Dr. Britt Baker DMD has been a focal part of AEW’s women’s division since the beginning. She spoke to TSN recently about juggling two careers as a wrestler and as a dentist. Baker also spoke about her heel turn and how she hopes to never be a babyface again.
“Before COVID hit, I would work in the dental office Monday and Tuesday, grab the latest flight I could to whatever city we were wrestling in,” Baker said. “We would have AEW Dynamite live on Wednesday and then Thursday morning, I’m on the first plane out of there – sometimes it’s a redeye – to get back to the dental office and work Friday, as well. I very graciously welcome the weekend, that’s for sure.”
When Baker was going to school and training to be a wrestler, there were people who told her she wouldn’t be able to do both.
“My peers really, really pressured me with that sort of talk, that ‘Britt, you can’t do both of these. You have to do one or the other,’” she continued. “And it kinda pissed me off. It fuelled my fire, and I would just say ‘Why? Why do I have to do one or the other? Why do I have to be just a dentist or just a wrestler?’ And I think because it kinda fired me up a little bit. I typically tend to go against the grain, so I would just put one foot in front of the other and take it one day at a time. I didn’t really have a long-term plan as to how I was going to figure it out or be successful in both.”
Britt Baker On Turning Heel
When AEW began, Baker was a true babyface. She would later turn heel and become one of the more entertaining acts on the show. According to Baker, she never wants to be a babyface again.
“I definitely love being a heel,” Baker said. “ I don’t wish to be babyface ever again. It’s so much fun to really dive into what really gets under other people’s skin – and what gets underneath your own skin – to bring out the traits you hate in others and the traits you hate in yourself. It’s fun! As sick and twisted as that sounds, it’s very enjoyable.”
The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in Wichita Falls, TX, has announced its class of 2021. The museum is still open for visitors but it is by appointment only.
This year’s inductees are as follows:
Pioneer Division: Mad Mountain Dean & Paul Bowser
TV Era Division: Tiger Conway Sr. & Jose Lothario
Modern Era Division: Tony Atlas & Wildfire Tommy Rich
Women’s: Judy Martin & Juanita Coffman
International: Leo Burke
Executive: Don Owen
Tag Team Division: Rock ‘n Roll Express (Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton)
Territory Era: Skandor Akbar
Referee: Ronnie West
The ceremony is currently scheduled for May but things could change. The Hall of Fame posted the following message to its Facebook page:
“We were hoping to be able to make a bigger announcement at this time regarding the Induction weekend, currently scheduled for May 13, 14 & 15, 2021 in Downtown Wichita Falls but we are still working towards a resolution towards an event to keep everyone safe in this crazy time in our World!!”
Notable inductees from last year included Dory Funk, Tim Brooks, Luna Vachon, the Great Kabuki, Debbie Combs, the Bushwackers/Sheepherders, Jake Roberts, Magnum TA, Curtis Iaukea, and Karl Kox. Gory Guerrero, Owen Hart, Bobby Eaton and several others were inducted in 2019.
Impact Wrestling presents Hard to Kill on Saturday night. Rosemary will team with her old Decay stablemate, Crazzy Steve, on the show. They’ll take on the team of Tenille Dashwood and her personal photographer, Kaleb Conley (aka Caleb Konley). Rosemary’s longtime ally, Taya Valkyrie, will challenge Deonna Purrazzo for the Knockouts title on the show as well.
Rosemary spoke to Women’s Wrestling Talk about the upcoming PPV and her relationship with Taya. It should be noted that when Rosemary speaks she refers to herself in the plural sense, i.e “we” instead of “I”.
“The Valkyrie and the Demon have gone to war so many times. And we know each other so well, that when we decided, we say decided, when we were commanded by the shadow to form an alliance with her, it was not difficult to do so because we already knew her so well,” Rosemary said. “And the fact that we became so dominant as a tag team, leading up into the announcement of the tag team titles, by being returned to Impact, we really knew that we had something there because we could rely on her to be where we needed her to be and vice versa.”
Rosemary On Hard to Kill & Crazzy Steve
Rosemary also spent some time talking about the upcoming Hard to Kill PPV. She suggested that she would like it if Taya won the title and then the two of them later won the tag belts.
“In the most immediate future, the most ideal, the most ideal path, the most ideal reality to manifest, would be if the Valkyrie was to win the Knockouts championship this Saturday and then down the road we were to capture the tag titles and bring all the belts into the fold,” she continued.
“We already have seen the return of our dear brother Crazzy Steve into Impact Wrestling. While we have not had too many interactions with him as of yet just know that we are talking and when the time is right when the shadow was ready for our brother crazy still too Crazzy Steve to realign with the demon assassin. That would be as you said, trouble for anyone involved.”
The full interview can be viewed in the player below:
Kevin Nash recently responded to an article online that was critical of WWE’s COVID-19 protocols and policies. Nash noted that he discovered he had the virus via WWE’s testing program. The article Nash was responding to was specifically critical of WWE using Ric Flair in storylines and angles during an ongoing pandemic.
Saw this in a Google feed. The story says the @WWE doesn't do a adequate job Covid testing. Complete bullshit. Everytime I'm involved I've been quarantined in a hotel room after being tested then brought to the arena. I was positive and sent directly to my home to quarantine pic.twitter.com/RJhaYycLiA
“Saw this in a Google feed. The story says the WWE doesn’t do a adequate job Covid testing. Complete bullshit. Everytime I’m involved I’ve been quarantined in a hotel room after being tested then brought to the arena. I was positive and sent directly to my home to quarantine,” Nash Tweeted.
Nash revealed he had COVID-19 this September. He was responding to a Tweet by the Rock when he announced the news. The Rock had just revealed members of his family had tested positive.
“Welcome to the team. Very sorry you’re family is infected. I was tired for a while didn’t train for the 4th day. My wife still hasn’t got smell or tastes back. Son was asymptomatic. Pray you heal up quickly. Thank you for making people realize it’s real,” Nash Tweeted.
Nash also plays the lead role in a pandemic themed movie, “COVID-19 Invasion.” A description of the film reads “Chinese bats invade America. It’s up to Navy Seal Team Six to stop them.”
Ricochet won’t be leaving WWE anytime soon. While there have been several reports online with various different information regarding his contract situation, Ricochet is locked up to WWE for several years. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Ricochet is under contract with WWE until 2024.
“Ricochet’s contract here expires in the summer of 2024. He signed a five year deal when he moved to the main roster,” wrote Dave Meltzer. The report continues to say that he signed at a time when WWE was offering good deals to keep people from going to AEW.
Ricochet originally signed with WWE in 2018. Rumors surrounding his contract status began being reported earlier this week. Ricochet commented on them last night and there was an update in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter this morning.
The 32-year-old has been on the main roster since on February 18th, 2019. He is a former United States Champion, and faced Brock Lesnar in Saudi Arabia. While in NXT, he won the NXT North American Championship and the 2019 Dusty Rhodes Classic along with Aleister Black.
Impact Wrestling co-Vice President and Kenny Omega’s manager, Don Callis, was recently interviewed by Chris Van Vliet. During the discussion, Callis teased that there is more to come in his angle with Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers.
“Kenny and I have a lot of plans and what people are seeing from a national television perspective is just the fruition of those things,” Callis said. “We take great pride in the fact that when people think they have seen the apex of it, we try to do something different, take it to the next level.”
Callis talked about how he cut a promo in WWF as a complete unknown and called out Vince McMahon. What he said in the promo, Callis said, was indicative of what he wants from the wrestling business.
“I called out Vince McMahon. I said that I wanted to run the World Wrestling Federation, I wanted to run the wrestling business,” Callis said. “But it was true. I never had any interest in being a pro-wrestling manager, or being a color commentator, I wanted to be the person pulling the strings. I was 29-years-old when I said that.”
Callis continued to say the timing wasn’t right for him to run the wrestling business, however. WWE did offer him jobs working in creative but he turned them down.
“I wrote 6 weeks of television for Kurrgan to get him to try to get him to a different level and I wrote it out in a week-by-week format,” Callis continued. “That would be fairly common now, in 1997, it was pretty unheard of.”
Callis said that after doing so, he was offered a spot in WWE creative but turned it down. He ended up getting released from the company in 1999. The belief is he was fired by Bruce Prichard for “getting over at the talent’s expense.”
Callis then went to ECW and performed as Cyrus the Virus. During his interview with Chris Van Vliet, Callis referred to Paul Heyman as one of the most influential people in his career.
Don Callis On Comparisons To Paul Heyman
“There’s probably been 3, I’d say,” Callis said when asked about the most influential person in his career. “Kenny’s uncle the Golden Sheik, for sure. Bad News Allen (aka Bad News Brown) who kind of took on my training after the Sheik moved on. And then Paul Heyman in ECW.”
Callis then explained the key difference between what he does and what Paul Heyman does, however.
“I’ve been happy for Paul that he’s had the success that he’s had cause he’s a very talented and hard-working guy. Did a lot for me. There have been people now that have been comparing us. I think it’s an unfair comparison for Paul. Cause Paul is a tremendous wrestling performer, a character on a wrestling show. He does a wonderful job of that. I’m not a character. I am the essence of who I am and what I do is done at a much higher level than what characters like Paul, with all due respect, can do.”
The full interview with Don Callis can be heard in the player below:
WCW was sold to Vince McMahon at a reduced price in 2001. The transaction ended the Monday Night Wars. Eric Bischoff had been attempting to purchase the company in the days leading up to the sale to Vince McMahon, however.
He spoke about this recently on an episode of his 83 Weeks podcast. Bischoff mentioned that he knew he had his detractors in the company in 2001 but was excited to rebuild WCW.
“It was certainly exciting, no question about that,” Bischoff said. He’d continue to talk about the detractors he had in the company at the time.
“Many of the people that were such a big part of WCW while we were growing the brand and had so much success were still there, but there were also a number of people there that I knew were not fans of me. There were people that I wasn’t necessarily that thrilled with even while I was there. I knew going back under the circumstances it was going to be real challenging.”
Bischoff also mentioned that he would have put more emphasis on the cruiserweight division in 2001 if he had taken ownership of WCW.
“I knew that the cruiserweight division was something that was going to have to come back. In a way, that it represented some of the best cruiserweight action that we saw when we brought that division to professional wrestling on a consistent basis. Not just calling someone a cruiserweight, like the X-division.”
“It was definitely one of the things that I wanted to go back to in a big way,” he continued.
He specifically mentioned Shane Helms (aka Hurricane Helms) as someone who would play a large role in the division.
“Shane Helms, for example, was one of the early ideas that we had of really reaching out to a much younger performer, somebody that brought a different style and obviously a different demo to the party.”
Eric Bischoff also recently spoke about WWE’s NWO angle in 2002 on his podcast. He feels Vince McMahon’s involvement in the angle made little sense.
Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the player below:
Chris Jericho revealed on an episode of Talk is Jericho recently that he tested positive for COVID-19 back in September. Jericho said he was asymptomatic and was actually surprised that he tested positive. More information on this was revealed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“He believes that he got it from a family friend, is what I understand,” said Dave Meltzer regarding Jericho. “Had no symptoms. Nobody in the family had any symptoms but the friend tested positive so he went and checked and tested positive.”
“(He) quarantined, did not feel bad. At the next TV, he passed the test and worked the next TV after the quarantine was over.”
There have been some fans wondering if Jericho’s positive COVID test is related to cases that Lance Archer and Nick Jackson had around the same time. In the case of Lance Archer, however, it’s believed he got it from a friend.
“It was from a family member who may have gotten it from a friend when they were taking the dog to the vet, I think is the story,” Meltzer said about Archer.
Nick Jackson doesn’t know how he got the virus.
“Nick Jackson doesn’t know how he got it. He doesn’t know if he got it from a taping, he doesn’t know if he got it from the airport but when he got home from the taping, he was sick right away,” Meltzer continued. “He was traveling with Matt and he was traveling with Brandon Cutler and they were fine.”
Salina de la Renta served as executive producer for this week’s edition of MLW Fusion. She booked the Von Erichs in a title match and stacked the decks in favor of the challenging Los Parks team. Salina also introduced former Lucha Underground Champion Mil Muertes to the league.
You can watch the full episode in the player below:
MLW Fusion 1/13 Quick Results
Low-Ki defeated Budd Heavy via referee stoppage
Mil Muertes defeated Brian Pillman Jr.
MLW World Tag Team Championships Los Parks defeated The Von Erichs (c) – New Champions
Low-Ki needed just 8 seconds to defeat Budd Heavy this week. The bell rang, Low-Ki charged at his opponent and drilled him in the face. Budd Heavy went down and Budd Heavy never got back up again. The ref called for the bell. After the match, Low-Ki had a few words for American Top Team to the camera. King Mo and Dan Lambert have been saying that Low-Ki shouldn’t even be cleared to compete but the former MLW World Champion seems to be gunning for revenge on team.
Konnan Is Missing & There Is Concern For His Well-Being
It was noted this week on commentary that nobody has heard from Konnan in days. Salina de la Renta has been promising to get revenge on Konnan for weeks after he revealed that Salina aided Contra Unit in the coup attempt at the MLW head offices this spring. She ordered a video tape be played of her in San Diego delivering a message to Konnan. In the video, Salina seems to imply that Konnan is no longer alive, perhaps having come face to face with the “Man of 1000 Deaths” Mil Muertes. Salina implied that Konnan’s only legacy left to wrestling will be that he was the one who forced her to summon Muertes and bring him into MLW.
Brian Pillman Jr. pulled off a “Rick Rude” last night. He was on both MLW Fusion and AEW Dynamite. He ran into stiff competition on both shows, however. There was nothing Pillman could do against Muertes here. All of his chops and strikes failed to register on Salina’s new monster. Muertes fired back with chops and strikes of his own, several clotheslines, a power slam, and finally his Straight To Hell (flat-liner) finish for the win. Muertes, under the control of Salina, could run complete rough shot over the entire league.
MLW Strikes Up Deal With IWA Puerto Rico, Richard Holliday Comments
MLW has partnerships with promotions in many of wrestling’s top hot spots, like Japan and Mexico. They’ve now added IWA Puerto Rico to the mix. The league announced the alliance this week on Fusion.
Puerto Rican wrestling icon, Savio Vega, had his Caribbean Championship stolen by Richard Holliday before the shutdown. Holliday said this week that he’s upset that neither MLW nor IWA give him the proper recognition of being the Caribbean Champion. He invited the actual champion to face him in the ring.
MLW Top-10
The MLW top-10 rankings brought to you by Pro Wrestling Illustrated were announced on this week’s show. They are as follows:
MLW World Champion: Jacob Fatu (Contra Unit)
Alexander Hammerstone (National Openweight Champion) (Dynasty)
Salina de la Renta was having a great time all night long as she produced this week’s episode. Then before the main event, Rich Bocchini informed her that he just heard Promociones Dorado had been sold. Salina tried to no-sell this but the confusion and anger was evident on her face. She stormed off the set.
It was later revealed that Salina’s organization has been sold to Azteca Underground Inc. An update on MLW.com reads as follows:
“MLW.com can confirm Promociones Dorado is now a subsidiary of Azteca Underground, Inc., a California based company. However, details remain unclear beyond this.”
Los Parks Win MLW World Tag Team Championships From The Von Erichs
Salina de la Renta could not have stacked the deck any more in favor of Los Parks in this match. Longtime Von Erich rival, Tom Lawlor, was chosen as the special guest referee and he made no secret of the fact he was trying to help Los Parks win. There were numerous incidents of him trying to fast count the Von Erichs and delivering slow counts whenever one of the brothers would try to pin a Park.
It looked like the Von Erichs had the match won after an Iron Claw Slam but Salina came in the ring and sprayed mace in the eye of Ross. As Marshall was checking on him, LA Park speared him out of the ring. LA Park Jr. then came up from under the ring and joined his father and brother in attacking the Von Erichs. This allowed LA Park to hit a spear on Ross as well. Lawlor, who had tumbled out of the ring, finally got back inside and delivered a fast count on Ross and awarded the victory and the titles to Los Parks.
This Monday will be Martin Luther King Day in the United States. WWE has announced a special tribute will air on RAW for the civil rights icon. The company has released a special tribute video package that will air on the show.
In recognition of #MartinLutherKingDay, @WWE has produced a special tribute video honoring the life and legacy of Dr. King, whose actions continue to impact the nation. This video will air on #WWERaw this Monday, January 18 at 8/7c on @USA_Networkhttps://t.co/oFDmq0vrMt
Every year around Martin Luther King Day, Vince McMahon reiterates that he considers MLK to be his hero. Every year, these comments tend to draw a wide range of reactions amongst people in the wrestling world.
Below is Vince McMahon’s post about Martin Luther King from last year:
Two years ago in 2019, Vince McMahon Tweeted out the following near Martin Luther King day:
“The time is always right to do what is right.” Thinking of the powerful words and indelible legacy of my hero, Martin Luther King Jr., on this #MLKDay. pic.twitter.com/km0oT9kG4n
This drew a reaction from former WWE wrestler, Gail Kim. The most decorated Knockout in Impact history posted the following about Vince’s love for MLK.
All respects to Martin Luther King Jr., but is this really Vince tweeting this? Hero? ??? https://t.co/R5o9twr4ow
Last summer, Stephanie McMahon also Tweeted about Martin Luther King.
“I love and support my Black friends and colleagues. To everyone who has ever felt the impact and fear of racial injustice, I will use my voice for you,” Stephanie Tweeted along with a quote from MLK.
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends” – MLK
I love and support my Black friends and colleagues. To everyone who has ever felt the impact and fear of racial injustice, I will use my voice for you.
Erick Redbeard, aka Erick Rowan, recently revealed a new tattoo he got to honor the passing of his friend and former tag-team partner, Brodie Lee. The two were formerly known as Luke Harper and Erick Rowan of the Wyatt Family and also performed together in WWE as the Bludgeon Brothers.
The Bludgeon Brothers held the Smackdown tag-team championships from April 2018 until that August. The duo were also former NXT tag-team champions as members of the Wyatt Family.
Rowan appeared on the AEW Tribute to the Life of Mr. Brodie Lee show two weeks ago. He held up a sign that said “Goodbye for now my brother, see you down the road.”
“I’m not really sure how to answer that question because I’m not used to him being the leader, I’ll have to watch a little bit more of his stuff. Yeah, I’d love to lock back up with Brodie and get back together, but there’s a place and a time for it, you know? Now just might not be the right time.”
Brodie Lee also commented on what he felt was next for Rowan in an interview exclusive to SEScoops.com:
“I think Erick Rowan is almost tailor-made for a Japan run. I don’t know if we’ll ever find each other over there because that would be pretty cool. Or if we’ll find each other in AEW, who knows? I think there’s going to be a lot of opportunity for these guys.”
Impact Wrestling has just announced a change to their commentary team. Longtime commentator, Josh Mathews, has been promoted to a behind-the-scenes role and will be leaving the commentary booth. Similarly, Madison Rayne will be leaving the commentary booth to begin a career outside the world of wrestling. In their place will be the new commentary team of Matt Striker and D’Lo Brown.
Josh Mathews will now serve as senior producer for all of Impact’s weekly shows and PPVs. He was quoted in a press release announcing the change.
“My play-by-play career has spanned nearly 20 years – from WrestleMania to Bound For Glory to incredible moments from IMPACT Wrestling on AXS TV,” Mathews said. “Producing will allow me to have a bigger role in the overall production of our weekly show, PPVs and IMPACT+ Specials.”
“This transition has been a great process, Matt and D’Lo are bringing a fresh energy and are ready to go. It was a special year in 2020, and both Madison Rayne and I will always be grateful for the opportunity and look forward to these exciting changes.”
Matt Striker has been working on Xplosion for the promotion as of late. Previously, Striker has worked on commentary for WWE, Lucha Underground, and AAA.
“I’ve always loved professional wrestling. It is a love that unites so many people,” Striker said. “Pro wrestling is a sport and I want to be mindful to call it as such. I’ve learned and grown so much since I began, and I thank the fans – and the critics – for that.”
“It is not lost on me the opportunity that is before me – I can once again lend my voice to the sport that I love. In doing so, I’m poised to describe, analyze, and witness the most advanced athletes the sport has ever seen. I am excited, nervous, thankful, and humbled. I cannot wait to get out there. You will always be able hear the fan in me.”
D’Lo Brown was also quoted on his new role as color commentator for Impact.
“I’m humbled to follow the IMPACT broadcasting path of Don West and Mike Tenay, and most recently Don Callis, Madison Rayne and certainly Josh Mathews. I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity. I know there are big shoes to fill, but Striker and I will do our best.”
The new commentary team will debut this Saturday at Hard to Kill. Last night’s Impact Wrestling, will be the last for the Josh Mathews and Madison Rayne team.
BREAKING: Starting at #HardToKill, Matt Striker and D'Lo Brown will be IMPACT Wrestling's new broadcast team! @AsleepOnThBeach @dlobrown75
The Bella Twins were recently guests on “Pretty Big Deal with Ashley Graham.” During the discussion, Nikki Bella said she’s interested in possibly working in WWE creative, something her brother-in-law, Daniel Bryan has been doing more of as of late.
“Brie’s husband is a part of the creative team and works a lot with Vince McMahon on creative stuff and I’ve always thought in the back of my head, I would really like to do that for the women,” Nikki said on the show. “I’ve lived it as a WWE Superstar but also am a fan. So, I feel like I know what the people want and then I know how to get the best out of each woman because I know them. It would be a lot of fun to be on creative.”
Brie Bella then spoke about her husband Daniel Bryan’s work on WWE’s creative team.
“What’s cool is my husband works with very well-trained writers who have come from TV shows that have done great but with their writing skills with my husband’s wrestling ability and his experience, they really come up with some great stuff.”
Nikki would continue to talk about how Daniel Bryan helps the writers understand basic wrestling booking ideas.
Impact Wrestling on January 12th, 2021 was the go-home show before Saturday’s Hard to Kill PPV event. Karl Anderson faced Rich Swann in a non-title match in the main event.
Impact Wrestling Quick Results 1/12:
Kimber Lee defeated Taya Valkyrie
Chris Bey & Rohit Raju defeated Manik & Suicide
Deaner defeated Tommy Dreamer via DQ
Rosemary defeated Tenille Dashwood
Moose defeated Matthew Palmer
Rich Swann defeated Karl Anderson
Below are 8 key takeaways from the show:
Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers Brawl With Rich Swann & MCMGs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1KoeKz58Oo
During the show this week, Kenny Omega, Don Callis, and the Good Brothers were shown regularly from their luxury bus outside the venue. This week, the faction was preparing for Karl Anderson’s 1-on-1 non-title match with Impact World Champion, Rich Swann. Neither the Motor City Machine Guns nor Bullet Club would be allowed ringside.
Anderson spent much of the match working on his opponent’s arm. It’s possible this injury may potentially play into the match at Hard to Kill as well. The champion fought through adversity, however, and countered the Gun Stun into a pinning combination for the win.
After the match, Omega and Gallows attacked the Motor City Machine Guns in their dressing room while Don Callis watched on. Swann arrived to help but Anderson wasn’t far behind. These two teams are heading into Hard to Kill with some built up animosity.
“Susan” Helps Kimber Lee Defeat Taya Valkyrie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUbQyCc7ro8
This was seemingly a warm-up match for Taya as she is scheduled to challenge Deonna Purrazzo for the Knockouts title at Hard to Kill. Taya looked to have the match won with a double-knee strike in the corner but Purrazzo put Kimber Lee’s foot on the ropes during the pin attempt. Rosemary then chased the KO champ up the ramp but this brought out “Susan” Su Yung’s newest alter-ego. Susan working alongside Purrazzo and Kimber Lee distracted Taya, allowing Kimber Lee to score the pin on a roll-up. Will Susan be on-hand to help Purrazzo retain at Hard to Kill?
Moose Gets Revenge On Matthew Palmer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgxR_XyaBho
Last week, Moose was unable to defeat former security guard, Matthew Palmer, in under 3 seconds. This week, Moose again needed longer than 3-minutes to beat his opponent, but he did eventually do so. The referee called a halt to the match as Moose was laying elbows into his unresponsive opponent.
We saw at Genesis, that Moose’s victory over Willie Mack was enough to earn him a future title shot at Rich Swann. It’s not clear when exactly that match will take place, but it’s coming and it’s something Moose has been preparing for.
Eric Young’s Faction Gets Ready To Go Old School At Hard To Kill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8bxm3PyfqI
Eric Young, Joe Doering, & Deaner will face Tommy Dreamer, Rhino, and Cousin Jake in an old school rules match at Hard to Kill. This week, Deaner took on Tommy Dreamer in singles action. Cousin Jake is still all torn up about Cody Deaner joining Eric Young’s faction. He again tried to talk some sense into his former partner but to no avail. Eventually, Jake grew frustrated with Deaner and attacked him while he was on the ring apron, leading to the disqualification.
Things broke down into a brawl after the match. Both Rhino and Joe Doering, who had been sent to the back during the match, returned and brawled as well. The segment ended with Eric Young delivering a vicious piledriver to Dreamer.
Knockouts Tag Team Title Tournament Finals Preview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQugVanxpMI
After an 8-team single elimination tournament, we are down to two teams. Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz will face Havok & Neveah in the finals at Hard to Kill. It’s the most established teams in the tournament facing off in the finals. We saw a sit-down face-to-face interview between the two teams this week. Steelz and Hogan had plenty to say but their opponents sat silent. Finally, Havok & Neveah got up and pushed their opponents up against the walls to let them know they will do their talking in the ring on Saturday.
Chris Bey Picks Up Momentum Ahead Of Hard To Kill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KYGNOVrhdI
The X-Division Championship picture continued this week as Manik & Suicide teamed up to face Chris Bey and Rohit Raju. Raju seems obsessed with unmasking Manik to prove that he is TJP but this might be to his detriment. Bey seems much more focussed on the task at-hand, which is likely why he was able to walk away with the victory this week. Bey hit the Art Of Finesse on Suicide for the win. There will be nobody under the Suicide mask at Hard to Kill, however, when Manik defends against Bey and Raju in a triple threat match.
Decay Reunite Against Tenille Dashwood & Kaleb
Tenille Dashwood’s personal photographer, Kaleb with a K (Caleb Konley) got involved often during this match. He tripped Rosemary’s foot as she came off the ropes and he sprayed hairspray in her eyes. Fortunately for Rosemary, an old ally appeared to even up the odds. Crazzy Steve and Rosemary are former members of Decay, and evidently, their bond still runs strong. Steve chased Kaleb away from ringside. This allowed Rosemary to spray hairspray in the eyes of Tenille Dashwood and then hit a spear for the win. A match between the former members of Decay and Dashwood and Kaleb has now been scheduled for Hard to Kill.
Hard To Kill Lineup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42aaPBHpzYQ
Here is the scheduled lineup for Saturday’s Hard to Kill:
Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers vs Rich Swann & The Motor City Machine Guns
Knockouts Tag Team Championships (Tournament Finals) Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz vs Havok & Neveah
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
Barbed Wire Massacre Sami Callihan vs Eddie Edwards
Old School Rules Eric Young, Deaner & Joe Doering vs Tommy Dreamer, Rhino, & Cousin Jake
X-Division Championship Manik (c) vs Chris Bey vs Rohit Raju
The Karate Man vs Ethan Page
Tenille Dashwood & Kaleb vs Rosemary & Crazzy Steve
Chris Jericho recently spent some time talking about the ongoing global pandemic on his Talk is Jericho podcast. His guest was Dr. Alex Patel, an ICU doctor working in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. During the discussion, Jericho revealed that he tested positive for COVID-19 in September.
The former WWE & AEW World Champion says he did not experience any symptoms of the virus, but still quarantined for 10 days to protect his loved ones.
“I haven’t really told anyone this but I tested positive back in maybe September and I had zero symptoms” Jericho said on the show. “I had my 10 days in isolation and stayed away from everybody.”
Jericho added that he was very surprised to learn he had COVID-19 when he took a routine test.
“I didn’t even know that I had it, I went and got a test just in general. It was one of the ones where they said you’re positive and I was like ‘Really? Are you serious?’ I had nothing, I didn’t have a headache, I didn’t have a cough.”
“Once I did have it, and it wasn’t a false positive because I took 3 different tests and they were all positive, but now I have the antibodies,” Jericho continued.
Jim Ross recently spent some time on his “Grillin JR” podcast talking about the time WWE hired Randy Orton. According to JR, Orton was someone he had to convince Vince McMahon to hire. This was due to Vince being hesitant to sign the 3rd generation Superstar on account of his dishonorable discharge from the US Marines.
“Believe it or not, he was somewhat a controversial hire for us,” Ross said on the show regarding Orton. “Vince was the problem child that went to military school and Randy was the problem child that went to the Marines and got dishonorably discharged.”
“That was an issue for Vince?” Conrad Thompson asked.
“Big time,” JR responded.
“I said ‘Vince, you got a second chance, so why not this kid? He’s only a 3rd generation performer and both his father and his grandfather were outstanding in-ring guys.”
Orton wrestled Triple H in the main event of last night’s RAW. He was originally scheduled to face Drew McIntyre.
According to a report from TMZ, Orton spent 38 days in a military prison as a result of multiple incidents of going AWOL.
Orton’s history with the Marines came up again in 2012 when he was removed from the Marine 3 WWE film project. A WWE representative told TMZ that Orton’s removal was due to his past with the organization.
“WWE demonstrated poor judgment in signing Randy Orton for the 3rd installment of the film,” the statement reads. “Despite Randy’s popularity, the fact that he was dishonorably discharged from the USMC made it inappropriate for him to be cast in this film.”
Kota Ibushi holds both the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships. The belts have been defended together since Tetsuya Naito won them at Wrestle Kingdom in 2020. Ibushi reiterated to NJPW1972.com recently, however, that he wants to unify the two title belts.
“I said this after the match on the fifth, but I want to put it out there again. I want to take these two belts and unify them,” Ibushi said. “This isn’t something I take lightly. I have a big connection with this Intercontinental belt. And the Heavyweight Championship is the top prize in NJPW. But that said, I still want to make these two things into one.”
“Last year, these belts were defended together, right? One belt didn’t change hands without the other. So if we take these two and make them one belt, that makes you the strongest and the best, all in one. Maybe not everyone can see it right now, but there’s no doubt in my mind, it’d make for something awesome. I have a big plan for this. So I’ll say it again, on the record. I want these two belts to be one.”
Ibushi would continue to say that he wants this change to happen as soon as possible. Ideally, it would happen before his scheduled title defence against SANADA on February 11th, 2021.
“Splitting the two back up would be confusing, so I think it’s really better to just have one. Maybe it might be different, a new design, perhaps, but that’s what I want to do here,” Ibushi continued.
NJPW is currently preparing for its New Beginning tour. The big events will be held January 30th in Nagoya, and February 10th and 11th in Hiroshima.
WWE is reportedly dealing with multiple cases of COVID-19 on its main roster at the moment. Drew McIntyre announced yesterday that he has tested positive for the virus but he is the only confirmed case thus far.
According to a report from PW Insider, the below talents were not on RAW last night but were backstage at the show.
Cedric Alexander.
Asuka.
Shelton Benjamin.
Nikki Cross.
Humberto Carrillo.
Ricochet.
Additionally, Angel Garza was not used on last night’s show but was on RAW Talk after the show and wrestled on the Main Event tapings. Humberto Carrillo also wrestled on the main event tapings.
Peyton Royce wasn’t on the show last night either and is not listed as having been backstage. She has been in a program with Lacey Evans as her unwanted tag-team partner as of late.
Kofi Kingston wasn’t on the show. It was announced that he is dealing with an injury.
WWE’s COVID situation was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio:
“There was one on Smackdown, who did miss Smackdown, was scheduled on the show, and taken off. There is one who is a big star who just returned from COVID,” said Dave Meltzer. “Then there is another one in NXT, and there are probably others and there are probably others that will be kept out due to contact tracing, I’m going to guess.”
Ric Flair and Lacey Evans now appear to be aligned on WWE RAW. For 2 weeks straight, Flair has cost his daughter matches against Evans.
2 weeks ago on RAW, Flair costs Charlotte and Asuka a match against Peyton Royce and Lacey Evans by “accidentally” tripping up Charlotte. Then last night on RAW, Flair put Lacey Evans’ foot on the rope during a pin attempt and notified the referee. Charlotte then tried to suplex Evans into the ring but was again tripped by her father. Evans landed on top of Charlotte and as the referee was counting, Ric Flair held down his daughter’s leg so that she couldn’t kick out.
Flair and Evans then left together celebrating. Lacey Evans has since posted the below Tweets:
Idk what's better….the win, the money, the suite, or pissing off the queen.?
While Ric may have turned on Charlotte last night on RAW, he still considers his daughter the best women’s wrestler of all time. Flair recently told CBS Sports that Charlotte is better than any female wrestler ever.
“She’s the best woman on the roster, but she’s the best woman of all time,” Flair said of his daughter. “I’ve been in the business 49 years. Give me an example of who you think is better. You can’t.”
WWE is reportedly dealing with multiple cases of COVID-19 at the moment. The situation was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“There’s at least 4, including Drew McIntyre, WWE wrestlers that I’m aware of that have or just got over COVID,” said Dave Meltzer. “There may be more. Those are only the names I know.”
WWE has only gone public with Drew McIntyre’s diagnosis, but COVID-19 is currently impacting SmackDown and NXT as well.
There was one on Smackdown, who did miss Smackdown, was scheduled on the show, and taken off. There is one who is a big star who just returned from COVID. Then there is another one in NXT, and there are probably others and there are probably others that will be kept out due to contact tracing, I’m going to guess.”
Due to the current situation, WWE was forced to work with a greatly reduced crew at Monday’s Raw. The whole show was rewritten and Triple H wrestled his first cable television match in years.
“The show was obviously very much a skeleton show, you could see by people working multiple matches and a lot of talent that you’d expect to be on the show was not there. The RAW show had to be completely re-done.”
Drew McIntyre noted on last night’s RAW broadcast that he is one of the lucky ones to not be dealing with any symptoms.
“Mild symptoms, actually. I know what he said, but it’s mild symptoms,” Meltzer said regarding McIntyre’s health.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre has tested positive for COVID-19. The company announced the news Monday morning. A statement at WWE.com reads:
“Drew McIntyre has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been placed in quarantine.”
SEScoops has learned that Drew McIntyre will address the WWE Universe tonight on Raw. The master of the Claymore Kick was advertised to face Randy Orton in a non-title on the show, that will obviously won’t be happening.
McIntyre retained the WWE Championship against Keith Lee last week on RAW. After the match, Bill Goldberg came out to challenge him to a match at the Royal Rumble.
Drew McIntyre has been the top babyface on the RAW brand for the last year. He won the 2020 men’s Royal Rumble en route to defeating Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36.
He held the title for 213 days before dropping it to Randy Orton at Hell in a Cell last October. He then regained the title from Orton on the November 16th, 2020 edition of RAW.
SEScoops wishes Drew Mcintyre a full and speedy recovery from COVID-19.
Jeff Hardy recently commented on what was going through his head when he saw his brother Matt get knocked out at AEW All Out in September. He spoke to Metro UK recently about what happened.
”Terrifying! When he tried to get up and then he fell down – when you hit your head hard, that’s scary stuff,” Jeff Hardy said. “That was scary, man, with Matt – flesh on concrete, it was scary when he couldn’t walk. Gosh, man – thank God he’s OK, but that’s part of the game.”
Jeff himself took a nasty bump not long ago. He was wrestling Elias in a Symphony of Destruction match on RAW when he appeared to hit his head hard on the ring steps.
“Even in that Symphony of Destruction match with Elias, people thought my head was messed up from the stairs but it was easy, my head is fine,’ Jeff continued. “When I did the Whisper in the Wind and he hit me in the butt with the guitar, my back is still messed up from that.”
Hardy defeated Elias in the Symphony of Destruction match on November 30th, 2020. He dropped a match to Randy Orton on last week’s edition of WWE RAW.
The full interview with Jeff Hardy can be read here.
I am now officially the agent/mentor/life coach of @AEW’s Private Party, @IsiahKassidy & @Marq_Quen.
What a way for PP to kick off 2021! They get my PRICELESS knowledge & experience for just a wee fee.
Mustafa Ali was not pleased that his Retribution stable had to make room for several legends to appear on RAW last week. He aired his grievances with the show on an episode of RAW Talk recently.
Former WWE Champion, Sgt. Slaughter, recently responded to Mustafa Ali online in response to comments made by a fan on Twitter.
Listen Up @Caseyk1King Thanks For UR Support Of ALL Those Who Paved The Yellow Brick Road??That The Scum & Puke @AliWWE?Has Been Allowed To Put His Slimy Foot On??Look Up “Maggot” In ANY Dictionary U Will See A Photo Of @AliWWE?NO Push Ups For U @Caseyk1King
“I am agitated, I’m angry but most of all I’m confused,” Ali said on the show. “We dedicated a 3-hour show to old has-beens. You want to call them legends, call them whatever, they’ve had their time. A night like tonight is exactly what is wrong with this company. 3 hours to guys that can barely walk?” Ali said.
“I know exactly that the generation before me paved the way but when the hell are you going to let me walk on that path? Guys like Drew Gulak, Akira Tozawa, myself, all of Retribution not on the show, why? Because we need to hear ‘whatcha gonna do brother?’ again for the seventh million time.”
After the Invasion angle flopped in 2001, WWE turned to the New World Order in an attempt to turn things around. Vignettes for the NWO featured Vince McMahon stating he was bringing the group in to “destroy his creation.” The faction would debut at No Way Out that February.
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff spoke about the WWE incarnation of the NWO on the latest episode of his 83 Weeks podcast. Bischoff believes the angle got off to a bad start with Vince McMahon’s involvement. “I wouldn’t have had Vince McMahon turn around and reveal himself in the chair as the evil genius that was going to bring back the nWo to destroy his own company.”
He continued, “That was such a non-starter from a creative perspective. I don’t care how big of a fan of WWE you were at the time, you couldn’t possibly buy that, it was just so nonsensical.”
Bischoff on the NWO in WWE
The NWO angle changed direction when fans cheered Hollywood Hogan at WrestleMania X-8. Scott Hall would later leave the company. Shawn Michaels and Booker T would each have short stints with the faction as well.
“If you start out a story with one foot on a banana peel and the other in a bucket of cement, where are you going? That’s how the story started, there’s no way it was going to get better from there,” Bischoff continued.
Had a great time catching up with HH at his new restaurant in Clearwater Beach “Hogans Hangout” great food and cool vibe! pic.twitter.com/mfajmd3Pnh
The NWO was set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame last year. The induction ceremony was postponed due to the pandemic, however. Bischoff spoke about plans to induct the faction on a previous episode of his podcast.
“The nWo is the storyline, the angle, the moment that storyline was conceived and as it became executed, was probably one of the most important periods in professional wrestling, in this industry, in the last 30 years,” Bischoff said.
Former ECW, WCW, WWE, and TNA alumni Raven recently spoke about why he had heat with Vince McMahon. Raven was on the Scheduled for 2 Falls podcast, when he commented on the situation.
“Me and Shane used to be really tight but we drifted apart. He’d go out with me every night. Big heat with Linda and Vince. The boys thought I was kissing ass for my career but it actually killed my career, giving me heat.”
Raven actually went into greater detail about this during a Talk is Jericho appearance in 2015.
“They used to call me Johnny Port Chester Polo because Stamford, they rolled the sidewalks up at one o’clock, but Port Chester was open till five in the morning. It 5 miles away. My downfall was I’d bring Shane out with me, Shane McMahon. And the boys are like, ‘ah, you’re sucking up to him’ and I’m like, ‘no, I’m not! I’m burying myself’ because he’d call his dad, and on commentary, I’d call his dad ‘Vic’ instead of ‘Vince’, so he’d go, ‘hey, Vic,’ which is just horrible! He’d say, ‘hey, Vic, it’s,’ and it would be, like, four in the morning, ‘I’m just going to sleep at Johnny Polo’s tonight’ and so I just buried myself.”
TheRavenEffect Podcast is a cornucopia of slapdashery, hijinx, shenanigans, Bennigans, ichthyology, jaywalking, lucid dreaming, wet dreaming, childish banter and pseudo-intellectual drivel, all here on @MLW every Monday whether you want it or not… I’d go with not.. Yay us! pic.twitter.com/t5e2LQOsok
“The thing about Raven, it was never a talent issue. He had talent. He was a good talker, smart guy, high IQ. Probably could have been a good road agent at some point later on. He could have contributed in a lot of ways.”
