking him out and ending the match.
Alexander Hammerstone Eats Cake After Brawl With O’l Mancer
The rivalry between the Dynasty and Mance Warner continued this week as O’l Mancer caught up with Hammerstone in the back. The two brawled throughout the arena until they hit a locker room where Alicia Atout’s birthday celebrations were ongoing. Just as Savio Vega, Brian Pillman, and Alicia Atout were going to enjoy some birthday cake, Hammerstone and Warner’s brawl spilled into the room. Warner ended up throwing Hammerstone face-first into the cake. The show ended as Vega and Pillman ate from the part of the cake that Hammerstone’s face didn’t smash into.
Brian Pillman Jr. was the victim of a vicious assault at the hands of Injustice recently. The trio smashed his head against a cinder block but miraculously, Pillman has been cleared to compete next week. Davey Boy Smith Jr. announced that Pillman will be back next week and the two Hart Foundation members will compete in tag action. He also suggested that Pillman knew “the right doctors” and that is how he got cleared.
Pillman being cleared infuriated the members of Injustice. The trio should be more worried about their upcoming shot at the AAA trios titles against Los Jinetes del Aire (El Hijo del Vikingo, Myzteziz Jr. & Octagon Jr.), however. That match will air in the coming weeks on Fusion.
Richard Holliday was interviewed this week alongside Alexander Hammerstone. Holliday will defend “his” Caribbean Championship next week against Chessman. He seemed not to know who Chessman is and did not seem overly concerned about the match. Holliday has also been lobbying as of late for the Caribbean title to be made an official championship of MLW.
Last week on Fusion, Pagano was involved in a hardcore battle on Fusion. This week, he cut a promo in the back where he specifically made mention of MLW World Champion Jacob Fatu. Pagano has promised to bring carnage to MLW and it appears he may have his sights already set on the world champion.
Cody Rhodes was recently interviewed by Bleacher Report Live. During the conversation, he spoke about his loose connection to the Netflix docu-series, “Tiger King.”
According to Cody, 5 years ago he was told the stories about Carole Baskin as if they were complete fact. “I have this very loose kind of connection to Tiger King,” Cody said during the interview. “Very loose. As far as, I went to a sanctuary that was in Melrose, Florida. A really great Tiger sanctuary called Single Vision. They took tigers that, situations like Joe Exotic – there’s a bit of an epidemic in this country with people who get these big cats and then don’t know what to do with them like you saw on the show. So they would go to places like Joe or Carole.”
Cody continued to say that when deciding which Tiger sanctuary to go to, he and Brandi were told the stories about Carole Baskin.
“I’m trying not to implicate anyone. I had heard the Carole Baskin story like 5 years ago. It was just a universally known thing amongst that world, that tiger world, like ‘hey don’t mess with her, this is what she did.” Now, I’m not saying I believe it but I was told as if it was absolute fact. So when it was brought up on the show, my mind was blown! Now I’ve heard this from multiple people in the animal world and now it’s for everyone to see again. I really enjoyed Tiger King, a very crazy outlook on a unique situation.”
Cody continued to talk about who told them the stories about Carole Baskin, though he did not implicate anyone personally.
“We were debating do we go to Big Cat Sanctuary or do we go to our other place. And the individual was like ‘you don’t want to go to the former because…’ and that’s where we heard it for the first time.”
Adam Thornstowe is 1/2 of Impact Wrestling’s Reno Scum. Evidently, when he isn’t teaming with Luster the Legend and helping Ace Austin with his underhanded tactics, he is working long hours in a hospital during a global pandemic.
“Just taking a little break at the hospital to let everyone know what I’ve been up to,” Thornstowe says in the video. “This is pretty much it. 40-60 hours a week I’ve been down here in surgery. Just trying to help out my community and do my part. This is what I do besides from Impact Wrestling. I try to juggle both jobs as best I can.”
“Being here at the hospital, every now and then it’s just a little mentally taxing,” he continued.
“I guarantee we are all going to get through this together. Reno Scum and Ace Austin are going to be kicking a** in an Impact wrestling ring before you know it. Hope you are all staying safe, staying inside, washing your hands, telling the people you love that you love them. Stay safe out there and I’ll see you a lot sooner than later.”
Thornstowe’s video can be viewed in the player below:
Impact has been posting videos with the #URTheImpact to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkAaQH7rfxc
Dawn Marie Providing An Essential Service
There can be no debating that what Dawn Marie is up to these days is far more essential than pro-wrestling. The former valet for the Impact Players now works in nursing.
There has never been a better crowd. I’m moved to tears! The families are cheering us as we enter and leave the buildings. I’ve never been more proud of my accomplishments then I am today. pic.twitter.com/4AjLrqGUtd
Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) has not wrestled since March 11th, 2020. He teamed with the Butcher and the Blade on Dynamite that night and defeated the Jurassic Express. MJF has wrestled just once since defeating Cody Rhodes at AEW Revolution. It appears that MJF’s infrequent schedule might be as a result of an injury.
MJF noted on Twitter today that he is dealing with something that may require surgery.
My Issue has gotten worse, Its looking like I Might need surgery.
Earlier this month, MJF noted that he was dealing with something that was preventing him from performing.
I wish I could put my body on the line more for you guys. I truly care so much about you being entertained during your hour of need. Unfortunately something awful has happened to me and it has gradually gotten worse. I can’t comment on what the issue is at this time. https://t.co/1WoXSzPh7r
When AEW revealed its top-5 rankings for April 1st, 2020, MJF was not ranked. He had been ranked #2 the week prior. We noted in our AEW rankings post that week that his dropping out of the rankings was likely due to inactivity as he had only wrestled once in all of March.
MJF is 5-0 in AEW single’s matches. He’s defeated Brandon Cutler, Hangman Page, Joey Janela, Jungle Boy, and Cody. He’s also been in 2 battle royals that he didn’t win and one fatal-4 way match that was won by Hangman Page and also involved Jimmy Havoc and Jungle Boy. MJF is 3-0 in tag-team matches.
Alexa Bliss is currently 1/2 of the Women’s Tag Team Champions alongside her partner, Nikki Cross. Before she got to WWE, however, Bliss dealt with an eating disorder. She recently spoke to SI.com about the impacts this had on her life and the scary health consequences that resulted.
When Bliss was 15 years old, her weight fell to just 80lbs. Her heart rate fell below a normal healthy rate and she was taken to hospital.
“When I went to the hospital, I almost went into cardiac arrest,” said Bliss. “And I wasn’t allowed to go to sleep—they thought I’d die if I did.”
Bliss also spoke about how eating disorders run in her family. She also noted that every few years she deals with a bout of depression.
“Dealing with eating disorders, anxiety, and depression, I’m no stranger to mental illness. Every few years, I deal with a really bad spell of depression. You have to know it doesn’t have to overtake your life,” Bliss continued.
“Mental illness can dictate someone’s entire life. I put myself in a position to be in the public eye, but I’m doing what I love. I’ve gone to therapy, I’ve done everything I can do to get my brain in a healthy place.”
A link to the full interview with SI.com can be found here.
Alexa Bliss in WWE
Alexa Bliss is one of the most decorated women’s wrestlers in the modern era. She is a former 3x RAW Women’s champion. Bliss has held the Smackdown Women’s Championship twice as well. Additionally, Bliss Cross (Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross) is now 2x WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. The duo most recently won the titles from the Kabuki Warriors at WrestleMania 36.
The Revival are no longer with WWE, having been granted their releases from the company on April 10th. Prior to granting Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder their releases, WWE was planed to repackage the duo as a comedy act.
Vince McMahon is said to have personally given the above photos to illustrate the new look he wanted the team to go with. The photos come courtesy of Bodyslam.net. The Revival were to receive new ring music, in addition to the bow-ties, silly hats, glow sticks, oversized necklace, etc. that this new gimmick would have included.
Cash Wheeler (formerly Dash Wilder) was asked on Twitter if these photos are legit. He respectfully ‘pleaded the fifth’ and let the images speak for themselves.
— Daniel “Cash” Wheeler (@CashWheelerFTR) April 18, 2020
This is not the first time WWE has dogged The Revival with third rate comedy garbage. Last year, the world-class in-ring technicians were the butt of several wacky gags on WWE programming. During a feud with The Usos, they were caught shaving each other’s backs backstage in the locker room. They were also pranked with “Ucey Hot” cream, a high-point for WWE’s recent creative efforts.
Back in December, it had been reported that there were plans to turn the Revival into a full-fledged comedy team. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, the team was set to become a spoof of the Fabulous Ones.
“The booking plan on Smackdown is to turn The Revival into comedy characters,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “There are mixed feelings on this for obvious reasons and it still may get shot down, but the deal where Wilder tripped and fell during the ring entrance was supposed to be the start of it.”
The Revival is already using new ring names. Dash Wilder is now Cash Wheeler and Scott Dawson is going by Dax Harwood. The same day they were released from WWE, Wheeler filed a trademark application for the phrase, “Fear The Revolt.”
Whatever you call them, Wheeler and Hardwood are free agents unbound by no-compete clauses.
Dr. Britt Baker DMD has quickly become one of the most talked-about heels in AEW. In recent months on Dynamite, Baker has been ruthless in her comments to Tony Schiavone and even more ruthless to her opponents in the ring. Her new persona is not what she thought she would be doing when she started with the promotion, however. In a recent interview with the Bleacher Report, Baker spoke about her current character and the confidence she gets from working alongside Schiavone.
“It’s really totally not where I expected I would be right now, as far as character-wise,” Baker said. “I love it. Every second of it, I’m enjoying it.”
Baker also spoke about working with her “friend” Tony Schiavone on Dynamite.
“There’s always a sense of comfort knowing I have Tony Schiavone standing there with you because if anything really goes off the rails he can save it. It’s comforting, because I know he’s right there with me.”
“Tony Schiavone is such a pro and he’s so amazing, his reaction, his body language, and his gestures truly make the promos, because he’s so, so good. It’s these little organic things and these gestures. I nudged him one week and said, ‘Stand up straight,’ and he does it. He just acted on command, and it’s so funny because he’s such a professional.”
Baker also spoke during the interview about how she doesn’t memorize her promos. Rather she goes off of bullet points and then feeds off the crowd.
“You learn really quickly what works and what doesn’t. There’s a lot of moving parts to making something successful. I think I’m a prime example of people just improving over time with more TV exposure and getting more comfortable, but that comfort also comes with help from the back.”
Baker goes into further detail on these subjects in more during the interview. A link to the full discussion can be found here.
Britt Baker in AEW
At the time of this writing, Baker is ranked #5 in the AEW women’s division. She recently dropped from the #4 spot after losing to the #1 ranked Hikaru Shida 2 weeks ago.
Baker holds a career record of 10-7 in AEW. Her 10 wins is 3rd most of any female in the company. Hikaru Shida has a 12-5 career record in the promotion and Riho is sitting at an 11-6 record. She defeated Cassandra Golden this week on Dynamite.
