Mark Henry wants to bring Braun Strowman to AEW. According to comments Henry made to TMZ recently, there is already interest on both sides for such a deal. The World’s Strongest Man told the outlet that bringing Strowman to AEW is “high on his list.”
“Super high on my list,” Henry said. “It’s not an all Mark Henry decision, but there’s already interest on both sides.”
“Hopefully by the time he’s allowed to wrestle in August, I think the middle of August, then we could have a serious conversation about contractual things of that nature but right now there’s interest on both sides,” Henry continued. “I love that dude.”
“I talked to him, I mentored him but I tell him all the time, I can’t talk business,” Henry added. “When your contract expires, you call and let me know and then we’ll have a talk.”
AEW’s interest in Strowman was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio as well.
“Mark Henry helped recruit him (to WWE) because they have similar backgrounds as far as being really strong guys. He helped recruit him in WWE and he’s mentored him and everything like that so he is going to want to suggest he come in because they’re buddies,” said Dave Meltzer.
Mark Henry vs Braun Strowman
Strowman and Henry have met in singles action twice. Once on a house show from 2016 and another from RAW on February 13th, 2017. Strowman won both matches. The last time they were both in the same match together was the Greatest Royal Rumble event on April 27th, 2018 from Saudi Arabia. That match was also won by Braun Strowman.
Henry’s comments can be heard in the player below:
Sasha Banks has wrestled in many huge matches. There is one match that sticks out in her mind as being the greatest women’s match of all-time, however. That match was when she faced Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.
Banks spoke about the match recently while on the Just Women’s Sports podcast.
“It’s the most talked about match, really in the history of women’s wrestling and I’m so thankful for that match because it really changed the game of everything in the business for women. I remember that match clearly because it was two months before I got called up to the main roster and I finally made it to Raw, which was my dream since I was a 10-year-old kid, and I was NXT Women’s Champion,” Banks said.
“We’re at TakeOver: Brooklyn, the first time out of Florida and NXT is in front of a large-scale audience. We were equal to the WWE brand because of Sasha Banks, Bayley, Sami Zayn, Finn Balor. I wanted to leave a lasting impression of what I wanted my name and legacy to be in NXT before I got called up and dropped the title. I wanted to show them; first of all, we should have been the main event. Second of all, I wanted to make sure they remembered this match for the rest of their lives. I wanted the match to be the greatest women’s match of all time and it happened to be the greatest women’s match of all time,”Banks continued.
Sasha Banks has been off Smackdown since shortly after dropping the title to Bianca Belair. She’s likely been or is preparing to film content for her role in the Star Wars franchise.
The Acclaimed’s Max Castor recently dropped some rhymes for TMZ based on some of the latest stories they have published. These included stories about LeBron James, Logan Paul, Naomi Osaka, Julio Jones and Buff Bagwell.
“Platinum, I be looking for attention in the summer Feeling like LeBron James when he’s switching numbers.”
“He with the stars, red carpet with the pastel I’m with the bars feeling like I’m Buff Bagwell I saw his video, does he need a doctor? Maybe take a tip from Naomi Osaka.”
“Nobody holding me up, I’m not Logan Paul Feeling like I’m Julio Jones now, going long.”
Castor’s full rap can be viewed in the video below:
Also during the interview, Caster noted that he writes all of his own lyrics.
“I do all my own writing, I write all my own stuff. I will kind of pitch it around to other guys and say ‘hey, is this hitting hard enough? Is this the one or should I make it a little bit better?” Caster said. “I have people who will tell me ‘hey man, that might be too far’ but if they say it’s too far then I stick with it, usually.”
The full interview with Castor can be viewed in the player below:
Major League Wrestling will present the 3rd Battle Riot event on July 10th when it runs its first show in months from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. The signature match features 40 of MLWs top wrestlers entering at intervals of every 60 seconds. Eliminations occur by pinfall, submission, or being tossed over the top rope. The winner will earn a shot at the MLW World Championship currently held by Contra Unit’s Jacob Fatu.
“You couldn’t ask for a bigger way to kick off the new season than a huge match with BIG stakes,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer. “Philly was set to get the Battle Riot last July before the pandemic hit, so I felt I had to make good on that promise and deliver it this July.”
Additionally, MLW is stating that the winner of this year’s Battle Riot will be able to cash-in the opportunity at any time.
“The winner gets a World Heavyweight Title Shot anywhere, anytime! It could be that night; it could be in 6 months – you just don’t know. The challenger has the key to unlock an instant title shot against whoever the champion is!”
The news was first revealed by Alicia Atout during MLW’s latest draft. Azteca Underground selected Arez. The former Dario Cueto, now known as Cesar Duran, made the pick.
Tom Lawlor won the first Battle Riot in 2018. He then defeated Low-Ki for the MLW World Championship. LA Park won the 2nd Battle Riot in 2019 but was later defeated by Jacob Fatu.
WWE stock recently got a bump up in value thanks to a trending post on WallStreetBets. The stock rose as high as 20% before settling down to 11% growth after a big day on June 9th. The day after WWE’s stock experienced this bump, Cameron Grimes was on Busted Open Radio and spoke about any influence he might have had on this.
“There is no coincidence, I’m just saying the Million Dollar Championship comes back and then the very next day the WWE stock skyrockets,” Grimes said. “I’m not going to say that’s coincidence. You know, I do dabble a little bit in the stock market and I do hang out with some of those guys and I may have put in a couple of words. I’m not a financial advisor so don’t get me arrested here but WWE stock to the moon, baby! No coincidence, Cameron Grimes, hahaha!”
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) June 10, 2021
Grimes will take on LA Knight in a ladder match at In Your House this Sunday. The winner of the match will become the new Million Dollar Champion. Grimes also spoke about the possibility of him facing Busted Open co-host Tommy Dreamer for the belt if he wins it.
“Tommy, you want to come to NXT? You want a chance at the Million Dollar Champion? I’m sure I could talk to some people, I don’t know how well they like you though,” Grimes said.
$WWE shares seem to be settling down at $65 after bouncing in the high 60s during the 11am hour. Still up 11% on the day coming off of WBS hype that started premarket. pic.twitter.com/P2vcg3a7c1
— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) June 9, 2021
Kenny Omega vs Jungle Boy was originally scheduled to take place tonight but was moved to the June 26th show. This was done so the match could air live and build the show on the 26th into a big event but it will also be beneficial for Omega who is said to be dealing with several nagging injuries at the moment.
Omega’s current physical state was addressed recently in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
“Omega is hurting pretty badly between slicing up his hand and needing seven stitches when he delivered the fourth belt shot on Pac in the three-way (the one with the AEW belt which is especially sharp), a deep bone bruise near his tailbone, the normal wear and tear on his knees and an athletic hernia,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
It was also noted that Omega had a stomach virus for a period as well. Omega reportedly was telling people at the Fan Fest before Double or Nothing that he’s hurting pretty badly and that this might be a sign he is closer to hanging up his boots.
“At the fan fest the day before the PPV, he said there are days he wakes up and walks around where he thinks maybe he’s close to the time to hang it up because his body is feeling worse,” Meltzer continued.
Omega has several big title matches upcoming this summer. He’ll face Moose tomorrow on Impact’s Against All Odds show. It’s not clear when exactly that match was taped or if it has been yet, however. He’ll then take on Jungle Boy on the 26th. Omega is also scheduled to defend the AAA Mega Championship against recent AEW signee Andrade at TripleMania.
Why do I have to get this kind of info from a local wrestling tabloid? I’m not happy with this. More importantly, neither is Mr. Barry. https://t.co/cvjSZXZsDb
Impact Wrestling on 6/10 kicked off with a summit between Impact Wrestling and AEW. The go-home show for Against All Odds on Saturday featured two major announcements.
Impact Wrestling 6/10 Quick Results:
Rosemary defeated Havok
Tasha Steelz defeated Kimber Lee
Petey Williams & Trey Miguel defeated Rohit Raju & Chris Bey
Eddie Edwards defeated Joe Doering via DQ
No Disqualification W. Morrissey defeated Willie Mack
Tony Khan Makes Major Against All Odds Announcement
Tony Khan made his return to Impact Wrestling last night as Impact and AEW held a summit to determine how the main event of Against All Odds will be contested. Although changing the main event to a triple threat with Sami Callihan involved seemed on the table, it was announced that the main event will still be a singles match pitting Kenny Omega vs Moose. Khan then made the announcement that a match of that magnitude should be held at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, where numerous big matches have taken place over the last year. Both Callis and D’Amore seemed to like this idea. D’Amore had his own major announcement to make, however, and Callis was not going to like this one as much.
Scott D’Amore Makes Major Slammiversary Annoucement
While Callis was pleased to hear the news that Kenny Omega would not have to defend the Impact World Championship in a triple threat match at Against All Odds, he did not like the announcement that Scott D’Amore would make shortly after. While D’Amore and Khan agreed that Sami Callihan would be barred from ringside when Omega faces Moose on Saturday, he then announced that the winner of that match will face Callihan for the Impact World Championship at Slammiversary. Callis did not like this announcement at all.
Rosemary Defeats Havok
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wHXsyoYc-c
The stipulation for this match was that if Havok could defeat Rosemary then the Knockouts title match at Against All Odds would be changed to a triple threat. It took 4 spears but Rosemary was able to put away Havok in singles competition this week, meaning her match against Deonna Purrazzo continues to be a one-on-one contest.
After the match, Purrazzo and Kimber Lee & Susan attacked both Rosemary and Havok. The champ locked Rosemary in the Fujiwara armbar.
Tasha Steelz Defeats Kimber Lee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbKgE8Zk_xw
After Purrazzo, Susan, and Kimber Lee attacked Havok and Rosemary, Susan got on the mic and called out Tasha Steelz for her match against Kimber. Steelz would pick up the win in that match with a Falcon Arrow.
Fire N Flava then got into a brawl with Purrazzo and Susan after the match. Rosemary and Havok then returned, however. Rosemary then gave Purrazzo her double-underhook slam finisher followed by Havok and Rosemary giving Kiera Hogan a double-chokeslam to close the segment.
Trey Miguel & Petey Williams Pick Up Win Over Rohit Raju & Chris Bey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3JrQZwHe0Y
This match served as a preview of the 5-way X-Division #1 contender match at Against All Odds when Ace Austin, Trey Miguel, Petey Williams, Rohit Raju and Chris Bey will face off for a shot to take on Josh Alexander next.
Miguel made Raju tap to end the match but then Ace Austin and Madman Fulton attacked everyone in the ring. X-Division Champion Josh Alexander then made the save and then a giant brawl erupted featuring all 5 involved in the match on Saturday, as well as Madman Fulton and Alexander.
The brawl ended after Petey Williams gave Madman Fulton a Canadian Destroyer from the top rope. With that move, it looks like Austin won’t have Fulton’s help on the outside at Against All Odds.
Satoshi Kojima Saves Eddie Edwards From Violent By Design
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEncjW8uv6k
Joe Doering will face his old rival Satoshi Kojima at Against All Odds. He’d face Eddie Edwards in singles action this week. Violent By Design caused the disqualification when Deaner got involved from the outside. VOD then attempted to take the attack to Edwards but Satoshi Kojima made the save. Doering wanted to get back in the ring to get at Kojima but the rest of VOD held him back.
W. Morrissey Defeats Willie Mack In No DQ Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JWQdNWI4UA
Ahead of his match against Rich Swann on Saturday, Morrissey once again faced Willie Mack this week, only this time with a no disqualification stipulation. Morrissey continued his quick ascent up the rankings when he got the pin after kicking a steel chair into Mack’s face. After the match, he would look to continue the assault. Morrissey set a chair up in Mack’s face but Rich Swann came out and made the save. Swann wasn’t able to take Morrissey down before security ran out to break everything up. As security was holding back Swann, Morrissey got in a cheap shot. He looked to leave the ring area but Swann got in a chair shot to the back before he did so. Swann and Morrissey both wanted to go back at it as the show went off the air.
Eric Bischoff recently spent some time on his 83 Weeks Podcast speaking about WWE’s most recent round of talent cuts. According to Bischoff, WWE’s latest releases were good for business.
“I’m more and more convinced that what WWE is doing – and I think Nick Khan is probably the catalyst for a lot of this – is making good business decisions,” Bischoff said on the show.
Bischoff then spoke about what would go through his mind if he was in a management position with WWE.
“If I’m involved in some of the decisions in trying to get that stock price up, I’m looking at my talent roster which is a significant part of the expenses in WWE,” Bischoff continued. “I’m thinking to myself ‘well wait a minute, we are going to modify our touring schedule, we’re not going to tour the same way we used to – and I think that’s probably true – I need to start making good decisions. We’ve got 300 people under contract, perhaps that’s too many.”
Bischoff continued to say that perhaps WWE’s strategy regarding keeping so many talents under contract was to keep that talent from going to AEW. He does not believe the company is preparing for a sale, however.
“I’m more convinced now than I was last week that what WWE is doing is aggressively managing their business model,” he continued.
“When the dust settles, I think we’re going to see WWE’s stock price back to where it was pre-COVID. I think we’re going to see a new touring model that makes more sense in the long run and I don’t think WWE is going anywhere (referring to a potential sale), at least not in the near future,” Bischoff continued.
Lio Rush recently announced his retirement from professional wrestling. He had been wrestling with NJPW and MLW before making his AEW debut in the Casino Battle Royale at Double or Nothing. According to an update from Wrestling Observer Radio, NJPW had given Rush permission to sign with AEW as well.
“New Japan gave AEW the okay to sign him, I mean New Japan would have priority on the dates but originally the nature of the New Japan contract was that he could work for AEW, he could work for MLW, he could do indies but New Japan would have the first priority and New Japan would also have the right to turn things down,” said Dave Meltzer.
Meltzer would continue to say that NJPW granting Rush the okay to sign with AEW is indicative of the current relationship between the two companies.
“In fact, they gave him permission to sign an American contract with AEW. Which also I think is very important politically because the fact that New Japan would give someone who they have under contract the okay to sign with AEW tells me that New Japan at this point today believes that they are going to be in business with AEW and not WWE.”
Rush did say in his retirement announcement that he would be finishing up his New Japan commitments when he returns from his shoulder injury.
WWE Hall of Famer Tammy Lynn Sytch (aka Sunny) has been released from prison. According to New Jersey’s Monmouth County Correctional Institution, original WWE ‘diva’ is no longer housed at the facility. She had been there since July 2020.
Sytch was paroled last February after serving 1-year in jail due to a string of DUI convictions. Her parole was then revoked after she was arrested again in July last year. Those charges included 2 counts of violating a domestic restraining order, driving with a suspended license, and evading a police officer. The state of New Jersey then filed to have Sytch’s parole revoked and she was sent back to Monmouth County Correctional Institution. After serving almost another full year in prison, Sytch was released this morning.
In the 5 months of 2020 that Sytch was not in jail, she promoted an OnlyFans account.
The 48-year-old was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2011. She has also often been referred to as the first “WWE Diva.” Sunny played an important role for WWE in the 90s and was a prominent part of WWE Monday Night Raw. Additionally, Sunny is a 2x Slammy Award winner in WWE. She won the award for “Best Buns” and “Minds Behind the Mayhem” in 1996.
WWE stock is up 17% this morning following a trending post on Reddit’s WallStreetBets subreddit. A thread on the platform has identified WWE as having potential due to the return of live events, video game sales, recent talent cuts, and rumors of a potential sale.
Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics has been following the developing situation.
— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) June 9, 2021
The stock got up as high as 20% but then fell back.
$WWE went as high as +20% on the day for moment, hit its 52-week high of $70, then fell back. pic.twitter.com/1mNwjUyDTq
— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) June 9, 2021
Thurston believes Vince McMahon has made $300 million today:
Who knows where this is going, but for those who love this stat…
With WWE stock up 16% currently, the market value of Vince McMahon's ownership (nearly 29 million shares) is currently almost $300 million more valuable than it was yesterday.
— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) June 9, 2021
Why Is WallStreetBets Interested In WWE Stock?
3 key reasons have been listed as to why WallStreetBets is taking an interest in WWE. The first is the company’s pending return to live touring.
“WWE will resume touring. Despite this revenue being missing in 2020, they managed to haul in nearly a billion dollars. So the second half this year, and all of next year, is going to be pretty good. Not only will revenues be driven up, but fan engagement and brand appeal will go up as well,” the author wrote.
Also a factor in WallStreetBets’ interest, is WWE video game sales.
“WWE Supercard is Take Two Interactive’s (a $52b company) highest grossing mobile game, and it’s growing at around 23% YOY. A lot of that money will flow into WWE. WWE also sells rights to other titles. As video games continue to grow, so to does WWEs revenue,” the author continued.
Finally, rumors of possible sale are also driving interest in WWE stock on WallStreetBets.
“About a week ago, WWE cut some talent assets. Some apparently important guy tweeted that it’s likely due to them cutting costs and preparing for an acquisition,” the author wrote.
Cameron Grimes has yet to release an official statement on the matter.
Steve Cutler, aka Steve Maclin, was Tommy Dreamer’s guest on the House of Hardcore podcast this weekend. During the discussion, Maclin spoke about what got him into wrestling, joining the Marines, and his recent release from WWE.
Maclin talked about how 9/11 impacted his decision to join the Marines during the podcast.
“In high school, 9/11 happened when I was a freshman. So that was the big impactful moment for me just because it instilled for me to want to go into the military at a young age,” Maclin said. “My Mom and my Dad fought with me at that time. Around 2005 when I graduated, Iraq was really bad so they said ‘please just try college for a year.’ So I said ‘no problem whatsoever.'”
Maclin continued to say he had friends try to convince him to wrestle during that year at college. He always considered himself too small, however. He left college and was not happy with what he was doing.
“I dropped out college, working a full-time job and just not happy with what I was doing. I didn’t like it, I was like there’s something more and I want to do what I want to do and what I wanted to do was join the Marine core.”
He also noted that there was extra paperwork for him to join the Marines due to being an only child. Being the last of his bloodline, his parents also had to sign off even though he was 20 at the time.
“At 20 years old I joined the Marine core, November of 2007. Then got out in November of 2011. Did my 2 tours in Afghanistan. First one was in 2009 from May to November and then the second one was in January to August of 2011. I got every experience that I wanted in the military.”
When Maclin was on leave from the Marines his friend introduced him to Fred Rosser (WWE’s Darren Young at the time) who encouraged him to go into wrestling. Rosser told Maclin how to find a school when he got out of the Marines. He eventually found the Monster Factory in New Jersey. Maclin was then scouted by Gerald Biscoe about a year and a half after beginning his training.
Maclin’s full discussion with Tommy Dreamer is below.
Aleister Black, aka Tommy End, was the guest on Renee Pacquette’s Oral Sessions podcast released today. During the conversation, Renee asked Black about wrestlers outside WWE he would like to get in the ring with.
“I want to get in the ring with Moose, Callihan, Mox, Omega, Chris Daniels. My god. There is such an array of crazy talent. I think Jungle Boy is great. Hobbs, I think Hobbs is awesome. Brian Cage, Brody King from Ring of Honor. Homicide, I would love to get in there with Homicide, I think Homicide is the OG, I love Homicide, tons of respect. Eddie Kingston is another one.”
Renee then asked Black about wrestlers from NJPW he’d like to face.
“When AEW had Yuji Nagata, I was pretty envious of Mox,” Black said. “That was one of the guys that I looked up to when I was younger. New Japan would be phenomenal. I love Japan, I miss Japan, even thinking about it gives me butterflies.”
Aleister Black’s Future Plans
Black would not give away any hints as to what the future holds for his career, however.
“So, we don’t know what the future holds at this point. Well, I know a certain part of my future, but I’m not gonna spill the beans here, unfortunately. No exclusives yet.”
Also during the conversation, Black mentioned he doesn’t feel WWE focuses enough on the players around the main talent being pushed.
“I think that the issue is there is not enough focus on the people around the main people who are being pushed,” Black said on the show. “You have to have a continuous stream of people being built up, people being able to get revered by fans and being built up through the eyes of the fans so that people care.”
“Why would you not make everyone you are utilizing strong?” he continued to ask.
Wrestling and Playboy have a long history together. Sable, Chyna, and Maria Kanellis all famously posed for the magazine and Shawn Michaels even did a shoot for Playgirl with the winged-eagle WWF Championship belt.
Chelsea Green stated not long after her WWE release that she was interested in working with Playboy. According to comments she made recently on her podcast, she auditioned for the magazine in 2010. She also said that she has been in contact with representatives from Playboy recently as well.
“I get changed into my outfit, I put my lip gloss on, I’ve got my eyeshadow, my skinny little eyebrows going on, and I have my heels on. I decided to go for a little hot, hot pink bra and undies set, and I thought I looked like the f***ing cat’s meow,” Green said regarding her 2010 Playboy audition (transcriptions via Metro UK).
“It was kind of a very normal casting call. I will say, I don’t believe I got fully naked – I did take my top off, obviously, but I don’t remember taking my underwear off. At the time, I was like 20 years old, whatever – I loved my boobs! I had zero issues with my body and I’ve played sports my whole life, so I was in shape and stuff even though I was eating Cheetos for lunch in college.”
Green also noted on the show that she’s been in contact with the company recently. A representative reached out to her.
“I totally feel like we connected, he had such a great vibe about him, and he kinda enlightened me to what 2021 and future Playboy looks like – which is not the brick-and-mortar stuff. It is the digital side things, and the influencing side of things, and blogging, vlogging, hosting, podcasting, all that kind of stuff that they didn’t have before that they want to expand Playboy into.”
She continued to say that she feels confident she’ll be working with them in 2022. Green even says she could be the “future of Playboy.”
“I do feel really positive about the fact that in the future – and maybe it’s not in 2021, maybe it’s at the beginning of 2022, we’re not sure, but Chelsea Green might be the future of Playboy.”
After telling me about her Playboy goals, @ImChelseaGreen has opened up on the @GreenWEnvyPod about her casting call for the company back in 2010, and their plans together for the futurehttps://t.co/vnmzr1mryL
In April, it was revealed that Steve “Mongo” McMichael is suffering from ALS. Over the weekend, his former teammate Dan Hampton organized a benefit concert for McMichael dubbed “Mongopalooza.”
Mongo was on-hand personally for the event and spoke to media about how touched he was of the efforts.
“It’s a validation of everything I’ve done in my life for people,” McMichael said. “What you do in your life, you get back tenfold. That’s happening right now.”
Ric Flair was in attendance for the event. He also spoke to the media about how the event was a testament to the many people who appreciate the friendship they’ve had with Mongo through the years.
“I think these turnouts like this are an example of the friendship that he afforded everybody else in life,” Flair said. “Great guy.”
The event took place at a restaurant named after the former Chicago Bear great, Mongo McMichael’s located at 1101 N. Independence Blvd in Romeoville.
To help Mongo and his family deal with medical expenses, there is a GoFundMe setup here. You can also purchase Team Mongo shirts and bracelets here.
“It’s a testament to him as a person and the cause itself. ALS is a terrible thing,” said friend Larry Gress.
Shingo Takagi defeated Kazuchika Okada at Dominion yesterday to win the vacant IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. The new champion spoke to the media following his victory. NJPW1972.com has translated Takagi’s first comments as world champion.
“I am the third IWGP World heavyweight Champion, Shingo Takagi, and I am pretty damn tired,” Takagi said. “I went through the wringer last night, finally shut my eyes around 4AM, and then woke up at 7, got on the Shinkansen (bullet train), and wasn’t able to nod off there either. But y’know, waking up this morning and having the belt there in my room let me know that it wasn’t all a dream and what happened was real.”
Takagi was defeated by the former champion, Will Ospreay, before he vacated the title. Ospreay was supposed to face Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Grand Slam but the event was cancelled. Then Ospreay was forced to vacate the title due to neck injury.
“I mean, in Fukuoka with Ospreay, losing that match could have put me to the back of the line,” Takagi continued. “I figured I wouldn’t get back to this point for quite a while. But then, I don’t know whether you’d call it luck or what, but Ospreay gets hurt and goes back to the UK, and then I’m in this title match.”
Following his victory, Takagi called out former champion Kota Ibushi. Takagi also spent some time talking about Ibushi following his title victory.
“I have my reasons for coming to New Japan in the first place, but getting to throw down with Ibushi, that was definitely one aspect. Having a proper place for us to square off. We didn’t start out as New Japan guys, but a few years ago it hit me that the guy I want to fight the most is in NJPW, and if I want that to happen then I have to be in NJPW too. Then October 2018 I arrived, and two years, what, eight months later… I wouldn’t call that a rapid ascent. I’m 39 this year, I can’t afford to take things slow.”
Takagi would continue to say that Ibushi has not yet given him a response to his challenge. It seems rather certain Ibushi will become Takagi’s first title challenger, however.
“Anyway, I am now the third IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, but apart from that, nothing’s changed about me. Just like normal, I’m gonna fight like Shingo Takagi fights, bring the fire and tear it up! That’s all I’ve got to say.”
'Waking up this morning and having the belt there in my room let me know that it wasn’t all a dream and what happened was real.'
Shingo Takagi speaks on winning the IWGP World Heavyweight title in press conference
Eva Marie is on her way back to WWE. We’ve heard in recent weeks that WWE is planning to pair her with another woman who will serve as her bodyguard/assistant.
According to the Wrestle Votes Twitter account, Piper Niven and Mercedes Martinez are in the running to be at Eva Marie’s side when she returns.
Hearing the plans for Eva Marie’s return include her having a “muscle” of some sorts by her side. The two names I’ve heard most discussed to pair w/ her are Mercedes Martinez -OR- NXT UK star Piper Niven.
Eva Marie’s last match for WWE took place on July 10, 2016. She lost to Becky Lynch on a non-televised live event. Almost 5 years later, vignettes for her return began airing on the May 3rd, 2021 edition of RAW.
Shortly after the vignette aired, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer said she will be packaged as a babyface. “The idea is that she’s a supermodel who has worked hard to become a supermodel and somehow, yeah, that makes her — the idea is she’s a celebrity who wants to help other people. So, she is a babyface,” Meltzer said.
According to Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men podcast, Eva Marie’s return is currently scheduled for the June 21st edition of WWE Raw.
Billy Corgan’s NWA presented the When Our Shadows Fall PPV this weekend. Kamille defeated Serena Deeb to win the NWA World Women’s Championship on the show. Deeb had most recently successfully defended that same title against Riho on the Double or Nothing Buy-In show.
Corgan appeared on the 2 Man Power Trip podcast recently and spoke about the relationship his promotion has with AEW.
“We work everything out. Tony has been an incredible partner and I never felt like the NWA or myself wasn’t totally respected,” Corgan said on the show (transcriptions via Fightful). “The communication is great and we talk fairly often. He’s obviously a very busy guy. When we do talk, we keep it to what is most valuable. I’m a fan of Tony. He’s been a breath of fresh air to business.”
Corgan continued to talk about Khan’s influence in wrestling. In particular, Corgan says that Khan and AEW are proving that there is room at the table for other promotions.
“It’s great to see their success because Tony is paving the way for us to make the argument that there is more room at the table for others,” Corgan continued. “Five years ago, when I was with TNA and I’d go into those meetings, we’d sit in meetings and they’d say, ‘It’s WWE and no one else.’ TNA’s biggest year generated like $39 million gross revenue, which is a big number. In those meetings, they didn’t care what I was selling. If they couldn’t make it happen, what could you say if you were [at a lower revenue], no matter how good your ideas are.”
Corgan’s NWA is back in the GPB Studios today. They welcomed fans back for the first time since the pandemic for tapings scheduled from June 5-7.
“Tony is proving there is more and you see that with them expanding their programming. They wouldn’t be expanding their programming if there wasn’t a desire for more.”
With Thunder Rosa and Serena Deeb becoming regulars in AEW while still in the NWA Women’s division, it begs the question of who else could be shared between the two promotions. Could Kamille defend her newly won NWA title in AEW? Could former AEW talent and recent NWA signing Kylie Rae appear on Dynamite?
Corgan was also recently on Busted Open Radio and spoke about wanting to book a trilogy bout between Cody Rhodes and Nick Aldis.
“I’ve pitched it to Tony [Khan] a few times [Nick Aldis coming over to AEW]. It’s Tony’s world, I respect him for what he’s building. But yeah, look, I’ll say it again, Nick [Aldis] versus Cody Rhodes for a third time. I mean, that is an epic, epic matchup waiting to happen,” Corgan said (transcriptions via Post Wrestling).
Shingo Takagi is the new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. He defeated Kazuchika Okada today in a shocking upset at NJPW Dominion to win the vacant title.
Following the victory, the new champion called out former champion Kota Ibushi as his first challenger. Ibushi had defeated Jeff Cobb in the night’s co-main event.
The title had recently been vacated by former champion Will Ospreay due to a neck injury. In the wake of Ospreay’s injury, the match between Takagi and Okada was booked for today’s Dominion show.
Technically, NJPW has separated the lineage of the current belt with the former IWGP Heavyweight title. This became official in March when Ibushi defended both titles successfully on NJPW’s 49th Anniversary show in March.
The 38-year-old Takagi is also a former 2x NEVER Openweight Champion, 1x Jr. Heavyweight Tag Champion (w/Bushi), and 1x 6-Man tag champion (w/Bushi & EVIL). He won the “Rookie of the Year” award in 2005 as voted on by readers of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Takagi vs Will Ospreay in the 2019 Best of the Super Juniors finals was voted Match of the Year by the same publication.
Finish of Kazuchika Okada vs Shingo Takagi
The finish of the match came not long after the 30-minute mark had been passed. Okada was in control at this point but Takagi countered a Rainmaker attempt into one of his own. After the two exchanged strikes for a period, Takagi hit a Death Valley Driver but then Okada hit a series of short-arm Rainmakers before missing a bigger version. Takagi then hit a Pumping Bomber Lariat for a near fall. He then hit a dragon suplex followed by a sliding elbow before landing Last of the Dragon for the win.
Reactions to Shingo’s Win
Here are some reactions to Shingo Takagi capturing the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at NJPW Dominion:
Congratulations Shingo,
Google the word “interim”
That’s all you are.
— Will Ospreay • ????????? (@WillOspreay) June 7, 2021
This Shingo news is wild to wake up to. I gave him 0% chance in the match. What a pleasant surprise. Shingo isn't just one of the best in the world, he's one of the best ever. -J
— Voices of Wrestling (@voiceswrestling) June 7, 2021
Okada/Shingo RULED. Everything you want from a big IWGP title main event, and an absolute shock finish that's certain to be the talk of pro wrestling this week. I can't remember the last time I audibly gasped at a NJPW finish. I did here.
Kylie Rae made her NWA debut yesterday at the When Our Shadows Fall PPV. She teamed along with Taryn Terrell, who was making her in-ring return for the first time since 2017. They defeated the team of Thunder Rosa and Melina.
During the broadcast it was announced that Rae had signed with the NWA. According to a report from PW Insider, Rae signing with the NWA required an agreement be made with her former promotion, Impact Wrestling. Rae had last been with Impact in October but departed the organization shortly after she was unable to make a scheduled PPV match against Deonna Purrazzo at Bound for Glory. A deal between the two promotions and Kylie was reportedly reached over the last 4-5 days.
The NWA is taping from June 5th to 7th in the GPB Studios. It’s not clear if Kylie is taking part in the rest of the tapings. She was in Chicago for a Warrior Wrestling show on Saturday but would seemingly be available to film episodes of Powerrr today.
Rae got the pin over Melina in the match, although it was under dubious circumstances. Rae appeared to be working for Terrell’s approval through much of the match, but also seemed to be apologetic to the live fans for any cheating that she did. After Thunder Rosa had carried Terrell to the back, it left Melina and Kylie Rae alone in the ring together. Kylie then rolled Melina up, grabbed the trunks, and got the 3-count. Rae then apologized to the crowd as they booed her heelish tactics.
Police are currently looking for a suspect who took several items from the WWE Thunderdome at the Yuengling Center recently. The University of South Florida Police Department took to Twitter to post images of the suspect. The police update noted that the person removed several items “belonging to WWE” from the premises.
The alleged robbery took place between the hours of 12:10 AM and 1:58 AM on May 22nd, 2021.
“On the above date and time, the unidentified suspect pictured below, removed several items from inside the Yuengling Center belonging to the WWE. The suspect below is seen wearing a red shirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers. He appears to be a HIM between the ages of 25-30 with brown hair, a mustache and light goatee. If information about the suspect is ascertained, please contact the USF Police Department at 813-974-2628.”
“USF Police needs your help in identifying the individual listed in this alert.”
WWE only has a little over one month left in the Thunderdome. The company has announced plans to go back on the road beginning in July. The first 3 shows will emanate from Texas.
Friday, July 16: SmackDown– Toyota Center in Houston
Sunday, July 18: Money In The Bank – Dickies Arena in Fort Worth
Monday, July 19: Raw – American Airlines Center in Dallas
WWE has since advertised they will be visiting 25 cities for its summer tour. The company has since announced SummerSlam in Las Vegas on August 21st as well.
The Miz was the victim of a zombie attack at WrestleMania Backlash. His lumberjack match with Damian Priest on the show involved an interesting promotion for Netflix’s Army of the Dead movie starring Dave Bautista. The zombie involvement drew some criticism from fans.
Miz was recently interviewed by Forbes and spoke about the zombie involvement at WrestleMania Backlash.
“I had a blast with it,” said Miz about the match.
“I always enjoy whenever there’s something different and something out of the box, and whenever there’s something like that, I wanna be a part of it because you never know what’s going to happen. You never know if it’s gonna be a success or if it’s gonna be a failure. People were different, people were 50/50 ‘oh we can’t stand this match,’ or ‘oh my God this is a great match, it’s kind of funny, it’s kind of interesting,’ so I just look at it like ‘I’m gonna do the best I possibly can and give the match that hopefully everyone wants and deserves.”
The Army of the Dead movie currently holds a 69% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The plot involves Bautista’s character organizing a team to enter a quarantined and zombie-infected city of Las Vegas. Bautista also Tweeted about the zombie involvement at WrestleMania Backlash.
Konnan has been helping provide wrestlers with opportunities for decades in professional wrestling. Many talent currently enjoying success in the business today first had their talents recognized and promoted by him. Konnan recently spoke to SI.com about his role in the industry.
“I really love what I do,” Konnan said. “Identifying and cultivating talent, that is so much of what drives me. Look at someone like Franky Monet. Seeing her 10-year journey, and being along for that, it’s incredible. I’m so happy for her.”
The former Taya Valkyrie now known as Franky Monet in NXT was a big star for Konnan in AAA beginning in 2012. Valkyrie was a long-standing Reina de Reinas Champion in the promotion. She’d also work with Konnan in Impact Wrestling before signing with WWE earlier this year.
“I love what I do. When I’m working with these kids, I know I’m seeing them take these steps to greatness.”
Konnan on Santana & Ortiz
Konnan also spent some time during the interview discussing Santana and Ortiz. The current members of the Inner Circle were managed for a longtime in Impact Wrestling by Konnan.
“I’ve loved those guys since I met them,” Konnan says. “I call them my lucha sons, and I am incredibly proud of them. They have put in so much work to get to where they are. And they never forgot about me, so that meant a lot to me.”
Konnan on TripleMania and Kenny Omega vs Andrade
AAA has a big card coming up this summer. Triplemanía XXIX features several big matches including: Psycho Clown vs Rey Escorpion (Mask vs Hair), Kenny Omega defending the AAA Mega Championship against Andrade, and Faby Apache vs Deonna Purrazzo in a Reina de Reinas vs Knockouts title for title match.
“We’ve got so much attention for this show from the United States, but AAA is going through litigation and may not be able to show it here,” Konnan said of the show. “We’re so proud to have this match, this dream match, and it’s a match that will live up to the expectations.”
AAA is being sued by Lucha Libre FMV who allege they have the rights to market the promotion in the United States.
“Plus, we’ll have Deonna Purrazzo and Faby Apache in a title vs. title match, and our most popular wrestler, Psycho Clown, putting his mask on the line against Rey Escorpión, which is a feud that has been building over three years. I’m hoping, between now and August, something changes and this card will be seen in the United States.”
In his role as head of creative for AAA and as a mentor for young stars, Konnan has his fingerprints all over the wrestling industry https://t.co/zd8at9UtpU
Red Velvet defeated The Bunny on AEW Dynamite on Friday night. During the match, however, she landed badly on a suicide dive spot to the outside. Although she popped up immediately after, many fans were concerned that the wrestler hailing from “Straight outta yo momma’s kitchen” was injured.
Velvet is coming up on her 1-year anniversary in AEW. Her first match occurred on Dark on June 10th, 2020. She teamed with Kenzie Paige and was defeated by Brandi Rhodes and the Bunny/Allie. Velvet wouldn’t get her first win until October, but then things really turned around for her in terms of wins and losses. She went on a major win streak from mid-November until early March. Then she teamed with Cody Rhodes and lost to Jade Cargill and Shaquille O’Neal at Crossroads.
Red Velvet was officially signed to the promotion a few weeks after the mixed tag match with Cody against Shaq and Cargill. Cody Rhodes took to Twitter to announce that Velvet’s contract had been upgraded.
At The Crossroads @AEWonTNT event squaring off against @SHAQ & Jade…Red stepped up in a huge way! @TonyKhan saw what over a million people saw that night and upgraded her contract. She’s ALL ELITE now! Let’s stir it up my friend. pic.twitter.com/1bJ2JVx280
The NWA presents When Our Shadows Fall on PPV today at 4 PM est. Ahead of the show, Billy Corgan appeared on Busted Open Radio this week and spoke about a possible trilogy bout between Cody Rhodes and Nick Aldis. Corgan said he’s pitched the idea to AEW President Tony Khan.
“I’ve pitched it to Tony [Khan] a few times [Nick Aldis coming over to AEW]. It’s Tony’s world, I respect him for what he’s building. But yeah, look, I’ll say it again, Nick [Aldis] versus Cody Rhodes for a third time. I mean, that is an epic, epic matchup waiting to happen,” Corgan said (transcriptions via Post Wrestling).
Rhodes defeated Aldis at the All In show on September 1st, 2018. Aldis then regained the title at the NWA 70th Anniversary show on October 21st, 2018.
“I saw it happen twice in front of my own eyes and when you combine Cody with the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship and that history,” Corgan continued. “I’m sorry, I saw a look on Cody’s face that I’ve only seen when he was fighting for that title, because you can’t tell me that history does not mean something to him.”
The NWA World Heavyweight Championship will be on the line at When Our Shadows Fall. Aldis will defend against Trevor Murdoch, who earned the title shot by winning a battle royal on Powerrr.
“I mean, his father’s nickname is tattooed across his chest for a reason and when your dad’s Dusty Rhodes, I mean, I’m sorry. I get goosebumps just talking about the dang thing, so I hope we see Cody and Nick down the road at some point because that to me, it’s just like, it’s just waiting. It’s just waiting,” Corgan concluded.
