Shaquille O’Neal and Jade Cargill defeated Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet on Dynamite this week. During the match, Shaq body slammed several people, gave Cody Rhodes a power-bomb (with a Brodie Lee tribute), and eventually was put through two tables.
Shaq’s preparations for the match were recently addressed by Bryan Alvarez on Figure Four Daily.
“I talked to several people and what I’ve gathered is that Shaq has been training for awhile,” Alvarez said on the show. He’d continue to say he’s not sure exactly how long Shaq had been preparing, however.
“I know there were rumors that he had been secretly training since the summer, I don’t know if it’s been that long,” Alvarez continued.
Shaq is believed to have trained with QT Marshall at his gym. Alvarez would continue to say that everyone was really pleased with his attitude as well.
“I believe he was training with QT Marshall. I did hear from multiple people that it was everything that we heard about Pat McAfee. Despite what you may have seen on the videos, where he appeared to be very lazy and half-caring, this guy took it very seriously. He worked his ass off, he was nice to everybody, he was polite and humble, everything you heard about McAfee.”
Alvarez did say that one person told him that Shaq only showed up 2-hours before showtime, however.
“I was so impressed with Shaq,” Alvarez continued. “I don’t want him to be a regular but I wish he was signed and every 6-months he’d be Andre.”
AEW has had “Lights Out” matches, Parking Lot Brawls, and various other forms of hardcore matches. This Sunday at Revolution, Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley will wrestle in arguably the most hardcore match type ever invented. The two will face off in an Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match.
In a recent interview with NY Post, Kenny Omega spoke about why AEW does not shy away from hardcore match types.
“I still very much look at pro wrestling as an art form. I still like to consider myself the utmost professional. People like to dumb down matches with a violent stipulation. They kind of like just defer to those as garbage wrestling or that maybe we lack a certain area of expertise or talent, which is why we’re going there,” Omega said. “For me, it’s the complete opposite. I want to be considered as one of the best well-around athletes in professional wrestling. And I want to test myself in all avenues this sport has to offer.”
Omega also said he needs to test himself in this style of match against another wrestler who has a knack for hardcore bouts.
“For me to do that and do that effectively, I have to have some kind of experience in these types of situations. I want to test myself with the type of wrestler who specializes in this type of stuff. And sure, I don’t think Moxley has had an exploding barbed wire deathmatch, but it’s not something out of his wheelhouse to do something very hardcore.”
“I do believe the stars will align and something special will emerge from this,” Omega continued.
The Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match was made famous by Atsushi Onita. He competed against names like Terry Funk and Mr. Pogo in the match type.
Omega also recently revealed the official rules for the match:
THE RULES:
-3 sides of the ring ropes wrapped in barbed wire.
-contact with barbed wire triggers explosives on corresponding side.
-‘Triple Hell’ (3 zones on the floor wired to explosives)
-30 minute countdown timer until all explosives in and around the ring detonate. pic.twitter.com/vK1cZjSfHF
The women’s division in AEW feels like it has taken a few significant strides as of late. The women’s title-eliminator tournament featured some great matches and both Jade Cargill and Red Velvet put on a stellar show in the night’s opening contest at AEW Dynamite: The Crossroads.
AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida was recently interviewed by SI.com. During the discussion, Shida said that she knows the women’s division in AEW has the power to “carry the show.”
“We’re proving our division has the power to carry the show,” Shida says. “That drives me. And I always had a dream to work internationally since I was a child, so, I am living my dream right now.”
When AEW first began, there was talk of the promotion really emphasizing Joshi-style wrestling in its women’s division. This was hampered by the onset of the pandemic, however, and the reduced ability to bring in talent from Japan. Shida helped organize the recent AEW Women’s Title-Eliminator tournament bracket in Japan and spoke about that experience with SI.com as well.
“I’ve always felt that Japanese joshi are the best in the world,” Shida continued. “So introducing them to everyone is very meaningful for me. It’s kind of a way to brag about my home. I also want Japanese wrestlers to know they can reach the top of the world if they work hard. It’s not a fantasy. This is one of the biggest things I have done as champion, and I’m proud of it.”
Shida continued to say that main event’ing a PPV or Dynamite are her goals.
“The main event for a pay-per-view and Dynamite are always my goals. I’ll continue working hard for it until it comes true,” she said.
Christian made his WWE return at the Royal Rumble this year. It was his first real match since 2014. He embraced with Edge during the Rumble which led to many fans speculating about a possible return of their popular tag-team.
Jey Uso was recently interviewed by Fox Sports. During the discussion, he spoke about wanting his team with his brother Jimmy to face Edge and Christian someday.
“We had the Hardy Boyz, and then we had the Dudley Boyz … that’s one more team I have to mark off,” Jey said.
“They’re the OGs of the tag division. That triple-threat ladder match at WrestleMania, bro, like, c’mon. Two out of the three teams, me and my brother got to be blessed to work with … that’s another bucket list. Straight up.”
Uso also spent some time during the interview discussing his latest singles run. Although he noted he misses wrestling alongside his brother, Jey says he always knew he could be on his own.
“I always knew I could hang with singles work because wrestling is wrestling, Uce. The only thing is, it felt weird not having Jimmy with me coming out,” he said of the change. “I’m always on the left. He’s always on the right. It was just a weird vibe.”
Ahmed Johnson was with WWE from 1995 to 1998. During his run, it appeared the company was trying to turn him into a big star. He’d pop up in late-era WCW a couple of years later before retiring in 2003. Johnson recently spoke to Sportskeeda about what Vince McMahon said to him when he was leaving the company.
“Because me and Vince had a falling out right when I left, we had a falling out, and he told me then that I wouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame because of our falling out. He actually told me that.”
Johnson continued to say that it was mainly contractual differences that came between them.
“It was that (contractual differences) and other little things, but yeah, it was a lot of contractual differences.”
Johnson is a former Intercontinental Champion and was ranked #5 in the PWI top-500 in 1996. He also credited Al Snow with helping him develop as a wrestler during the interview.
“Let me see. Probably Al Snow. With Al, we just didn’t have a match. Al took me in and taught me a few things, you know. He was kind of an off-the-clock instructor.”
The interview with Ahmed Johnson can be viewed in the player below:
The last match of Kurt Angle’s professional wrestling career took place on April 7th, 2019. He lost to Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35. In recent days, however, there have been rumors circulating that Angle could be the “Hall of Fame” worthy signing teased for AEW Revolution.
Angle recently Tweeted out a video that can be taken as a tease for his in-ring return. The video features him lacing up his boots and putting on his ring gear. It closes with the caption “To Be Continued.”
Kurt Angle was released from his contract with WWE on April 15th, 2020 along with several other performers.
Is Kurt Angle The New AEW Signing?
Tony Khan recently dropped some more hints on who the new signing is.
“It’s one of my all-time favorite wrestlers” Tony Khan stated on Busted Open. “I’m very excited about [it]. I’ll say one thing, it’s one of my all-time favorite wrestlers. I tipped this on Unrestricted, I tipped the gender — it’s a male.”
“He’s going to do great things for us” Khan continued. “He’s committed, he’s going to sign a contract on Sunday at Revolution on PPV.”
Impact Wrestling’s Matt Cardona recently told a story of a time in WWE when he was dressed down by the Undertaker backstage. Cardona had been on his phone during a show, something Taker was not pleased about. He detailed the story during an interview with Metro UK.
“I once got in trouble by The Undertaker for being on my cell phone backstage at a show whereas now, it’s encouraged to be on your phone – tweet, post, I don’t even know all the apps you can do!”
“That’s just evolution and that’s how it should be. And you know, The Undertaker was right back then – I should have been watching the match, I should have been focused. It’s crazy how times change!’”
Cardona would continue to say that Taker is someone who was always giving back to the business.
“I even wrestled The Undertaker one-on-one and I remember he was asking me what I wanted to do and then afterwards sat down with me to give me pointers and what I could have done different, what I did good.”
“Undertaker is somebody who’s always looking to give back to the business. All these years later, we’re still talking about The Undertaker, he’s still going. I respect the hell out of The Undertaker. You’ve gotta listen to what he has to say.”
CM Punk made it clear on Twitter recently that he is not the big surprise promised for AEW Revolution. He took part in a Q&A with fans and noted that he feels AEW needs to focus more on the stars already on their roster rather than new signings.
Punk was asked about having never been in the final match at WrestleMania, something that at one point was his dream. He noted that this is no longer something that bothers him.
“No. It’s a trap I fell into. Doesn’t mean sh**,” Punk Tweeted.
The noted hockey fan also lobbied for a return of the Quebec Nordiques.
Cody Rhodes addressed AEW’s previous negotiations with Punk in an interview last year.
“As far as the CM Punk negotiations go, everyone heard the famous ‘he got a text from us’. Yeah, of course there were negotiations and he did ask for a great amount of money and Punk is worth a great deal of money.”
Matt Hardy made his AEW debut during the first edition of Dynamite taped without a live audience. Since that time, Hardy has started performing more under his “Big Money Matt” persona rather than his “Broken” one. He spoke to the Asbury Park Press about how the pandemic forced him to reinvent himself yet again.
“Broken Matt Hardy is a very audience-friendly character,” Hardy said. “It needs a crowd, it needs an audience, and it just was not in the cards to be Broken Matt Hardy … because his debut was in the first-ever empty arena era, pandemic-era show, the first empty arena show that AEW had.”
“Broken Matt Hardy is … very theatrical, and it doesn’t translate as well to the current AEW audience that sits at home and watches (on television) because I’ve realized that this is a much younger audience. It’s a much more sports-centric-type audience.”
Hardy then praised Tony Khan for giving him the creative freedom to switch characters.
“I tip my hat to (AEW president and CEO) Tony Khan. He allowed me to try kind of switching characters and see how people reacted to it,” Hardy continued. “I think if we had been in arenas full of people it would have been different.
“But considering we’re now playing to the television audience, it was better for me to zone in and focus on one thing.”
Hardy would continue to say being a heel is the best option for him currently. He will face Hangman Page at Revolution. A stipulation was added to the bout that the winning wrestler is given the losing wrestler’s pay for the first quarter of 2021.
Chris Jericho believes that wrestling legends are treated with more respect in AEW than they are WWE. The former AEW World Champion spoke to Digital Spy about how Sting and “Big Show” Paul Wight were treated in their final runs with WWE.
“These are guys that were kind of almost insulted in their WWE runs,” Jericho said. “[Sting and Wight were] definitely not treated with too much respect over the last few years.”
Jericho continued to say that WWE often treats legends as something of a joke. He listed off a series of examples which included himself.
“We treat our legends with respect,” Jericho continued. “We don’t make jokes out of them and WWE is notorious for that, whether it’s Sting, Paul Wight, Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, Jake Roberts, Dustin Rhodes, throw in Chris Jericho.”
Jericho continued to say AEW knows how to treat legends with respect.
“We know how to treat our legendary performers with respect and make them all look great and make them all worthy of being in AEW because if they aren’t worthy of being in AEW why would they be there?”
Chris Jericho On Paul Wight’s Value To AEW
Jericho would continue to say that Wight has more value than simply being a legend, however. He’s someone who can help mentor some of AEW’s larger guys as well.
“I also know that he’s a great mentor for some of our bigger guys that we have, Lance Archer and Luchasaurus, those types of guys,” Jericho continued. “Most importantly I know how dangerous a motivated Big Show can be.”
Jericho will team with MJF to challenge the Young Bucks for the AEW World Tag Team Championships at Revolution. On Dynamite this week, Jericho spoke about his multiple tag-team title wins. These include a run with Big Show as Jeri-Show. Wight and Jericho are 2x tag-team champions in WWE and won the Slammy Award for Best WWE tag-team in 2009.
Bobby Lashley is the new WWE Champion and by his side are his stablemates from the Hurt Business. Recently, Lashley, other members of the faction, and the Rock traded comments about representation in wrestling and Lashley’s latest career accomplishment.
The thread started when one Twitter user posted some art work that drew the attention of Lashley and the Rock.
— Abdulmalik | ???????? (@97Abdulmalik) March 3, 2021
One user on Twitter objected to the picture.
“Everything doesn’t always have to be a race thing. That’s kind of what we’re trying to steer away from and you’re doing the opposite,” this person said.
The Hurt Business’ MVP then responded.
“No. He’s not. That is a beautiful statement about representation and inspiration. It means something when your heros look like you,” MVP Tweeted in response.
This led to the Rock, who is featured in the art work, to comment as well. He praised the Hurt Business and said he was very proud of them.
Well said, brother. You guys are doing GREAT. Very happy for all of you. Very proud, too. Representing
The new WWE Champion then praised the Rock for paving the way.
“You and so many others paved the way for us to do what we do. Without The Great One, there might not be an All Mighty,” Lashley Tweeted.
The Rock then responded with the following:
Appreciate the kind words brother. Very happy for you and proud. Grab that brass ring and go for it all. You know what to do, champ. Represent. #allmighty#peopleschamphttps://t.co/ZpxMd9PB9h
Kenny Omega will defend his AEW World Championship this Sunday at Revolution against former champion, Jon Moxley. This will not be a standard match as their one at Winter is Coming will be, however. Rather, this match will be contested under “Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match” rules. Omega recently spoke to SI.com and gave further details about the match.
“The idea itself is incredible,” Omega said. “You touch the ropes and they explode. This is a match that was made famous about 30 years ago in FMW. It’s not like a cage match where you have a pretty good idea about what you’ll see. With this, there are going to be so many unexpected parts.”
Omega continued to say that this match is partly about him expanding his repertoire as a performer.
“I’ve been hearing for over a year these expectations of what I was supposed to be in AEW. It was just a copy-and-paste of the ‘Tokyo Dome Kenny Omega,’ which would essentially have monopolized all of our programming. If that were the case, an hour would have to go to my matches. I believe too much in our roster and our vision to ever want to do something like that.”
“This is my opportunity to show to a much broader audience that I can show a different side to my work, do these skits, which the people who watched Being the Elite already knew, and accomplish a whole new set of goals.”
AEW Revolution will mark just the second time Omega has defended the belt since winning it in December. His first title defence was against Fenix on the first night of AEW’s New Year’s Smash.
Are you ready for this Sunday, March 7th at #AEWRevolution? Step inside the exploding barbed wire deathmatch Watch #AEWDynamite NOW on @TNTDrama
Major League Wrestling presented Fusion last night. Two title matches took place on the show as Jacob Fatu defended against Jordan Oliver and Los Parks faced Simon Gotch and Daivari.
The full show can be viewed in the player below.
MLW Fusion 3/3 Quick Results:
MLW Tag Team Championships Los Parks (c) defeated Contra Unit (Daivari & Simon Gotch)
Mike Parrow defeated Jason Dugan
Calvin Tankman defeated Laredo Kid
MLW World Championship Jacob Fatu (c) defeated Jordan Oliver
The Contra Unit and Injustice rivalry had its biggest match to date this week when Jordan Oliver challenged Jacob Fatu for the MLW World Championship. Fatu picked up the win after a Samoan Drop followed by his patented top-rope moonsault. After the match, the members of Contra Unit continued the attack on both Reed and Oliver. Members of the Sentai Death Squad ran in with body bags to place the Injustice members in.
The big heavyweight Calvin Tankman would make the save, however. He both protected Injustice from a further beatdown and puts himself in the conversation for a future title shot against Fatu.
Injustice Prevent Contra Unit From Winning Tag Team Gold
Simon Gotch and Daivari of Contra Unit received a tag-team title match against Los Parks this week. Los Parks attempted their normal routine of bringing in a fresh member of the family from under the ring to enter the match illegally. The referee thwarted this attempt, however. While the referee was distracted, Jordan Oliver and Myron Reed of Injustice interfered and allowed LA Park to hit a spear on Daivari for the win.
Parrow Wants To Be The Most Dominant Heavyweight In MLW
Before Mike Parrow hit the ring for his match against Jason Dugan this week, clips of an interview with him were shown. Parrow said he wants to be the most dominant heavyweight in the promotion. He made quick work of Dugan, pinning him after delivering his patented “Murder Bomb.” After the match, Parrow cut a promo on Azteca Underground’s Mil Muertes, setting up a future heavyweight clash.
Mike Parrow wasn’t the only heavyweight to leave a mark on this episode of MLW Fusion. Calvin Tankman picked up a win over Laredo Kid. It took awhile for Tankman to wear down his opponent enough to deliver a Tankman Driver, but once he did, it was all over. After the match, Tankman said he wants the added money that comes with being MLW World Champion and called out Jacob Fatu.
There are people who believe the Dynasty’s Richard Holliday has developed a bit of a thing for Alicia Atout. The commentator and “Interview Queen” has been feuding with Salina de la Renta as of late and this week Salina said she wants Alexander Hammerstone’s National Openweight gold in her stable. She also referred to Holliday as Atout’s “boy toy.” Richard Holliday promised Atout that the Dynasty would handle the situation.
The wrestling world was dealt a giant blow this winter with the untimely death of Brodie Lee. An outpouring of tributes and respect for the man has followed in the time that has passed since. John Silver recently took part in an interview with Chris Van Vliet and shared some of his memories of Brodie Lee including how Brodie purchased ring gear for him to help make him a bigger star.
“He was the man. He was such a happy good guy,” Silver said. “There was no negativity, he was always laughing, he would always have this big smile, especially with this big beard he had going on. But he’s just a good guy. He bought the ring jacket I have just because it would help me look more like a star if I had it. He also bought me matching gear that I wore at the Brodie show.”
Silver continued to talk about Brodie purchasing ring gear for him.
“It was just supposed to be for the BTE sketch, and then I asked him he’s like I want to buy you this stuff it’s going to be cool. I’m like that’s so cool what’s the sketch. He’s like I don’t know, we’ll think of something. He didn’t have a real idea in mind, but he thought it would be funny if Silver dresses like me one day. It wasn’t cheap gear, altogether it cost over $1,000 that he spent on me that he didn’t have to, I didn’t ask for it. Just because he thought it would be good for BTE and for me and the skits we do.”
Silver also said that when they were filming BTE sketches, Brodie would always try and get him to laugh.
“We’re trying to get through these sketches, and he would purposely try his absolute hardest to make me laugh. If I laugh, we’ve got to do it again. You see so many sketches of him getting right into my face and screaming sh*t at me, and just trying to make me laugh. It always worked, which is why we had to start pretending we were crying because we were always laughing.”
Silver also spoke about working the Brodie Lee tribute show and how difficult it was to do.
“I’m a pretty emotional guy, so that was difficult, but I thought I was going to be worse. The whole day was difficult, being around people. It was good too, but I’m like I can’t stop thinking about this.”
Silver actually missed a Dark Order entrance during the show. He also detailed what happened with that during his discussion with Chris Van Vliet.
“The match itself, if you look at the first match [Colt Cabana and The Young Bucks vs Matt Hardy and Private Party] If you look, I wasn’t there for the entrance, I come in late because I went to the back. I went to my room and I was not in a good mood. I forgot Colt was up and I forgot I had to do the entrance. When I heard the music and I thought screw it, I started running. You don’t see me coming out with them, but when Colt eventually does the pose, I’m there.”
The full interview is available in the player below:
News broke last week that Marty Scurll had filmed content that would be shown on an upcoming episode of New Japan Strong. As it turns out, NJPW has no plans to air the footage or have Scurll back in the company anytime soon.
The news was first reported by the Super J-Cast podcast and has also been reported by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Per sources, Marty Scurll will not be appearing on NJPW Strong or any other New Japan programs for the foreseeable future.
Scurll is believed to have filmed an angle with NJPW’s Rocky Romero at the promotion’s Los Angeles Dojo. Upon news of this leaking, there was a negative response amongst fans due to accusations against Scurll as part of the #SpeakingOut movement.
Last week, Scurll filming content for NJPW in Los Angeles was addressed on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“Marty Scurll worked the New Japan tapings a couple of weeks ago in California,” said Dave Meltzer.
“I’m not at all surprised at Marty Scurll working for New Japan, that’s just how they do things and in Japan, it’s not going to be an issue. In the United States, it’s going to be an issue to a lot of fans. There are people who want him black-balled for life.”
Scurll is a former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
At AEW Full Gear 2019, Chris Jericho defeated Cody Rhodes in a match that carried a significant stipulation in addition to the world title being on the line. As a result of the loss, Cody can never challenge again for the AEW World Championship again. This has led many fans to wonder if AEW will stick to its guns and adhere to the stipulation for the long haul.
In a recent interview with WFAN Sports Radio, Cody commented on his desire to stick to the stipulation. He also noted, however, that ultimately it is Tony Khan’s decision.
“I’m going to stick to my word on the AEW Title, but ultimately, that decision will rest on AEW owner Tony Khan. It’s the easiest heel turn in wrestling if I was to break it,” Cody laughed. “I love that we’re disciplined and conservative, and presenting wrestling backwards.”
Rhodes would continue to say that he hopes he never “needs” to hold the title.
“I don’t want to sound braggadocious or egotistical, but my goal is to never need the World Championship. Yeah, it sucks to watching Kenny Omega or Jon Moxley with the title when I consider myself the 1A of the group, but I gave my word.”
Cody has a big match tonight with no titles on the line. He will team with Red Velvet to take on Shaquille O’Neal and Jade Cargill.
Impact Wrestling is less than two weeks away from their next big event, Sacrifice on March 13th. This week’s show added several matches to the show.
Impact 3/2 Quick Results:
X-Division #1 Contendership Ace Austin defeated Black Taurus and Chris Bey
Tenille Dashwood defeated Havok
The Good Brothers & FinJuice defeated Reno Scum & Team XXXL
Eddie Edwards defeated Brian Myers via DQ (Referee: Matt Cardona)
Deonna Purrazzo defeated Jordynne Grace and Kiera Hogan
ODB To Challenge Deonna Purrazzo At Sacrifice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aInz3XwBKWc
This match was originally supposed to be just Purrazzo vs Grace but after Fire N Flava interrupted a backstage promo earlier in the night, Kiera Hogan was added to the bout. The finish of the match came shortly after Grace dove to the outside and took out Susan and Kimber Lee. Grace then attempted to deliver a splash to Hogan but Tasha Steelz pulled her out of the ring. This then allowed Purrazzo to roll up Grace for the win.
After the match, as Grace and Tasha Steelz brawled to the back, Purrazzo was left alone in the ring. ODB then bolted out from the back and attacked the Knockouts Champion. Last we saw ODB, she had been attacked and left unconscious in the back. Based on ODB’s actions here, it seems she knows exactly who attacked her. Shortly after, it was revealed that ODB will challenge Purrazzo at Sacrifice.
The Good Brothers To Defend Tag Belts Against FinJuice At Sacrifice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhFyh9A4VFo
Impact Wrestling didn’t waste any time getting Juice Robinson and David Finlay into the tag-team title hunt. There had been dissension between teams when The Good Brothers and FinJuice teamed up to defeat Reno Scum and Team XXXL this week. Later in the show, FinJuice managed to bait the Good Brothers into challenging them to a match for the belts at Sacrifice. Just like that, two of the best tag-teams in the world will clash in just 10 days.
Tony Khan Says AEW and Impact Are On The Same Team
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6h1cNdBDfc
There was a stark difference in attitude from the two Tony’s this week. After Tommy Dreamer was critical of the tone that has been used in the AEW ads as of late, this week Khan stated that AEW and Impact are on the same team. Don Callis, Kenny Omega, and the Good Brothers are on the other team although Khan didn’t specifically say as much. The two Tony’s then ran down the card for tonight’s episode of Dynamite.
Matt Cardona Disqualifies Brian Myers In Match Against Eddie Edwards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2vX91-GDb0
Matt Cardona and Brian Myers are former tag partners, longtime friends, and podcast co-hosts. They have not gotten along well so far in Impact Wrestling, however. Earlier in the show, Cardona told Myers he was going to call the match “right down the middle” which Myers didn’t like. Then during the match, Cardona caught Myers loading up his elbow pad and disqualified him after he hit Edwards with it. Something is brewing between these two.
Ace Austin Qualifies For X-Division Title Shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpd9jNFQIxI
Ace Austin earned a shot at the X-Division title with a win in triple threat action this week. He had actually teamed with Black Taurus and Chris Bey last week in a victory over Willie Mack, Trey Miguel and Josh Alexander in 6-man action with the stipulation that the winning team would face each other this week.
An X-Division match between Ace Austin and champion TJP was then made for Sacrifice.
Sami Callihan Invades Trey Miguel’s Wrestling School
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URlg6ILt6Sc
Callihan continued his harassment of Trey Miguel this week. He has been critical that the former Rascalz member has no loyalty or passion. Callihan showed up at the school where Miguel is a head teacher. He was confronted by one of the school’s trainers, CK3, and a student before the segment cut out.
Tenille Dashwood Picks Up Win Over Havok
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUALio1m0kE
Tenille Dashwood had been lobbying for Havok to be her new tag-team partner but things didn’t work out as planned. Instead, the two would face off in singles action this week. Dashwood picked up the win off of Kaleb Konely’s distraction. She hit the Spotlight Kick on Havok to get the pin. Havok’s tag partner came to the ring and took out Kaleb after, leading to speculation that Havok and Neveah may have resolved their recent conflict with each other.
Coming Up In Impact Wrestling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv-id68ur0I
Impact Wrestling: Sacrifice on March 13th:
Impact World Championship Rich Swann (c) vs Moose
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Fire N Flava (Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz) (c) vs Jordynne Grace & Jazz
X-Division Championship TJP (c) vs Ace Austin
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs ODB
Impact Tag Team Championships The Good Brothers (c) vs Juice Robinson & David Finlay
Charlotte Flair is engaged to fellow WWE Superstar, Andrade. During a recent interview with TV Insider, Charlotte noted that she has pitched WWE to work with her fiancé on-screen.
“I’ve actually pitched that,” Flair said when asked about working with Andrade. “I would be very much open to that. I’ve done a lot in my career, but nobody has seen me in an on-cam relationship, or in that light. I can come across cold on TV.”
Andrade has not been a fixture on WWE programming since the fall. His lat official match with WWE was on October 12th, 2020 in a loss to Angel Garza.
Flair also spoke about her segment with her father from the February 22nd edition of RAW.
“I loved the back-and-forth because originally it wasn’t supposed to be that way. My dad comes from an era where he can cut a promo and not have to memorize things. I’m so in the zone right now where for the first time in my career I’m comfortable to ad lib out there. I’m an emotional person as it is, so trying to channel certain things that have frustrated me was very easy. I was never expecting to be back on screen with my dad in 2021 and have him across the ring from me [supporting someone else]. So I was able to bring out certain emotions.”
This Monday on RAW, Bobby Lashley defeated The Miz to become the 53rd person in history to hold the WWE Championship. Lashley begins the 141st reign in the title’s lineage. He spoke to SI.com recently about what the title win means to him.
“I promised myself that this would happen,” Lashley said during the interview. “There have been times when I didn’t know if this was going to come, but I worked my ass off and refused to be denied. Now that we’re here, it’s surreal.”
“Seeing so many people ringside—like Ricochet, Elias and Braun—that meant a lot,” he continued. “I’ve shared moments with all of them. Sharing it with Shelton, Cedric and MVP, that’s very meaningful, too. I’ve had so many calls and messages—I heard from my college wrestling coach, my high school wrestling coach, even people I trained with in Japan. It’s been amazing.”
Lashley was a 4x World Champion with TNA Wrestling/Impact. He also held the ECW title while in WWE twice. Lashley is also a 2x Intercontinental and 2x United States Champion as well.
“I went into professional wrestling believing that the world title would be my world medal,” Lashley continued. “This has always been my goal. Even when times were tough, I didn’t stop. I never stopped, I kept working to get better. My dad taught me hard work, and I’m teaching that to my kids. And it’s true—the harder I work, the luckier I get.”
Dakota Kai made her debut as a full-time NXT Superstar in 2017. She is the first female wrestler from New Zealand to have ever signed with WWE. Dakota spoke to SI.com recently about moving from New Zealand to the United States to start her WWE journey.
“I miss home. I miss my family,” Kai said. “That’s a sacrifice I made.”
“It was hard to move my life here,” Kai continued. “The sacrifice I made equates to the way I work in the ring. I sacrificed everything to be here. That’s why I have a fearless approach.”
“I’m the first-ever Kiwi woman signed to WWE, so I’m blazing a new trail,” she continued. “And there is still so much to accomplish.”
Dakota Kai On Her Team With Raquel Gonzalez
Dakota also spent some time talking about her team with Raquel Gonzalez during the interview. They will challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag-Team titles on tonight’s NXT.
“We’ve been together for a little over a year, and we’re building on that,” Kai said. “Raquel has been at the Performance Center longer than I have, and I have seen the work she’s put into this. There is some real-life connection, and that shows in our team. She is big and powerful, and I am quick on my feet, and that juxtaposition works well for us.”
Dakota also spoke about how her and Raquel Gonzalez like to emulate the former “Two Dudes with Attitude” Shawn Michaels and Diesel.
“We like using their pose during our entrance,” Kai said. “And if anyone sees similarities in our work, then that’s the biggest compliment in the world.”
Dakota also spent some time talking about her former Performance Center classmate, Bianca Belair, during the interview.
“Bianca is the definition of superstar,” Kai said. “We were really close in NXT, and she’s one of the sweetest people in the world, and she always gives me so much strength. I’m so happy for her. Her in-ring presence is just insane. She deserves the world, and I can’t wait to watch her face Sasha at WrestleMania.”
Dakota Kai on Bianca Belair: “She always gives me so much strength. I’m so happy for her. Her in-ring presence is just insane. She deserves the world, and I can’t wait to watch her face Sasha at WrestleMania.”https://t.co/pmpmvvJOMz
Tonight on AEW Dynamite, Shaquille O’Neal will team with Jade Cargill to face Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet. Shaq has long been around the wrestling industry, and even performed in the 2016 Andre the Giant memorial battle royal. Tonight will be his first time in a tag-team match, however, and his first match in AEW.
Shaq spoke to the Associated Press about what fans can expect from him once he gets in the ring.
“I’m not a professional wrestler, but I’ve been in a match before,” Shaq said. “I’ve got a lot of moves in my arsenal. When you step inside somebody’s world, you have to stick to what you’re masterful at. I’m not acrobatic. I’m not going to be jumping off the ropes. I’m coming with the power game. When I get hands on him, I’m going to display this power.”
“I’m the type that if I have a look and see you do it, I got it,” Shaq continued.
Shaq On What He Said To Hulk Hogan
Shaq also mentioned what he said when he met Hulk Hogan during the interview.
“I told him, ‘you broke my heart when you body-slammed Andre the Giant,’” O’Neal said. “I cried as a kid. I really did.”
Shaq also said that his match tonight will blow away all other matches by retired athletes.
Yesterday, a charity show titled “Wrestling for Women’s Charity” began circulating a poster. Joey Ryan’s face on the poster drew a heavy reaction from fans online. It was later revealed that Ryan’s “Bar Wrestling” had some affiliation with the show.
AEW’s Tony Khan then stated AEW talent would not be appearing on the show if Ryan was involved. The promotion then Tweeted out that they were canceling the event. This all happened within the span of a few hours.
If Joey Ryan is there, my people won’t be there. I’ll gladly donate to the charity though.
Joey Ryan has dropped the lawsuit he won a default judgment on against his accuser. This could potentially mean some agreement was made between the two parties but that is just speculation. Although the name is being redacted on reports (including this one), the accuser deactivated their Twitter recently. Ryan’s Twitter has been wiped of all Tweets as well, it seems.
Ryan’s legal team filed to dismiss the lawsuit yesterday, the same day he appeared on the poster for the women’s charity show. Via HeelbyNature:
“TO THE COURT AND ALL PARTIES IN THIS ACTION, PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT plaintiff, Joseph R. Meehan (Meehan), voluntarily dismisses without prejudice defendant, REDACTED. REDACTED has not answered or filed a motion for summary judgment. This notice is made pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 41(a)(1)(A). Dated: March 2, 2021, Los Angeles, California UTZURRUM LAW OFFICES, A.P.C”
Former ROH Wrestler, Pelle Primeau, is fundraising for his legal defence.
in good news, my deadline to reply is now March 26th, and I am building up a pro se defense that I feel is going to be legendary.
I'll need as much help as I can possibly get with drafting/editing/review, so any amount will help! https://t.co/nEKwjg6URs
The NWA will be returning to PPV in less than 3 weeks. It was revealed today that the National Wrestling Alliance will present “Back for the Attack” on PPV March 21st, 2021.
Nick Aldis, Thunder Rosa, Aron Stevens, Trevor Murdoch, Elijah Burke, Tim Storm, and Kamille are all advertised to take part in the show. The show is currently being listed on FITE.TV for a cost of $19.99 USD.
Recently, many NWA fans became concerned when episodes of “NWA Powerrr” were removed from the promotion’s YouTube channel. It was later reported on Wrestling Observer Radio, that the promotion will conduct TV tapings from March 21st to 24th. Evidently, that first night will be a PPV event.
“So, this is the situation with the NWA. I don’t know why they pulled all their videos from YouTube but they are going to be taping March 21st to 24th and I was told it will come out in the next couple of days why they did it and it will be a positive,” said Dave Meltzer.
The last set of NWA tapings took place in January of 2020 before the pandemic shut down businesses in the United States. NWA titles were part of the UWN shows at Thunder Studios last fall, but those were ultimately put on hiatus due to increased COVID-19 restrictions as well.
Darby Allin is a creative guy, which may partially explain his popularity. The film school dropout has a big match upcoming this weekend at Revolution. He’ll team with Sting in a street fight against Team Taz’s Brian Cage and Ricky Starks. Allin recently spoke with the Independent and a frequent topic of the discussion centered around creativity in wrestling.
“The biggest advice I’d give to anyone entering wrestling is to bring your outside world into wrestling because there are so many people [who] only know wrestling, and it gets so boring,” Allin said.
“It’s like ‘tell me who you are and what you’re about’ and they say ‘I grew up loving professional wrestling, it’s all I ever wanted, it’s my dream.’ That is so generic that you don’t bring anything to the table. There’s a whole world out there, and so many are so small-minded in wrestling that it’s not even funny.”
“There’s the whole world and I want to explore that world. I don’t want to be in a small bubble with all these people, so I don’t associate with a whole bunch of people, I just like to do my own thing.”
Darby Allin Teaming With Sting
Darby Allin has been aligned with Sting since the legend made his AEW debut at Winter is Coming. This Sunday at Revolution will be Sting’s first match since losing to Seth Rollins at Night of Champions in 2015. During a recent interview, Tony Khan confirmed that Sting has been medically cleared to wrestle.
“He’s been cleared, he’s been fully cleared,” Khan said of Sting. “He’s been training with Darby and sparring partners and he’s been fully cleared to wrestle. In his training, one thing he’s done to get ready with his sparring partners is a powerbomb. In terms of getting ready for this, I was more than fine with it and in fact called it.”
There are several updates on injured WWE Superstars currently available. According to comments made on Wrestling Observer Radio, Wes Lee really does have a broken hand, Asuka may have more than just a busted tooth, and Kacy Catanzaro is not injured significantly.
“(Asuka) probably got a concussion too,” said Dave Meltzer after it was noted that she suffered a broken tooth on last week’s RAW. “I’m relatively certain she got a concussion because when nobody says it, that’s usually what it means.”
Asuka took a boot to the face from Charlotte Flair, who was actually her teammate against Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax that led to the injury. There is no timetable for her return.
It was also noted during the discussion that Kacy Catanzaro’s “broken leg” in NXT is just an angle.
“It’s not like she’s 100% but she’s fine,” Meltzer said about Catanzaro. In storyline, Catanzaro’s leg was broken by Xia Li as part of her and Kayden Carter’s rivalry with her and Boa.
MSK’s Wes Lee really did break his hand, however. The injury angle on NXT was done to explain why Lee will really be missing some time.
“Wes Lee did have a broken hand, he got it in the tag-team match with Grizzled Young Veterans on the Takeover show on one of his dives. That’s why there’s no tag-team title match with Lorcan and Burch against MSK that was originally scheduled for Wednesday’s show because he’s hurt,” Meltzer said.