WWE released 18 wrestlers on Thursday. We’re now getting word that some people’s refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccination played a direct impact on their departures.

The NY Post was first to report that Nia Jax was among the handful of people let go due to their vaccination status.

“A source with knowledge of WWE’s operations told The Post that one of the reasons Nia Jax, a former WWE Raw women’s champion, was released is that she is unvaccinated,” wrote Ryan Glasspiegel.

Update: Nia Jax issued a statement about her WWE release and says the company did not mention vaccination status when informing her she’s being let go.

Clearly it was not all budget cuts

Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.com corroborated this story on Thursday’s episode of the Bryan and Lance Show. Alvarez says he heard some of the cuts were due to wrestlers being unwilling to get vaccinated.

“Yes, it is true. I’ve heard this from multiple sources, that there were individuals that were cut because they refused to get vaccinated,” Alvarez said on the show.

“So, clearly it was not all budget cuts. There were at least a small handful of names on that list that just weren’t going to get vaccinated and the company didn’t want to deal with it.”

The issue was also addressed by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

“Some of the talent released was due to them refusing to get vaccinated and not being big enough stars to get away with that,” wrote Dave Meltzer. He noted that it is believed 5 of the 18 were cut for this reason. One source noted the number could be larger than that, however.

A fully tally of everyone released from the company this year is available in the link below:

Following a tragic incident that led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson has pledged to never use real guns in any of his movies. On October 21st, Hutchins was fatally wounded on the set of the film “Rust” following the discharge of a gun by actor Alec Baldwin.

The Rock recently spoke to Variety at the premiere of his new film, “Red Notice.”

“First of all, I was heartbroken,” Rock said. “We lost a life. My heart goes out to her family and everybody on set. I’ve known Alec, too, for a very long time.”

“I can’t speak for anyone else, but I can tell you, without an absence of clarity here, that any movie that we have moving forward with Seven Bucks Productions — any movie, any television show, or anything we do or produce — we won’t use real guns at all,” Johnson continued.

“We’re going to switch over to rubber guns, and we’re going to take care of it in post,” he said. “We’re not going to worry about the dollars; we won’t worry about what it costs.”

“Any movie we do that Seven Bucks does with any studio, the rule is we’re not going to use real guns. That’s it,” he continued.

In addition to the Rock’s vows, 200 cinematographers have also pledged to never use real guns on set again.

Red Notice will be released on Netflix on November 12th.

Young Rock Christmas Special To Air Next Month

Rock’s NBC series “Young Rock” will have a Christmas special next month. The special is scheduled to air on December 15th. The series follows the Rock during various stages of his life, from adolescence to college. The plot of the show is that the Rock is preparing for a Presidential run in the year 2032 and is telling his life stories to a journalist.

NBC announced news of the special recently.

How much winning a world championship means to a wrestler varies from validation of a lifetime in the industry to nothing more than just a prop. Some feel the title is just a tool to get someone over, while others view it as receiving an award for their efforts.

New Impact World Champion Moose recently commented that while it feels good for a company to put the title on him, in the end, he views it as just a prop.

During an appearance on SGP Radio, Moose was asked what winning the Impact world title means to him.

“I’m kind of indifferent about it,” Moose responded. “It feels good for a company to put the championship on you and be like, ‘Hey, you’re our guy.’ At the end of the day, it is just a prop. It is just a prop. One thing I have noticed with this prop is that it makes you busier. When I didn’t have the championship, I didn’t have to do all these interviews and I didn’t have to pre-tapes.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not downplaying being IMPACT World Champion, obviously you don’t become a wrestler without one day wanting to be World Champion,” Moose continued.

“This is Quinn talking, not Moose, because obviously Moose feels different. At the end of the day, I’m still going to work hard and work as hard as I’ve been working. It doesn’t mean I’m going to look at wrestling different because I know as Quinn that this title is just a prop and for storytelling and it doesn’t make me any better or any less than before I had it.”

Moose is the 32nd wrestler to ever hold the Impact World Championship. Josh Alexander, who won the title moments before Moose cashed in his Call Your Shot Gauntlet trophy, was the 31st.

Coming Up In Impact Wrestling

Minoru Suzuki will make his in-ring debut on Impact Wrestling tonight. He’ll team with Impact World Champion Moose, as well as W. Morrissey to take on the team of Eddie Edwards, Josh Alexander, and Matt Cardona.

• Minoru Suzuki, W.Morrissey, and Moose vs Eddie Edwards, Josh Alexander, and Matt Cardona
• The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) vs FinJuice (Juice Robinson & David Finlay)
• Knockouts Championship
  Mickie James (c) vs Madison Rayne
• X-Division #1 Contendership
  Rohit Raju vs Laredo Kid vs Black Taurus vs Steve Maclin
• Digital Media Championship #1 Contendership
  John Skyler vs Chelsea Green

Last week’s Impact Results

1. X-Division Championship
   Trey Miguel defeated Rocky Romero
2. Rachael Ellering defeated Tasha Steelz
3. Heath vs Joe Doering – No Contest
4. Ace Austin defeats Chris Sabin

H/t to Fightful for transcriptions.

In January, WWE counted down the greatest 50 teams in company history. New Day’s Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E topped the list. During a recent interview on Into the Danger Zone with Chris Denker, Kofi Kingston spoke about why he feels New Day are the greatest team in WWE history.

“I do,” Kingston responded when asked if he thought New Day really are the greatest team in WWE history. “I almost hesitated, and I feel like a lot of times you’re supposed to be humble with it, but for me, I’m old now, I got to the point that I don’t really care what anybody thinks about me.”

Kofi Kingston On Why New Day Are The Greatest Team In WWE History

Kingston continued to list numerous different things the team has accomplished such as having segments with the Rock, hosting WrestleMania, having a cereal produced with their branding.

“We’ve just been able to do a lot of things that are groundbreaking,” Kingston continued. “I haven’t even gotten into our accolades. The longest reigning tag-team champions, 11 times. I look at all that stuff, and not that you compare yourself to anybody else, but being a group that never had the desire to turn on one another.”

On top of their success as a team, New Day members have all had their individual successes while still members of the group. Kofi Kingston had Kofi-Mania and a run with the WWE title. Big E is the current WWE Champion. Xavier Woods recently won the King of the Ring tournament. Kingston continued to say that when one member of the group accomplishes something, they all share in the accolades.

“Woods is the King, I’m the King. E is the WWE Champion, I’m the WWE Champion. We have that actual mentality of all for one and one for all. From all of those perspectives, I can’t think of another group that embodies most of those things, let alone all of those things, like we do. On top of it, WWE.com voted us the greatest tag-team/faction of all time anyway, so it’s official.”

WWE’s tag-team title statistics get a little hard to follow with various brand-splits and reunions that have taken place over the years. For what are now the RAW tag-team titles, they’ve held the belts 4x for a combined 627 days (most all-time). For what are now the Smackdown tag titles, they’ve held the belts 7x for a combined 380 days (2nd only to The Usos 489+ days).

H/T to 411Mania for transcriptions.

WWE has made a significant change to its executive team recently. According to a report from PW Insider, Senior Vice President of Creative Services Stan Stanski has been released. He had been with the company for 15 years and his release has reportedly shocked many within WWE.

The release comes ahead of WWE’s upcoming Earnings Call scheduled for today.

A source speaking to PW Insider under the condition of anonymity noted that Stanski’s departure is “the ultimate proof no one is safe” and “yet another reminder this isn’t the same company it was a year ago.”

Stanski’s LinkedIn account listed his responsibilities at the company as:

“Responsible for defining and managing the overall creative look of WWE across all platforms including but not limited to: the graphic identity and branding; photography; on and off air affiliate marketing of pay-per-view events; consumer and trade advertising; consumer products; sponsorship and retail promotions; live event and tour promotion; fan events; talent brand development; corporate communication; and WWE Studios.”

Other releases are said to be expected but as of this writing Stanski’s is the only one known about.

Last week, WWE announced that shareholder dividends will be $0.12 per share.

“WWE (NYSE: WWE) announced that its Board of Directors today declared the Company’s regular quarterly dividend of $0.12 per share for all Class A and B shares of common stock. The record date for the dividend will be December 15, 2021 and the payment date will be December 27, 2021,” a WWE press release reads.

Following last night’s edition of AEW Dynamite, Bryan Danielson and Tony Khan addressed the live crowd. Danielson was already in the ring after confronting Miro, who he will now face at Full Gear in the finals of the AEW Title Eliminator tournament.

With Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends still in the ring as well, Tony Khan addressed the live crowd and said that this week’s episode was the 2nd hardest ever to put together behind the Brodie Lee tribute show. A loud chant for Jon Moxley then rang out throughout the building.

Khan then gave the microphone to Danielson, who spoke about Brodie Lee and having texted with him about how happy he was in AEW. He also wished Moxley to get better soon. Danielson thanked the fans and everyone in the ring before inviting Justin Roberts into the ring. They then mocked the tie-choking spot that once got Danielson fired from WWE.

The YouTube channel “CoolToy” posted video of what went down after the show went off the air:

Next up for AEW will be a live edition of Rampage in St. Louis on Friday night. Adam Cole will face John Silver, The Bunny will face Red Velvet, and CM Punk will come face to face with Eddie Kingston on the show.

Tony Khan was a guest on Wrestling Observer Live this afternoon. During his appearance, he announced a few changes to tonight’s broadcast of AEW Dynamite, commented on Jon Moxley and also gave an update on AEW’s relationship with Impact Wrestling.

“There are some things that are more important than wrestling,” Khan said on the show regarding Moxley. He also noted that he’s known about the situation for a few days now.

“Jon’s at the forefront at everyone’s mind right now,” Khan would later say.

In terms of the semi-finals of tonight’s AEW World Title Eliminator tournament, Khan said Orange Cassidy will compete in the match tonight with a replacement opponent. Khan said he will not announce Orange’s opponent until tonight’s broadcast, but noted that fans will not be disappointed.

“There is a very logical way to resolve this,” Khan would later say of Moxley being out of the tournament.

The AEW President also announced that Kenny Omega will face Alan Angels from the Dark Order on the show tonight. This is a rematch from April 2020 in a match that got Angels hired to AEW.

Khan also announced that he’s found 2 luchadors to answers FTR’s Open Challenge for the AAA titles tonight. Samuray Del Sol and Aerostar will be their opponents.

Khan also commented on the relationship between Impact Wrestling and AEW. He noted that the “Forbidden Door” between the two sides is still open, they just don’t have anything planned at the moment.

“Still open to do stuff. I like those guys a lot and we’ve done a lot of great stuff,” Khan said regarding the relationship with Impact Wrestling. “Scott [D’Amore] and I talk pretty regularly.”

Natalya Neidhart was hired by WWE in early 2007. According to comments she made recently to WWE WWE Deutschland, however, tensions between WWE and the Hart family prevented her from being hired to the company earlier.

“When I was trying to get hired by WWE, my family was estranged from WWE, meaning when you go back to the Montreal Screwjob, even though that happened in 1997, there was a lot of tension between WWE and the Hart family,” Natalya said during the interview.

“I understand why, it was a really difficult and complicated situation, so I think it was challenging for the Hart family members, especially the younger ones, to get hired because there was all this conflict.”

Natalya’s cousin Teddy Hart was given a developmental contract with WWE in 1998. He was sent to train with Dory Funk, but was released shortly after.

“I didn’t have my dad to make a phone call, I didn’t have my uncles to make a phone call, I didn’t really have anyone. I had to basically fight tooth and nail to turn every single no into a yes. Now that I’m in WWE, I appreciate that so much more, I appreciate that no one helped me,” Natalya continued.

Repairing the Relationship

Following Bret Hart’s Hall of Fame induction in 2006, multiple Hart family members signed with WWE.

Harry Smith (aka Davey Boy Smith Jr.) and TJ Wilson (family friend, Natalya’s husband) were both signed to developmental in 2006 and Teddy Hart was re-signed that same year.

Natalya would then sign in early 2007. Teddy would later be released from the promotion again, however.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for transcriptions.

Mandy Rose is the new NXT Women’s Champion after having won the title at Halloween Havoc. She spoke to Sean Ross Sapp recently about moving back to the NXT brand, helping out talent on the roster, and revamping her character.

“I got the call and I didn’t really get much explanation, which is kind of the usual,” Rose said. “I didn’t expect anything less. It’s one of those things where they want you to help some of the other talent out, need a good heel, and I said, ‘Sure, why not?'”

Rose also noted that part of her role in NXT is to help other talent on the roster. In doing so, she says it has helped her evolve her character as well.

“I am in the process of helping a lot of the other talent and other women. In that process, I think I kind of evolved myself, in the best way possible,” Rose continued.

“I kind of felt like I needed a little bit of a revamp or whatever it may be. I think we all go through those moments where are characters have to evolve and change a little bit or find some other layers to your character, in a sense.”

Rose became the 12th wrestler to win the NXT Women’s Championship when she defeated Raquel Gonzalez at Halloween Havoc. It was the 14th title change in the championship’s lineage. Asuka holds the record for the longest reign with the belt at 510 days. Shayna Baszler holds the record for the most combined days as champion with 549 split across 2 title reigns. Charlotte Flair is the only other wrestler other than Baszler to have held the title more than once.

Big E was recently interviewed by Sportsnet and spoke about the importance of representation in wrestling, both in WWE and outside of it.

“When you look around at the landscape of our industry, in WWE and outside of WWE, it just feels like a really good time to be a Black professional wrestler,” the WWE Champion said.

“When I look at our roster I don’t see a bunch of people who were given these opportunities and these positions merely because of the colour of their skin, as some kind of a quota system. You look at a Bianca (Belair), you look at a Sasha (Banks) and they’re undeniable to me. They are clearly unique,” he continued.

Big E also mentioned being a fan of Hit Row’s move to Smackdown. He also praised his New Day teammates and former WWE Champion, Bobby Lashley. Big E would continue to talk about the importance of young fans seeing people who look like them succeed in the business. He mentioned growing up and being a fan of Ron Simmons as well.

“I think when you can see people who look like you or resemble you as a young fan, it makes you think, ‘Oh yeah, this industry speaks to me. It’s not ignoring my fandom.’ If this is something that you might want to do one day, it makes it seem more plausible that ‘Yeah, this is something I can do because look at all look at all the other people who look like me who’ve done this before.'”

Big E WWE Championship Reign

Big E won the WWE Championship on the September 13th episode of WWE Raw. He announced earlier that day that he would cash in his briefcase against Bobby Lashley that night and would later make good on that promise. Since then, he’s defended the title successfully against both Lashley (in a steel cage) and against Drew McIntyre (at Crown Jewel).

On the upcoming Tribute to the Troops show, Big E will defend the title against Dolph Ziggler. Up next for Big E is a title match against Seth Rollins. Rollins won a fatal 4-way match recently on RAW to earn the next crack at his title.

WWE taped the annual Tribute to the Troops event on October 15th at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California. 3 matches were taped for the show including:

• WWE Champion Big E vs. Dolph Ziggler
• Bianca Belair vs. Liv Morgan
• Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Non-Title Match)

Tribute to the Troops 2021 is set to air on Fox on Sunday, November 14th.

Tribute to the Troops 2021 Match Results:

1. WWE Championship
   Big E (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler
2. Bianca Belair defeated Liv Morgan
3. Non-Title
   Roman Reigns defeated Shinsuke Nakamura

Tribute to the Troops History

This will be the 18th edition of the Tribute to the Troops show. The first took place in 2003. It is said to have been the brainchild of John “Bradshaw” Layfield. From 2003-2010 the event was held in Iraq aside from 2005 when it was held in Afghanistan.

Before last year’s event, former Marine Lacey Evans spoke to TV Insider about what the event means to her.

“You never want to let your brothers and sisters down,” Evans said. “There is a camaraderie if you have been in the military. We’re expected to be strong emotionally, physically, and mentally. Once you get out, you miss being in the military every day. But at least my job allows me to be surrounded by them on and off because WWE has so many partnerships. They have ones with the USO, Hire Heroes, Tribute to the Troops. I still get to see my brothers and sisters. It’s not climbing through the mud anymore, [but] it keeps me motivated as ever.”

Jesse Guilmette, better known to AEW fans as the Blade, took to social media recently to open up about his mental health. He noted that recently he has experienced a spike in feelings of anxiety, depression, and issues with confidence.

“Hello, my name is Jesse Guilmette, and I struggle with anxiety, depression and confidence issues,” The Blade began his post. “I first noticed an extreme spike in these feelings during the pandemic, which also made me realize I’ve suffered from these issues all my life.”

He continued to note that he experienced another spike in these feelings recently. The Blade also noted that he has opened up to AEW executives about these issues and received a positive and supportive response.

“When I’m not feeling the best, I simply remember that EVERY response I’ve received from the people I’ve opened up to has been incredibly positive and supportive.”

The Blade’s full post can be viewed below:

Tag Me In Campaign

Several wrestlers are currently involved in raising money for organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Healt. Trish Stratus noted on Twitter that they have raised in excess of $4000 so far through the “Tag Me In” campaign.

Earlier this year, Allie (aka the Bunny) continued to be open about her mental health for Bell’s “Let’s Talk” day. The annual event raises money for mental health resources and seeks to end the stigma around mental health.

The first PPV special event for NXT 2.0 is being tentatively scheduled for December 5th, 2021. Whether or not this new version of the brand will run with the TakeOver name is not yet known, however.

Brandon Thurston of WrestleNomics was the first to report the news. He noted that multiple sources confirmed the planned date but could not confirm if TakeOver will still be the branding.

“Tentative date for the first NXT 2.0 Takeover is Sunday, December 5, according to multiple sources. Have asked but couldn’t confirm if “Takeover” will continue to be the brand name.”

The NXT brand has run 36 previous TakeOver events. The last one was August 22nd’s NXT TakeOver: 36. The main event of that show featured Samoa Joe vs Karrion Kross for the NXT Championship.

The first NXT TakeOver event took place on May 29th, 2014. It featured Adrian Neville (PAC) defending the NXT Championship against Tyson Kidd in the main event. The following year, NXT moved the TakeOver events out of Full Sail University for the first time. NXT: Brooklyn took place August 22nd, 2015 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn New York. That show featured a main event of Finn Balor defending the NXT Championship against Kevin Owens in a ladder match.

AEW is reportedly planning its first TNT special event for Saturday, January 8th, 2022. WarnerMedia announced earlier this year that while AEW Dynamite would be moving to TBS next year, there would also be 4 annual specials to air on TNT as part of the deal.

The first special could be named “Battle of the Belts” according to Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men podcast.

“Per Source: AEW is planning a TNT Special on Jan 8th,” Zarian Tweeted. “They’re obviously not able to use the name ‘Clash of the Champions’ due to WWE owning the rights… However, I’m hearing the possible name for this show will be ‘Battle of the Belts’ A throwback to NWA/CFW.”

AEW TNT Special To Be 1-Hour Long?

The potential length of the special was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio. As of right now, the show may only be an hour long.

“As of right now, it’s only a 1-hour show,” said Dave Meltzer. “That could change because a 1-hour show doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense.”

“The original idea of these 4 specials was to do basically PPV matches, PPV calibre shows but for free to try and draw a big audience.”

There are conflicting reports right now regarding if Ring of Honor is selling its tape library. A report from Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated stated that the library was up for sale to the highest bidder. According to comments made by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, however, this might not be the case.

“They are not selling their tape library,” Meltzer said. “From talking to people – I know [Bryan Alvarez] talked to people in WWE, I talked to people in AEW and in Impact and none of them know of any tape library being for sale. And obviously, if the tape library was for sale, those would be the people you would try to sell it to, one of those companies or quite frankly, all of those companies.”

Meltzer continued to debunk a rumour that Sinclair only owns the ROH footage from 2012 onward.

“The other thing too is that for whatever reason there is a story going out that they only own the library from 2012 on and that’s not true either. Sinclair owns the entire library. That’s the situation,” Meltzer continued. “They aren’t folding the company but they are going to be just an indy. Some people think they always were but they were paying good contracts to a lot of people and, of course, they are no longer doing that. Those key people for the most part, I think are going to go. Some people won’t get offers but the ones that get offers are for sure going to go.”

More Ring of Honor News:

• The Briscoes & GCW: Update On Title Run and ROH Affiliation
• Several ROH Talent Asked If Promotion Would Closing For Good
• Bully Ray On Where ROH Failed

If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Wrestling Observer Radio with a h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

Artist Kyle Scarborough recently revealed that there were plans for WWE to create live versions of Bray Wyatt’s FireFly Fun House characters.

He noted on Twitter that he drew up a mock-up of the Huskus character but the plans were ultimately shelved. Scarborough also noted that Wyatt would only go along with the plans if he was able to portray the characters himself.

“Fun Fact: the WWE wanted to bring the FireFly Fun House alive, but Bray Wyatt would only do it if he played the characters himself. Only one was mocked up, and this would’ve been the concept for FFH Huskus. It was hinted, but ultimately shelved.”

Scarborough also noted on social media that the former Bray Wyatt might be releasing a podcast soon. Wyatt has promised to speak on his time in WWE soon in various social media posts as well.

Scarborough also noted on Twitter that he was asked to mock-up ideas for Alexa Bliss’ look when she was first paired with the Fiend.

Bray Wyatt’s 90-day no compete clause with WWE expired on October 29th. He is now free to sign with another promotion. Tony Khan has previously stated that he has not spoken with Wyatt but would when the time is right.

“Yeah. I really like Windham,” said Khan to the New York Post. “I know him a little bit and I really enjoy him. The last time I saw him was at Chris Jericho’s birthday party and that was a long time ago.”

In 2016, Jon Moxley (then Dean Ambrose) won the Money in the Bank ladder match. He’d cash in his briefcase that night and become the new WWE Champion. According to comments he made recently on Wrestling Observer Radio, however, he is not a fan of those types of matches or ladders in wrestling at all.

“They’re not my thing. I hate them,” Moxley said of ladders on the show. “I feel like ladders have taken more years off my career…they f**k you up. Fans don’t even truly see all these bumps on the ladders, I don’t think they truly appreciate how much it f**ks people up.”

Moxley is no stranger to dangerous matches. He’s wrestled deathmatches with barbed wire, glass tubes, and many other weapons. Still, Moxley says ladders are something he just doesn’t want to deal with anymore.

“Elbow chips, f**king your back up. I don’t f**k with ladders anymore. My thing was like, ‘I don’t do ladders.’ I do other s**t. Ladders, not my thing. I was like, ‘I ain’t doing another ladder match again.'”

“I swore I would never do ladder matches again,” Moxley continued. “Until Tony books this ladder match. We’re talking and he’s like, ‘I need some star power in this match. For reasons, you need to be in this.’ I’m like, ‘Motherf**ker.’ I tried every excuse. Ultimately, he’s the boss, he’s paying me, I’ll do my best. I’m on the team.”

Listen to Jon Moxley’s comments about ladder matches, his scrapped feud with Mick Foley and much more here:

What’s Next For Jon Moxley?

Jon Moxley has advanced to the semi-finals of the AEW World Title Eliminator tournament. He defeated Ten from the Dark Order in the quarter-finals. He’ll face Orange Cassidy in the semi-finals this Wednesday night on Dynamite.

Should he get by Cassidy he would move on to the finals at AEW Full Gear against Bryan Danielson, who defeated Eddie Kingston in the semi-finals.

H/T to Fightful for transcriptions.

Two wrestlers who recently became free agents suffered injuries last night at a Next Generation Wrestling show in Knoxville, Tennessee.

ROH star Danhausen Tweeted out several photos of himself at the hospital and an X-ray of a broken leg. It is not clear how he sustained the injury exactly but he was in a tag match with Warhorse and someone landed on his leg.

Danhausen provided an update on his condition on Monday morning. Unfortunately, he has a broken tibia and fibia.

As for Mance Warner, he sustained a leg injury while facing the former Dirty Dango (Fandango) at the show. He was thrown to the outside and landed badly.

The injuries come at unfortunate times for both wrestlers. Mance Warner was just granted his release from MLW, as reported exclusively by SEScoops.com last week. This would have freed him up to sign with another promotion. His leg injury may delay that from happening, however.

Danhausen was with Ring of Honor and like the rest of the roster will not have his contract renewed at the end of the year. Following Final Battle, he would be free to sign with another promotion as well.

Independent wrestler “Speedball” Mike Bailey has signed with Impact Wrestling. He signed his contract with the promotion on Josh Alexander’s back on Sunday night at a Destiny Wrestling show in Mississauga, ON, Canada.

Bailey had been barred from wrestling in the United States from 2016 until recently. He received a 5-year ban after attempting to enter the United States from Canada for a series of EVOLVE shows without a work VISA.

Similar situations have happened to other Canadian wrestlers, such as Nicole Matthews, in the past as well. Matthews was looking to enter the country to compete in the Mae Young Classic.

Impact has released this 4K-resolution video of Mike Bailey signing his contract:

Mike Bailey: “I’ll Keep Doing My Best”

Shortly after signing with Impact, Mike Bailey posted a message on social media thanking fans for sticking with him. He promises to keep doing his best, which is really all we can ask for.

Josh Alexander also commented on Mike Bailey signing with Impact. He thinks people will be talking about it for years to come.

“Impact Wrestling gets another killer,” said Alexander. “Speedball Mike Bailey is going to take over the wrestling scene! One of my toughest opponents, most skilled & hardest workers I’ve ever seen.”

Coming Up in Impact Wrestling

Next Week:

• Minoru Suzuki, W.Morrissey, and Moose vs Eddie Edwards, Josh Alexander, and Matt Cardona
• Knockouts Championship
  Mickie James (c) vs Madison Rayne
• X-Division #1 Contendership
  Rohit Raju vs Laredo Kid vs Black Taurus vs Steve Maclin
• Digital Media Championship #1 Contendership
  John Skyler vs Chelsea Green

Thunder Rosa revealed on her YouTube vlog that she recently suffered a concussion. She noted in the video that she had been unable to train for 10 days due to the injury.

“I’m going to the gym finally. I haven’t exercised in about 10 days after my concussion. Just trying to be safe,” Rosa said in the video.

Although it is not clear when Rosa suffered the concussion, she was out of action for about two weeks. Her last match for AEW was on October 16th. She then didn’t wrestle for 14 days before returning to action last night in a match for AAW in Berwyn, Illinois, where she defeated Jody Threat

Rosa’s latest vlog is available in the player below:

Thunder Rosa In The TBS Championship Tournament

Thunder Rosa received a bye in the 1st round of the TBS Championship tournament as a result of being ranked #4 in the division. In the quarter-finals, Rosa will face the winner of the Jamie Hayter vs Anna Jay match scheduled for this week’s Dynamite from Independence, Missouri.

If Rosa defeats the winner of the Jamie Hayter vs Anna Jay match, she’ll move on to the semi-finals. There she’ll meet either Jade Cargill or the winner of the Red Velvet vs The Bunny match scheduled for next week’s Rampage.

WWE Champion Big E says one of the reasons New Day was able to become as popular as they are is because they were granted more creative freedom than others in the company. During an appearance on Breakfast Club Power 101.5, Big E noted that Vince McMahon has given them the freedom to play around with their promos.

“Vince [McMahon] is still very heavily involved and the one that pulls all the strings. But the reason we were able to take off is because we got some more freedom with our promos,” Big E said on the show. “A lot of people are handed their script and you have to say it, but thankfully we have the freedom to play around with what we say.”

Big E also continued to say there was one creative idea from Vince McMahon he turned down, however. He was not interested in “dancing with his pecs.”

“Years ago, they asked me if I could do a pec dance. A dude called Chris Masters used to pop his pecs rhythmically and I do a lot of silly nonsense, but I was like, ‘I ain’t trying to do all that.’”

Big E is either the 54th or 56th WWE Champion of all-time, depending on whether or not you count Ted Dibiase and Antonio Inoki’s title victories. When he defeated Bobby Lashely for the title on the September 13th, 2021 episode of RAW, it was the 142nd time the belt has changed hands. He has already successfully defended the title against Bobby Lashley twice (once was a no-contest) and Drew McIntyre.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for transcriptions.

Tony Schiavone recently commented on AEW fans booing Cody Rhodes as of late during an episode of Ask Tony Live! on AdFreeShows.com. Schiavone noted that there are plenty of fans still cheering for Cody.

“Cody has a reality show and he gets his own special entrance. I understand he’s getting booed, but he gets cheered a lot too. I’m in the arena so I can hear it and see it much more than you guys can. I think he got cheered as much as he got booed in Orlando, it’s just the people who boo are much louder and more obnoxious,” Schiavone said.

“I even saw pictures afterwards of guys who were taking selfies with him saying, ‘Hey, I booed him, but he’s a great guy’, which he is. When Justin Roberts started calling him ‘The Prince of Wrestling’, that kind of stuck in people’s craw as well,” Schiavone continued.

Schiavone continued to say that Cody being an EVP in the company plays a role in how fans are responding to him. There may be a perception that he receives preferential treatment because of his role in the AEW office.

“Obviously, he’s an EVP so everybody thinks that he gets preferential treatment, and that’s not true. I mean, he lost the first two matches to Malakai Black, so he hasn’t won all of his matches. He lost to Brodie (Lee). It’s not that he wins every match he’s in. Some people just don’t like him. I happen to like him because I like his family.”

Cody Rhodes and Malakai Black React To Match On Dynamite

Rhodes cut a promo this week on Dynamite making it clear he would never turn heel. He stated that would be the easy thing for him to do. Rhodes also stated that he would not go back on the stipulation that says he can never challenge for the AEW World Championship again.

Following his loss to Cody Rhodes in their 3rd match, Malakai Black took to social media to offer comment. He stated that their rivalry was not about wins and losses and that he’s made it so that the world hates Cody. Black made his comments in an Instagram post not long after the loss.

Transcriptions via EWrestlingNews

Bray Wyatt is officially a free agent after his 90-day no compete clause with WWE expired on October 29th. He has removed all mention of WWE from his social media tags. His new Twitter handle is now just @Windham6.

The former Bray Wyatt also responded to a report that stated some backstage in WWE felt that Wyatt “deserved to be fired.” The report stated that a WWE source believed Wyatt deserved to be released due to being protective of his character and various other antics while making millions of dollars.

Wyatt first responded with a GIF of the Rock rolling his eyes before commenting, “Now that we have Johnny and Bruce’s opinion, I would like to share mine soon.”

What Is Next For Windham Rotunda?

Recent reports have suggested that while Impact Wrestling has reached out to him, a deal between the two parties was never close to materializing. AEW’s Tony Khan said he hasn’t spoken with Wyatt but would when the time is right. He made those comments before his 90-day no-compete window was up, however.

According to a report from Fightful, Rotunda has also been in Los Angeles recently inquiring about possible opportunities in Hollywood.

More Bray Wyatt News:

• Reason Bray Wyatt Has Been In Los Angeles Recently
• Bray Wyatt Teases End Of 90-Day No-Compete Window
• Update On Braun Strowman & Bray Wyatt’s Negotiations With Impact Wrestling

Shotzi Blackheart lost a non-title match to Charlotte Flair Friday night on Smackdown. Sasha Banks accidentally caused a distraction that allowed Flair to the hit Natural Selection and pick up the win. Shotzi then attacked Sasha after the match in an apparent heel turn.

Later on Talking Smack, Shotzi explained her actions.

“I am fed up, plain and simple, I am done being the happy and easy-going Shotzi. I have been screwed over on title opportunities over title opportunities. My tag partner [Tegan] left me. I came here wanting to have fun and kick ass. Well, you know what, I haven’t had fun in a really long time.”

Shotzi would later make it clear that she is now targeting Sasha Banks.

“So, there’s just one thing left to do. Sasha [Banks] was my breaking point. And now, she’s my target. I’m not letting anyone walk over me anymore. I am running over everyone in my way!”

No! I found it! ? https://t.co/AdLZ0LVHB3

— Shotzi (@ShotziWWE) October 30, 2021

This Friday’s match against Flair was Shotzi’s 1st televised singles match on the main roster, although she’s wrestled in 3 dark matches. Her tag-team with Tegan Nox was 3-0 on the main roster before being split up. All 3 of their victories were over Natalya & Tamina.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for Transcriptions

Former AEW World Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida advanced in the TBS title tournament on Dynamite this week. In the process, she picked up her 50th victory in the promotion by avenging a recent loss to Serena Deeb.

Shida was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated and spoke about learning from Kenny Omega, Dustin Rhodes, taking acting classes, and improving her English by watching Sherlock Holmes.

“I have been learning so much from Kenny Omega and Dustin Rhodes, and they teach about what it takes to be on a TV show,” Shida said. “Being on TV is something an actress does, so I took acting classes. And my English has got so much better from watching Sherlock Holmes on BBC.”

Shida also addressed the ongoing TBS Title Tournament.

“After losing the title, I was very frustrated,” Shida said. “I thought I could have done more and been better as champion. So this tournament for the TBS title means a lot to me. It is a great opportunity to get back to the top.”

With her win against Deeb on Dynamite, Shida will move on to face Nyla Rose in the tournament quarter-finals. The winner of the match will face the winner of Ruby Soho vs Kris Statlander in the semi-finals.