Linda McMahon’s America First Policies organization is being criticized in the media for its ties to the Capitol Hill riot last week. America First Policies is what some call a “Dark Money Group”. This means they do not have to disclose their donors or other financial information.
A recent article by CNBC’s Brian Schwartz, however, has uncovered ties between the McMahon-run organization and the organizers of last week’s events at the Capitol building.
“America First Policies, which is also a 501(c)(4) that does not disclose its donors, is chaired by Linda McMahon, a longtime Trump ally and former head of the Small Business Administration. The 2019 filing shows America First Policies ended up raising over $30 million,” Schwartz wrote.
“Previous donors to Women for America First include America First Policies, a nonprofit chaired by Linda McMahon,” Schwartz also said.
America First Priorities are not required to disclose donation information. They did publicize in 2019, however, that they donated $25,000 to “Women for America First”. Schwartz notes this organization was largely responsible for organizing the events on Capitol Hill last week.
Vote challenges, law suits, recounts- all necessary to ensure our election integrity@realDonaldTrump@vp. This election is not over!@AmericaFirstPAC
“The rally, officially known as the ‘March to Save America,’ was largely organized by a 501(c)(4) group known as Women for America First,” he wrote.
Women For America First Statement
The Women for America First website now points to a statement on the violence last week.
“We unequivocally denounce violence of any type and under any circumstances.”
“Unfortunately, for months the left and the mainstream media told the American people that violence was an acceptable political tool. They were wrong. It is not.”
Stand with the Pres @realDonaldTrump for a fair count of legal votes. Ignoring court orders and breaking state laws is the opposite. We must continue the challenge!!@VP; @AmericaFirstPAC
Meanwhile, America First Priorities has not released a statement.
The President is so right @realDonaldTrump We must work diligently to ensure that all voting processes across the country are transparent and legal. Voters must feel confident that their votes will always be counted. State laws by legislatures, not courts govern the process. https://t.co/MSJVOBkZJx
Nick Jackson of the Young Bucks recently noted on his Instagram stories that he was sick with COVID-19 for several weeks back in September.
“Crazy to think there’s still COVID deniers out there in the world,” he wrote. “I had a pretty bad case of COVID in early September that kept me bed ridden for nearly 3 weeks. I couldn’t taste or smell for 2 and a half months. At one point my whole body had hives on it and my doctor said that it was definitely from COVID.”
“Matt had to do the majority of the work in matches once I returned safely because I couldn’t catch my breath. My cardio is finally back but it took months to finally feel like myself again. Let’s protect each other and wear a mask.”
Nick Jackson went from September 5th to October 21st, 2020 without wrestling any matches in AEW.
Nick Jackson also suffered a leg contusion on AEW Dynamite this week. He was teaming with his brother and SCU against the Acclaimed and the Hybrid2 when the injury occurred. He is not expected to miss any time, however.
The Young Bucks are scheduled to team with Kenny Omega in trios action. Their opponents have yet to be named.
Dalton Castle is reportedly a free agent at the moment. ROH contracts often finish up at the end of the calendar year after the Final Battle PPV. According to a report from Wrestling Inc, Castle has received a strong offer from Ring of Honor to remain with the promotion. He is said to be considering the deal but also looking to see what else is out there.
Castle dropped a match to Rey Horus at Final Battle last month. He’s been with the promotion since 2013. Castle defeated Cody Rhodes for the ROH World Championship at Final Battle 2017. He held it until June 30th, 2018, before dropping it to Jay Lethal. Castle also held the promotion’s 6-man tag-team titles along with the Boys in the summer of 2017.
“They let me grow on my own,” Castle shared. “There’s a good group of men and women in the locker room. I seem to get along with just about every one of them. I feel comfortable there. And it’s the size of the promotion that allows me to connect really one-on-one with every individual fan. If they choose to come to the meet-and-greets before the show, there’s a moment for me to touch base with them there. I’m attainable. All the wrestlers in Ring of Honor are attainable and are just as big of fans of this as anybody sitting in the seats.”
Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest are the next two NXT wrestlers who are scheduled to join WWE’s main roster. According to a recent report from PWInsider, both are due to graduate from the ‘black and gold brand’ imminently.
Both Priest and Ripley suffered defeat at Wednesday’s New Year’s Evil edition of NXT on the USA Network. Priest wrestled Karrion Kross, while Ripley battled Raquel Gonzales in a Last Woman Standing match.
As some fans guessed, the losses were booked to serve as a transition for both of them to the bigger stage. “Priest’s loss to Karrion Kross and Rhea’s loss to Raquel Gonzales were devised with the idea those were the end of the NXT chapters of their career,” wrote Mike Johnson.
In recent weeks, there have been reports that tentative plans called for Damian Priest to join SmackDown and align himself with Kevin Owens. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, those plans were scrapped at the last minute after Kevin Owens expressed concern over the pairing. Owens and Priest could make for an impressive combination, but WWE did not have a good storyline devised to introduce Priest. The current plan is for Priest to join the Raw brand.
As for Rhea Ripley, she is expected to join Raw as well. She will resume her feud with Charlotte Flair, which ended abruptly earlier this year after Ripley dropped the NXT Women’s Championship to Flair at WrestleMania. Charlotte is currently one half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, along with Asuka.
NXT officials have known about Rhea Ripley moving on for some time, but they only learned recently about Damien Priest also leaving.
It was a big night for MLW last night as the promotion presented Kings of the Colosseum 2021. 2 championship matches and one heavyweight grudge match took place on the show.
The show is available to stream for free on YouTube below:
MLW Kings of the Colosseum Quick Results:
MLW Tag Team Championships Texas Tornado Match The Von Erichs (Ross & Marshall Von Erich) (c) defeated the Dirty Blondes (Leo Brien and Michael Patrick)
The Von Erichs took on Aria Blake’s Dirty Blondes team with the tag belts on the line to kick off the show. This match turned into a brawl pretty much immediately and stayed that way throughout. They brawled around ringside and even outside of the venue for a bit before ending up back in the ring.
Aria Blake attempted to get involved but the Von Erichs quickly thwarted her interference. The brothers then hit an Iron Claw slam onto Patrick and got the victory.
This match was interesting in that it appeared that Myron Reed was wrestling as a babyface. It seems the members of Injustice are making a turn. Unlike the brawl which preceded it, this match was all about athleticism and technical prowess rather than pure fighting.
Reed looked like he had things won when he hit a springboard cutter that landed his opponent face-first on the floor around ringside. The champion then tossed his challenger back in the ring but missed a springboard splash. Rush then followed this up by springboarding off the bottom rope into a stunner. The Man of the Hour then hit a frog splash and got the pin to win the title.
Salina de la Renta returned from Mexico City this week. As of late, she has been summoning former Lucha Underground Champion Mil Muertes. Salina is hoping that Muertes will be able to gain a measure of revenge for her on Konnan, who exposed her aiding Contra Unit’s takeover of MLW offices this spring.
Salina revealed that Los Parks will challenge the Von Erichs for the tag belts next week.
Myron Reed and Jordan Oliver of Injustice were cutting a promo backstage when they were attacked by Contra Unit. Shawn Daivari was amongst the attackers, making his debut in Contra Unit.
Simon Gotch and Oliver were supposed to wrestle on the show but Gotch was MIA before this attack and the match didn’t happen. It definitely appears that Injustice are being positioned as fan favorites in a program against Contra Unit.
MLW Top-10 Rankings
MLW’s top-10 rankings via Pro Wrestling Illustrated returned this week as well:
MLW World Champion: Jacob Fatu (Contra Unit)
Alexander Hammerstone (National Openweight Champion) (Dynasty)
Tom Lawlor (Opera Cup 2020 Winner)
Low-Ki
LA Park
Myron Reed (Injustice)
Richard Holliday (Dynasty)
ACH
Laredo Kid
Calvin Tankman
Mads Krugger (Contra Unit)
Mads Krugger and Alexander Hammerstone Brawl To A Double Count-Out
The main event of the show saw Alexander Hammerstone and Mads Krugger brawl to a double count-out. Krugger has been sent by Contra Unit to take out Hammerstone, who they feel is the biggest threat to Jacob Fatu’s title.
Hammerstone threw around the 7-footer like he was nothing. He hit a pump-handle slam, overhead belly to belly suplex, and other big time moves. Still, Krugger kicked out at 1 after all of this offence. Krugger also stopped Hammerstone from hitting his Nightmare Pendulum near the end of the match. The two brawled around ringside and the ref eventually threw the match out.
Xia Li made her long awaited in-ring return to NXT television at New Year’s Evil.
In recent weeks, we’ve seen vignettes showing Xia Li and Boa appearing to be under the control of a mysterious organization. Several vignettes have aired featured both of them being “punished for their failures.”
Wednesday night, a “transformed” Lee returned with a new look. She competed in singles action and made quick work of her opponent. Her whole segment was impressive, but fans on social media were particularly impressed by this move:
WWE uploaded this video from the match, including Xia Li’s new entrance:
Xia Lee In WWE NXT
Xia Lee joins a stacked NXT women’s division, headed up by NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai. She’s been with WWE since 2017.
She competed in the Mae Young Classic in 2017 and 2018. She competed in the 2019 WWE Women’s Royal Rumble match and made her debut on NXT television the following month. Her last televised match took place in October 2020.
Former NXT Champion Sasha Banks was impressed by what she saw from Xia Li. The Boss, who also caught Snoop Dogg’s appearance on AEW Dynamite, had this to say:
At the conclusion of this week’s AEW Dynamite, Kenny Omega, Anderson & Gallows and the Young Bucks closed the show by reuniting and sharing the “2 Sweet” hand signature. It was a reunion of 5 wrestlers who all ran as members of Bullet Club in New Japan Pro Wrestling from 2013 to 2018.
“Machine Gun” Karl Anderson is one of the 4 founding members of the group. Prince Devitt, Bad Luck Fale, and Tama Tonga are the 3 others. Doc Gallows would join later in 2013, as would the Young Bucks. Kenny Omega would arrive in late 2014 and would wrestle in the Junior Heavyweight division until AJ Styles left in 2016 and he moved to heavyweight.
Bullet Club original Tama Tonga reacted to the reunion in AEW. He tweeted after Dynamite:
Tama Tonga tweeted the following about the Bullet club’s presence on Tuesday’s Impact Wrestling on AXS TV. He thinks that any incarnation of the Bullet Club that does not include the Tongans is illegitimate.
At this point, it’s only BulletClub when the Tongans are in it. Anything else is just guys that wished they were back in BulletClub https://t.co/8wnwlybt7y
Tama Tonga and brother Tanga Lao, known as the Guerrillas of Destiny, captured the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships for a record 7th time earlier this week at Wrestle Kingdom 15.
The Guerrillas of Destiny have defended the title 9x thus far across their 7 title reigns. They need to win one more IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match to tie both Cho-Ten and Tencozy for the record of 17 combined title victories + title defenses.
Brodie Lee Jr. (aka -1 of the Dark Order) was all over AEW Dark last night. He was involved in a pull-apart with Marko Stunt, cut a vicious promo on Luther, and accompanied his Dark Order teammates to the ring.
-1’s Mother clarified recently on Instagram, that her son’s AEW contract will not begin until he is 18 years old, however.
Amanda Huber also reiterated that if Brodie doesn’t want to wrestle when he gets older, he will not be pressured to. She also noted that school is his top priority right now.
Brodie Jr. was also recently in the ring with WWE Superstars Liv Morgan and Tyson Kidd. Footage of their training is available in Amanda Huber’s post below:
“His contract with AEW is valid on his 18th birthday *if* he chooses to wrestle. Nobody is going to push it with him. If you were to spend 10 minutes talking to him you’d understand why they gave him a contract though,” Amanda said in her post. She also said that school is his top priority.
“He is not seriously training at the moment or will be taking bookings or anything ridiculous right now,” she continued.
“You think you’re so smart because you got a stupid red ball on your head?” -1 said. “I know what I know because I have a brain, not a stupid red ball. You have a ball on your face… your face just looks stupid. And Dark Order will always beat you.”
It’s a huge month for Impact Wrestling. This Saturday, Genesis will air on Impact Plus. On January 16th, Impact is back on PPV with Hard to Kill and the promotional in-ring debut of AEW World Champion, Kenny Omega.
Impact Wrestling 1/5 Quick Results:
Fatal 4-Way Craazy Steve defeated Ace Austin and Blake Christian and KC Navarro
Cody Deaner & Joe Doering defeated Cousin Jake & Rhino
Knockouts Tag Team Title Tournament (Semi-Final #2) Havok & Nevaeh defeated Jazz & Jordynne Grace
3-Minute Challenge Matthew Palmer defeated Moose (Palmer lasted full 3 minutes)
Sami Callihan vs Eddie Edwards – No Contest
Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers Attack Rich Swann & The MCMGs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdmurvK7BhQ
Kenny Omega, Don Callis, Doc Gallows, and Karl Anderson were back on their luxury bus this week. They cut a promo from the bus talking about how they once again all hold title belts. Later in the show, Swann and the MCMGs cut a promo and then went to confront the group on the bus. They blew past security and approached the bus door when Omega and the Good Brothers came from around the back of the bus for a surprise attack from behind. The surprise attack allowed them to take it to their opponents at Hard to Kill. Omega ended the segment by putting the boots to Swann, Shelley, and Sabin.
Sami Callihan Set A Trap For Eddie Edwards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Haaj68LiaU
Arguably the most intense rivalry in Impact history continued in this week’s main event. Just as Edwards had Callihan cowering away from him, Callihan used his hacking device to put a video up on the big screen. The video showed Eddie’s wife, Alisha, trapped behind a fence. Edwards fled the match to go save her. As he approached the fence to let her out, Ken Shamrock attacked from behind. Callihan then used barbed wire to tie Edwards to the fence. The two hammered Edwards with some shots and then left just before the show came to a close.
A Barbed Wire Massacre match has since been booked for Hard To Kill:
We got another paid advertisement by AEW this week. Tony Khan joked about how it only costs $100 for the spot. He talked about how Kenny Omega is one of the two best wrestlers in the world, the other being Jon Moxley. They then ran down the card for tonight’s AEW New Year’s Smash Event.
Willie Mack Embarrasses Moose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izmcF3PX9Qw
Moose took on former security guard Matthew Palmer this week in a 3-minute challenge. Palmer only needed to last the full 3-minutes to win the match. Moose dominated early but was arrogant and took his time. Willie Mack then came out to make a distraction, costing Moose the match. Moose and Mack will face each other in an I Quit match this weekend at Genesis.
Havok & Nevaeh Advances To KO Tag Tournament Finals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzA3E8i7NU4
The final semi-final match in the Knockouts tag-team tournament took place this week on Impact. Havok hit a tombstone piledriver on Jazz to pick up the win for her team. They will face Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz in the finals, pitting the two most solidified teams in the division against one another.
Later in the show, Jordynne Grace apologized to Jazz and the two shared some mutual respect. Grace then said she’d be honoured to face Jazz at Genesis and the legend agreed to the match.
Craazy Steve Picks Up Victory En Route To The Super X Cup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCImzPQVREA
This Saturday at Genesis, 8 wrestlers will compete in a single-elimination tournament for the Super X Cup. 4 wrestlers in the tournament, Craazy Steve, Ace Austin, Blake Christian, and KC Navarro met in a fatal 4-way to kick off the show. Steve would pick up the pin on Navarro with a diving DDT from the second rope. With that, Craazy Steve is heading into Genesis with all the momentum.
6-Man Hardcore/Old School Rules Match Scheduled For Hard To Kill
Cody Deaner is now a member of Eric Young’s faction along with Joe Doering. Cousin Jake kept trying to talk some sense into him during their tag match this week. In the end, however, Deaner hit a low-blow on Jake and picked up the win for his team. The assault continued after the match but Tommy Dreamer came in to make the save. A 6-man, no dq, old school rules match was then scheduled for Hard to Kill.
Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo and her run-in buddy, Kimber Lee, recently enlisted the help of Father James Mitchell to turn Su Yung back into her less threatening persona of Susie. This week, Mitchell revealed that Su Yung was now someone different, although it wasn’t Susie. Susan came out in a suit and serious look. Purrazzo and Kimber Lee seem willing to deal with this persona.
Impact Wrestling Genesis Lineup
The following matches have been booked for the Genesis card on January 9th, 2021:
Super X-Cup (1st Round) Ace Austin vs Suicide
Super X-Cup (1st Round) Daivari vs Cousin Jake
Super X-Cup (1st Round) Craazy Steve vs Tre Lamar
Super X-Cup (1st Round) KC Navarro vs. Blake Christian
I Quit Match Willie Mack vs Moose
Jazz vs Jordynne Grace
Super X-Cup Semi-Finals
Super X-Cup Finals
Impact Wrestling Hard to Kill Lineup
Impact Wrestling presents Hard to Kill on January 16th, 2021. The following matches are booked for the card:
The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) & Rich Swann vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) & Kenny Omega
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
X-Division Championship Manik (c) vs. Rohit Raju vs. Chris Bey
Old School Rules Tommy Dreamer, Cousin Jake, & Rhino vs Eric Young, Joe Doering, and Cody Deaner
Barbed Wire Massacre Eddie Edwards vs Sami Callihan
Brodie Lee Jr., also known as Dark Order member -1, has really been making an impact in AEW as of late. On this week’s AEW Dark, he confronted Marko Stunt and was involved in a tense pull-apart. -1 would later cut a promo on Luther and lead his Dark Order teammates to the ring as well.
Marko Stunt came to the ring as Excalibur explained on commentary that a heated rivalry between him and -1 has been building. Stunt was immediately interrupted by the Dark Order member who still hasn’t been alive for a full decade yet. -1 explained to Marko that when he’s older and the two of them wrestle, he’ll be much taller.
-1 Brodie Lee Jr & @realmarkostunt finally meet. FACE TO FACE!
“You think you’re so smart because you got a stupid red ball on your head?” -1 said. “I know what I know because I have a brain, not a stupid red ball. You have a ball on your face… your face just looks stupid. And Dark Order will always beat you.”
Amazingly, Tony Khan would later reveal that -1 was coming up with his promos himself.
“Brodie wrote that promo himself. I asked him what he wanted to say about Marko, and he said all of that off the top of his head, it was incredible, I told him to please please go out and do that. -1 is really something,” Khan Tweeted.
Likely not impressed with Jungle Boy’s new music are the members of FTR. On Dynamite as of late, the team has expressed disdain for the amount of attention the dinosaur-themed trio gets. The two teams will face off on Night 2 of AEW New Year’s Smash next week.
As of the last AEW Rankings on December 23rd, 2020, FTR are ranked #1 and Jurassic Express occupy the #3 position. The winning team next week could find themselves in a position to challenge for the AEW tag-team championships.
The official music video for the 35-year-old classic song can be found in the player below:
Kota Ibushi defeated Tetsuya Naito to win the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships at Wrestle Kingdom 15 (Day 1). He successfully defended the titles against Jay White at Wrestle Kingdom 15 (Day 2).
During a backstage press conference following Day 2, Kota Ibushi requested that NJPW unify the two championships. “The IWGP Intercontinental Championship is the greatest belt there is,” said Ibushi. “The IWGP Heavyweight Championship is the strongest belt there is. I want to unify these titles.”
Ibushi continued, “I want it to be both the greatest and the strongest. Nobody has challenged for just one of these titles. Then what does a double championship mean? I want to unify them. Then I will make my ultimate dreams come true.”
You can watch Kota Ibushi’s comments about unification in the video player below:
IWGP Intercontinental Championship
The IWGP Intercontinental Championship was brought into the promotion in 2011. MVP defeated Toru Yano in the finals of a tournament to become the first champion. Since then, 14 other wrestlers have held the title.
Shinsuke Nakamura is the all-time leader in several categories related to the Intercontinental title. He’s held the title 5x and defended it 17 times over 901 combined days as champion.
The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and the Intercontinental Championship have been defended together since Wrestle Kingdom 14 last year. Naito defeated Jay White at WK14 Night 1 to win the Intercontinental title. On Night 2, he defeated IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada to capture that belt as well.
Since the belts have been defended together, dual title holders have included EVIL, Naito, and now Ibushi.
Mustafa Ali appeared on RAW Talk following last night’s show. He ripped into WWE bringing back several legends for the event and taking television time away from the current roster.
“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?”
“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.”
Ali then joked about cheers having been pumped in for the legends last night.
“Why don’t you give us a chance? People that can contribute to this business, further this company but no, no let’s push them all aside. Let’s give 3 hours to people that that can barely walk.”
“They carved a path, when do I get to walk that path?” Ali continued.
“This place needs change and I am that change.”
The segment then focussed on Ali’s efforts to recruit Ricochet into Retribution. The other members of the faction joined him on the panel to close the segment.
Jim Ross has been fired from WWE multiple times. One such occasion occurred in the summer of 2013. Ross hosted a panel discussion to promote the upcoming edition of the WWE 2K video game series on August 16th, 2013 and both he and Ric Flair were suspected of being intoxicated during. Ross announced his “retirement” from WWE shortly after.
During an episode of Grillin JR, Ross addressed the incident which led to his departure from WWE in 2013.
“Bad decisions on my part. I had a couple of drinks but I wasn’t drunk, that was a story, that was a lie, that was cover your as s**t,” JR said. “When I got to the shoot, I was the host/moderator whatever, I went into the ‘green room’ and the liquor was flowing like water.”
“A lot of the guys that did drink had drank too much. (Flair) and I, I guess, were considered two of those guys.”
“I think I got taken off the team at that point. It was poorly organized and I made bad decisions, let’s get that out of the way. I made some bad decisions. I don’t mind taking responsibility for screwups, we’re human. But you’ve got to learn from those screwups to move forward and I think I did that.”
“It was kind of funny how that worked out,” JR continued. “JR gets canned and Flair gets a statue.”
Last night’s edition of WWE RAW concluded with Bill Goldberg challenging Drew McIntyre to a title match at the Royal Rumble. Goldberg hasn’t wrestled since losing to Braun Strowman at WrestleMania.
As for why Goldberg was chosen as Drew’s opponent for the show, this was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio. It appears the decision to have Goldberg face McIntyre on the PPV was only made over the weekend.
“Bill Goldberg and Drew McIntyre is going to be the main event at the Royal Rumble,” Dave Meltzer said on the show. “This was decided on Saturday.” He continued to say that the angle seemed to come out of nowhere.
“It wasn’t a swerve, it wasn’t to throw people off, it was because they have nobody ready for anything.”
“The Goldberg decision was made on Saturday,” Meltzer continued. “So if you’re wondering why, you know, it just feels like this came out of nowhere, that is the reason, it came out of nowhere.”
The match against Goldberg will be McIntyre’s 3rd title defence in his current reign. He defeated Keith Lee last night and both AJ Styles and the Miz in a triple threat match at TLC. McIntyre successfully defended the WWE title 8x in his first run with the belt.
Marty Scurll is no longer with Ring of Honor. The company announced Monday night that the two parties have decided to end their working relationship.
Marty Scurll was accused of sexual assault last year during the #SpeakingOut movement. A young woman says that he sexually abused her when she was 16 years old and intoxicated. He made public statements addressing the situation:
“Although I truly believe that our encounter that evening was consensual, and the fact that the encounter was legal; is almost not the point. I understand that she now views our encounter as part of a bigger problem within the wrestling community.”
On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed Marty Scurll becoming a free agent and his options for future employment.
“I don’t anticipate AEW taking him,” Meltzer said. “I mean, it’s possible, obviously he was friends with all those guys. For AEW, it would be difficult just because there’s a lot of heat that anyone is going to get for hiring him. WWE does not feel that heat, they’re going to do what they are going to do.”
Marty Scurll with AEW Stars (Photo: Being The Elite Ep. 133)
Marty Scurll’s Options
Dave Meltzer believes WWE and NJPW would be more willing than AEW and ROH to overlook Marty Scurll’s baggage.
“I would suspect that Marty can go to New Japan Pro Wrestling right now and get a job there. Except for the fact that he couldn’t right now because of the pandemic and their economic situation. If it was normal, he could go to New Japan, I have no doubt. It wouldn’t shock me (if he goes to) WWE. AEW I think would be tougher.”
Prior to working for ROH, Marty Scurll had a stint with the National Wrestling Alliance in 2019. He was involved in a program with NWA World Champion Nick Aldis. The NWA is looking to start back up this year and Scrull would be a recognizable name to bring in.
There is no question that Scurll is one of the most talented free agents in all of professional wrestling. It remains to be seen if his scandal will blow over and his reputation can be rehabilitated.
WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan will be one of many legends on-hand for tonight’s episode of RAW. Hogan spoke to ESPN to promote the event and revealed some interesting information about how talent treats him backstage at WWE shows.
When asked about the type of reception he gets from the WWE roster, Hogan admitted, “It’s a mixed bag. Some people I get a really warm reception from.”
He named stars like Seth Rollins and Edge as people who have been nice and credited him with being the reason they got into wrestling.
Hogan admitted some of the younger wrestlers have been less welcoming. “Some of the younger guys are really cold to me, like I’m coming to steal the main event,” said Hogan. “And I’m like, ‘I can’t do this anymore, guys! I’m not a threat!'”
He took a shot at the young WWE talent who have been unable to follow in his illustrious footsteps.
“We blazed such a trail that it’s hard for the young guys to follow that trail,” said Hogan. “It’s like what Vince McMahon always says,’Hogan, I’m always looking for an attraction.’ That’s because we branded something in Vince’s mind where he’s always looking for that next big thing, that hood ornament.”
Other topics discussed include comparisons to Steve Austin and The Rock, the Undertaker’s Final Farewell and the rumored biopic on his life with Chris Hemsworth in talks to portray him. The full interview with Hulk Hogan can be read here.
New Japan Pro Wrestling announced during Wrestle Kingdom 15 that a new English-language television deal in America and the UK will be coming soon. A teaser for the new deal aired during the Tokyo Dome event:
New Japan Pro Wrestling has been without an American television deal since its partnership with AXS TV fell through. After Anthem Sports and Entertainment purchased Impact Wrestling, NJPW was given the option of remaining on the network. This was dependent upon them striking up a working relationship with Impact, however. This was addressed on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“What ended up happening was that Impact and AXS basically said that you can stay on the station if we get a working relationship going and New Japan turned down the working relationship,” said Dave Meltzer on the show.
In October of 2019, NJPW created NJPW of America, a subsidiary of the larger promotion. Episodes of New Japan Strong have been airing on New Japan World and feature matches filmed in the Los Angeles dojo.
“What fans in America value is the NJPW brand and concept, and the style of wrestling that represents. The NJPW brand is important, hence the name of New Japan of America,” NJPW Global Tweeted.
Brian Pillman Jr. has been teaming with Griff Garrison in AEW as of late. The team is now going by the name “The Varsity Blondes.” Pillman is also still with MLW although his time with that promotion could be coming to an end later this year.
Pillman recently relinquished the OVW Heavyweight Championship due to his AEW commitments. This was announced recently through the promotion’s social media accounts:
“OVW Heavyweight Champion Brian Pillman Jr, effectively immediately, will be vacating his OVW Heavyweight Championship. Because of his growing relationship with AEW his obligations have grown to a point where he cannot maintain the responsibilities attached to the OVW Heavyweight Championship. While we at OVW are sad to see him go, we are also very happy for Brian Pillman Jr on his continued success with AEW and wish him nothing but the best.”
Jim Ross also recently Tweeted out some complimentary comments about Pillman.
I am very blessed to be a part of the @AEW family! Thank you for your continuous wisdom and compassion JR! ?? https://t.co/R4PIF1IyGi
Pillman’s contract with MLW is believed to run until the summer. He is not currently scheduled to be part of the promotion’s “Kings of the Colosseum” event scheduled for Wednesday, however.
In an interview back in November, Pillman spoke about being able to work for other promotions while with MLW.
“It’s a pretty liberal deal where I can do a lot of things, you know? I’m not super exclusive to them; some of the later ones are. [My contract] was a little older and they were more lenient on what I could do, so I’m very happy and blessed for that. I’m also able to do AEW, MLW, and OVW television,” Pillman said on the SockMonkey Show.
Chris Jericho left WCW for WWE in 1999. At the time, many fans saw him as someone under-utilized in WCW and felt he would have a better chance of becoming a main event guy in WWE. Years later, Jim Ross would write in “Under the Black Hat” that he had to press Vince McMahon to sign Jericho.
Jericho recently commented on Jim Ross’ influence in bringing him into WWE. He responded to a fan’s comment online.
Well @JRsBBQ was always a defender of mine. He was pretty much single handedly responsible for getting me signed to @wwe. https://t.co/EPL4ste8KA
Jim Ross talked about Vince McMahon’s attitude toward Jericho on an episode of his podcast earlier this year.
“(Vince) was not as sold on Jericho as I was,” Ross said on the show.
“I had to negotiate with Vince basically to get Chris on the radar because of his f***ing height, and that was it.”
Ross would continue to say that Jericho ticks all the boxes aside from height. Jericho can work, talk, and is not injury prone.
“He was not the ideal height to be in a main event at WrestleMania in Vince’s view and the way it works there Conrad, you know as well as anybody, your sister-in-law is a big star there, the world revolves around Vince.”
Jim Ross talking about Vince McMahon’s attitude toward Chris Jericho can be heard in the player below:
This week on AEW Dynamite, the life of Brodie Lee was celebrated. At the end of the show, AEW President Tony Khan shared the ring with the Huber family. Brodie Lee Jr., who is -1 in the Dark Order, was given the TNT Championship belt and named champion for life. A new belt design will debut at a later time.
Brodie Lee’s boots were placed on the mat and Brodie Lee Jr. shared an embrace with Tony Khan. The AEW President was clearly choked up and holding back tears.
AEW posted the final moments of the show, including what did not air on Dynamite, to its official YouTube page. You can view the segment in the player below:
AEW has also announced that Brodie Lee Jr. (-1) has signed a contract with the promotion that will not begin until he is older. -1 also beat up several people in the back with a kendo stick, including members of his own faction.
“Thank you so much Amanda, -1 & Nolan for joining us to celebrate the life of Mr. Brodie Lee with his friends & fans. It was an honor sharing the ring with Amanda & -1, + it was great spending NYE with them last night too, where -1 won countless unsanctioned matches vs. top stars!” Tony Khan Tweeted in regards to the show.
Kazuchika Okada is busy preparing for his grudge match against Will Ospreay at Night 1 of NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 15.
The Rainmaker spoke to Sports Illustrated to promote the event. During the discussion, Okada proposed a wrestling super-show involving all the top promotions across the globe.
“Times are tough right now, but I hope what we do will bring joy to everyone all over the world, and give them enough strength and positivity to do their best the next day,” Okada said.
“When the world calms down, I would like to give back with other wrestling companies to all wrestling fans in the world who still support us even in this current situation. New Japan, WWE, AEW, CMLL, AAA all together. Sounds pretty cool, don’t you think?”
Okada added,”I want to show how powerful professional wrestling is. I want to cheer everyone up with that power.”
The lineups for this year’s Wrestle Kingdom events are below. Visit FITE.TV to purchase the NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 two-day bundle for $29.99.
Day 1: January 4, 2021
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Great O-Khan
Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
Best of the Super Juniors Winner vs. Super J-Cup Winner: Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Phantasmo
IWGP Tag Team Championship: Dangerous Tekkers (Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.) (c) vs. Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)
IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championships Match: Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Kota Ibushi
New Japan Rambo
KENTA vs Satoshi Kojima
Day 2: (January 5, 2021)
SANADA vs. EVIL
NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Jeff Cobb
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. the winner of the previous day’s match between Hiromu Takahashi and El Phantasmo
IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championships Match: the winner of the previous day’s match between Tetsuya Naito and Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White
It appears Paul Heyman has his sights on the 6ft 5inch 265 lbs offensive guard from the University of Central Florida, Parker Boudreaux. The college junior has often been compared to Heyman’s former client, Brock Lesnar.
Paul Heyman responded to a Tweet of Boudreaux’s online, noting that 2021 is going to be a big year for the young prospect. In true Paul Heyman fashion, he noted that this is not a prediction, but rather a spoiler.
His tweet is not a prediction. It’s a spoiler.
Save this #HustleTweet for future historical reference.
Ross also said in a separate Tweet that Boudreaux has been on his radar for a couple of years now.
Big money is earned, not awarded. @ParkerBoudreauxloojs great and has been in my radar for 2-3 years. You do know that there’s “big money” in @AEWrestling too. https://t.co/TteJneLXXc
“Brock Lesnar. I probably get that one every day,” Boudreaux said. “I’ll get [Ivan] Drago from Rocky. I’ll get [Brian] Bosworth. Everybody has something. It’s pretty funny.”
Boudreaux is living near the Orlando area at the moment, near where both AEW and WWE have been operating during the pandemic. An interview with Parker Boudreaux can be viewed in the player below:
We have updates on a few Impact Wrestling contracts that were set to expire at the end of 2020.
Former Impact World Champion, Sami Callihan, has announced that he has re-signed with the promotion. He noted on Twitter yesterday that he’s come to terms on a 2-year deal with the promotion. Callihan originally singed with Impact in late 2017.
Callihan wrote, “Today marks when I WOULD have been a FREE AGENT. I just RE-SIGNED with @IMPACTWRESTLING, 2 years for BIG money. I got other offers…but I don’t give a damn. This is MY company. I made this company. I will be champion again in 2021. #TheDRAW.”
Ethan Page Update
In other Impact news, Ethan Page has finished up with the company. It had previously been reported that he was not expected to re-sign.
It was reported recently in the Wrestling Observer that he has left the promotion. His tag-team partner, Josh Alexander is still with the company, however, and has several months left in his contract. Dave Meltzer wrote, “Ethan Page, who is no longer with the company as he decided not to sign a new deal, which breaks up The North as a team since Josh Alexander has months left, has pulled all of his merchandise effective now.”
As for where Page is headed, pulling merchandise is often a sign someone is going to WWE. Page is the kind of guy who would throw out a red herring like that, though.
“If you think for one F’N second that we’re going to let Impact dictate whether we break up, or we don’t, or whatever you’re out of your damn mind,” said Page.
“I’m telling you guys. Everyone watched Final Resolution, and everyone saw my mental breakdown, whatever. It doesn’t matter. I’m telling you guys that no matter which way this goes The North are not splitting.”
This week on AEW’s Tribute to the Life of Brodie Lee, Erick Redbeard, the former Erick Rowan in WWE, made a surprise appearance. Rowan and Brodie Lee, known as Luke Harper in WWE, are former NXT and Smackdown tag-team champions.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Erick Redbeard’s performance on Dynamite this week was scheduled to be just a one-off deal. Things can change, however, and Redbeard could still end up in AEW more regularly.
“Regarding Erick Rowan, his deal was just to make a special appearance on the Brodie Lee tribute show as a surprise. Obviously anything can change in the future,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Erick Redbeard/Erick Rowan and Brodie Lee/Luke Harper
Real name Joseph Ruud, Redbeard began wrestling in 2003. In 2007, he moved to Japan to live and work in the Pro Wrestling NOAH dojo. He would later return to the United States and sign with WWE in 2011.
In late 2012, he was placed in the Wyatt Family in NXT along with Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt. They made their television debut in early 2013. They would debut on the main roster later that year. Following the breakup of the Wyatt Family, Harper and Rowen would be re-named the Bludgeon Brothers. They won the Smackdown titles before injuries sidelined the team.
