Jim Ross recently caused a bit of a stir online when he criticized a popular move used by many wrestlers on the AEW roster.
“I told a kid the other day at AEW that everybody does the same f***ing spot,” Ross said on his podcast recently. “All you guys go outside. You cluster up like coils. You stand there in a huddle, friends, and foes together, side-by-side so you can catch some leaping idiot going over the top who never wins with this move.”
AEW’s Brandon Cutler then put out a Tweet promoting the 7-on-7 match this Wednesday on Dynamite. In the Tweet, Cutler took a jab at JR’s comments.
Dax Harwood sent out the below Tweet which may be in response to JR and Cutler’s comments:
“Imagine not listening to criticism from the men & women who’ve shaped our profession, and paved a road that allows you to make a living today; all because they hurt your feelings,” he Tweeted.
Some wrestlers were reportedly upset with JR’s comments. According to a report from WrestlingNews.co, one anonymous AEW wrestler made the following statement to them:
“Look I know there is a lot that JR can teach us but burying us on the show or on his podcast is only going to make some of us ignore what he says. I grew up watching JR and he is the best and we love it that he calls our matches but maybe find a different way to criticize the wrestlers in the ring. Everyone is doing what they have been taught. I agree that sometimes things need to be slowed down but that won’t happen when the guy who is supposed to help put us over is going out there and publicly burying us.”
Saturday night on Impact Wrestling’s Final Resolution, Karl Anderson reunited with his former Bullet Club stablemate, Kenny Omega. Callis, Omega, and Anderson spent some time on the luxury bus that was parked outside the venue before Anderson had to wrestle Ethan Page that night.
Anderson took to Twitter to comment on his reunion with Omega on the show.
Anderson and Omega talked about their history as members of Bullet Club on Saturday night. Callis and Omega told Anderson they wanted to see the old “Machine Gun” that night against Ethan Page, the version of Anderson that went to the G1 finals in 2012.
Anderson would go on to defeat Ethan Page, though not as quickly as Callis and Omega had suggested he could. Following the match, Josh Alexander and Ethan Page showed some dissension. Page then spent several moments in the ring after trying to explain to anyone that would listen that everything is going to be fine.
Omega is scheduled to be back on Impact this week. He also has a match scheduled against Joey Janela on Dynamite. The full lineup for that show is below:
No Disqualification, World Title-Eliminator Kenny Omega vs Joey Janela
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent), The Varsity Blondes (Brian Pillman Jr. & Griff Garrison), Top Flight(Darius Martin & Daunte Martin) & Brandon Cutler vs. The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, MJF, Ortiz, Sammy Guevara, Santana & Wardlow)
Diamante & Ivelisse vs. Big Swole & Serena Deeb
Cody Rhodes (w/Arn Anderson) vs. Angelico (w/Jack Evans)
The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) vs. SCU (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian)
Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen) & Matt Hardy vs. The Dark Order (Alex Reynolds & John Silver) & Adam Page
New Day are arguably the greatest tag-team in WWE history. There are some significant statistics to back this theory up. They are 10x tag-team champions, including having the longest single-reign of tag-team titles in WWE history. Also, Kofi Kingston is the only wrestler in WWE history to have held a tag-team title for more than 1000 combined days. They are easily 1st ballot hall-of-famers as a team.
According to Paul Heyman, however, Big E‘s potential as a singles wrestler eclipses what New Day has already accomplished. Heyman noted on Talking Smack recently that he feels Big E’s time in New Day will only be a footnote in his career overall.
Heyman had the following to say to Big E on the show:
“This Big E, a focused Big E, a singles championship-minded Big E, has so much potential that 10 years from now, as your story is being written, they will all say that the accomplishments that you did with the New Day pale by respectful comparison to the accomplishments that you will pull off on your own,” Heyman said to Big E on the show.
“What you are going to accomplish in the next 10 years will be mind-boggling, sir. And I’m looking forward to seeing it, as is everybody else. But you have to accept in your heart that the New Day will only be a footnote in the story of the greatness of Big E.”
“If I may prove to my case to you, I ask you a rhetorical question: When was the last time you saw Roman Reigns in the ring and anybody even bothered to mention the Shield?”
At this point, Big E fell silent as the weight of Heyman’s words sunk in.
Impact Wrestling’s Ethan Page and Sami Callihan reportedly both have contracts that expire at the end of the year. According to a recent report from PW Insider, one is expected to leave the promotion and the other is expected to stay.
Sami Callihan, a former Impact World Champion, is expected to stay with the company. Callihan debuted for the promotion in late 2017 and has been a featured performer since the current management regime came in around the same time.
Ethan Page, 1/2 of the North, is expected to leave the promotion at the end of the month. His tag-team partner, Josh Alexander, still has somewhere around 9 months left on his deal. Page recently spoke to SI.com about his pending free agency.
“Impact has been amazing. They’re allowing me the opportunity to chat with other companies, and they’re handling this in an extremely professional manner. I’m open to chatting with other people, but my interest is hearing how Impact values me and what they’re willing to offer,” he said.
Vince McMahon reportedly is not pleased with the work rate of several wrestlers on the main roster. In particular, Vince is not pleased with the work of some of the company’s bigger-sized wrestlers. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, he has ordered some wrestlers to undergo additional training.
“Vince McMahon threw a fit about the working ability of certain guys on the main roster, mad in particular about some of the big guys,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
The report would continue to say that Vince has ordered some wrestlers to take two classes per week at the Performance Center. Adam Pearce and Drew Gulak are serving as instructors for the classes.
“He’s ordered some of the guys back to the Performance Center with two classes per week with Adam Pearce and Drew Gulak as instructors.”
The report did not specifically mention who has been ordered to undergo additional training.
UPDATE:
In an update to this story, PW Insider is reporting that the names sent for additional training to the PC include Otis, Keith Lee, Dabbo Kato, Dio Maddin and AJ Styles’ bodyguard Omos.
WWE does have specific training programs for bigger guys at the Performance Center for developmental recruits. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash have both spoken previously about work they have done at the PC with larger prospects.
“It was great, I was in Orlando for about 8 or 9 days, cause I went in early. I spoke to Triple H in the past about who’s training the big guys,” Hall said about the training program while on Sean Waltman’s podcast last year.
“So we had a mini big guy summit, I got to watch films with the bigger guys, have one-on-ones with some of them, get in the ring and talk about their different move sets and what they got and stuff.”
Bianca Belair is quickly moving up the rankings of Smackdown’s women’s division. The 31-year-old has yet to lose a singles match on the main roster. She has racked up an impressive 15-match winning streak.
She made her main roster debut at the 2020 WWE Royal Rumble in January, She joined the main roster’s Raw brand after WrestleMania before being drafted to Smackdown in October.
Belair was interviewed recently by Sports Illustrated. During the discussion, she noted just how important Sasha Banks and Bayley are to WWE.
“Bayley and Sasha are more than just vital to the women’s division, they’re vital to WWE,” Belair says. “They’ve done so many monumental things, starting in NXT. They set the bar at TakeOver, then they set the bar again on Raw, SmackDown and on pay-per-view.”
“Sasha sets the standard. She’s the champion. Bayley is so versatile. Look at the way she went from protagonist to antagonist. She always comes up with something new, and she has the ability to make people around her stars, too. I am looking forward to working with Bayley.”
Belair would continue to say that getting in the ring with wrestlers as talented as Banks and Bayley helps her improve her game. She also said that Banks and Bayley elevate others in the women’s divisions.
“They don’t just elevate themselves, they elevate every single person they come into contact with. That’s why I want to be in the ring with Bayley. That’s why I want to get in the ring with Sasha. If I can get into the ring with people of that caliber, I’m only going to get better.”
The full interview with Bianca Belair can be read here.
Kenny Omega and Hangman Page held the AEW tag team titles for 228 days after defeating SCU on the Jericho Cruise. There was a lot of dissension teased throughout their run, however. They eventually dropped the belts to FTR at All Out and then faced each other in the finals of a tournament at Full Gear.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Hangman Page was expected to fully turn heel as part of this angle. The plans for this changed based on the fan response to Page, however.
Don Callis is believed to have pitched the idea of him and Omega in an angle together shortly after Page and Omega were put together as a team.
“The actual idea was suggested by Callis when Omega and Adam Page started their team and while Page was to come out as the heel at one point, that changed based on the early reaction to Page,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
He would continue to say that Page and Omega getting over as a team and the pandemic played a role in the angle being changed.
Page has wrestled just twice since the loss to Omega at Full Gear. He defeated John Silver on 11/19. He also competed in the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal at Winter is Coming.
Miro closed out this week’s episode of Dynamite by attacking Orange Cassidy and allowing MJF to pick up the win in the main event and retain the Dynamite Diamond ring. The Bulgarian took to social media recently to post a video explaining his actions.
“Maybe that’s what I need to do to get everybody’s attention,” Miro said in the video, referring to his attack on Cassidy. “But I told you things are coming. I told you things are coming, I told you things are happening.”
“I screwed Orange? Orange screwed Orange, let’s not forget about that” he continued.
Miro continued to say that he’s all about the numbers now. This includes likes, subscribers, and overall clout. That’s what gives him control over his own career.
“I came from a situation where I didn’t have the clout or influence to steer my own career. That will never happen to me again. I’m all about the numbers now, and there’s not a single thing anyone in AEW could do about it. I am in control,” Miro said in the video. “Not Orange Cassidy, not the MJF, not anyone in All Elite Wrestling. Miro is in control now.”
Watch Miro’s video in the YouTube player embedded below:
Posted December 11th, 2020 in AEW, News. Tagged: Miro.
It was a big week for AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Impact Wrestling Vice President, Don Callis. They appeared on both Impact and AEW Dynamite this week. Omega teased on Impact that he had become something of a collector and alluded to perhaps wanting to win some of Impact’s championships.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Omega is expected back on Impact next week. He’s also expected to headline some PPVs for the promotion. Dave Meltzer wrote:
“We do know that Omega will make appearances on Impact television, including back on 12/15, and headline at least some Impact PPV shows.”
Impact teased a program between its world champion, Rich Swann, and Omega last week. Swann was seen being denied access to Omega and Callis’ luxury bus because he “wasn’t on the list.”
Swann is scheduled to defend the Impact World Championship against Chris Bey this Saturday at Final Resolution. The show will air on Impact’s streaming service, Impact Plus. Moose has also been angling for a shot at Swann’s title.
Charlotte Flair defeated Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 36. Flair was then briefly a fixture on NXT for the remainder of the spring before dropping the title to Io Shirai in a triple threat match.
Many fans likely figured that Ripley was either going to defeat Flair at WrestleMania, or defeat her on NXT to regain the title soon after. It never happened, however, and Flair never ended up losing a match to Ripley.
According to a report from Fightful, the RAW writing team shot down the idea of Flair losing to Ripley at WrestleMania. The RAW creative team also reportedly shot down an idea that would have seen Ripley win a triple threat match against Flair and Bianca Belair, with Belair being the one to take the pin. It appears the NXT creative team wanted Ripley to get at least some type of victory over Flair but the RAW team wasn’t going to allow that to happen.
Charlotte Flair’s Stint In NXT This Year
Flair has wrestled in NXT 5 times this year. She also wrestled for the NXT title at WrestleMania. In those 6 matches, she’s
Sonya Deville recently released a statement on her Instagram stories. Deville says in her statement that she will not hesitate to report or take legal action against people who send harassing or threatening messages to her or people in her life.
Her full statement can be read below:
“I’m going to say this once and try and be clear. I love my fans very much and appreciate U despite what has happened I do not categorize U all as raging psycho paths. But harassing myself or people I have been W etc. is never acceptable. I share my life with y’all to an extent because it is part of what I do and what I signed up for.
That being said I will not hesitate to report and or take legal action against anyone that has sent threatening messages and or anything inappropriate to me or someone in my life. Like I mentioned I am not messing around at all and it is a zero tolerance policy at this point due to the referenced incident, thank you.”
WWE fans haven’t seen Sonya Deville since SummerSlam. She lost a Loser Leaves WWE match to Mandy Rose at the event. Deville is still under contract with WWE and is expected to return at some point, however.
Last night on Dynamite, Penta El Zero M was scheduled to team with his brother Fenix and Lance Archer to go up against Eddie Kingston and the Butcher & The Blade. Early into the match, however, he was put through a table by the Butcher and taken to the back. According to a report from BodySlam, this was done because Penta is currently dealing with an injury. Penta reportedly suffered a leg injury while training a couple of weeks ago. The spot was done to explain his absense.
The Lucha Bros recently reunited with PAC as the Death Triangle. They are now in an angle with their former stable of Kingston and the Butcher and the Blade.
Also on Dynamite last night, Santana was absent from the Inner Circle’s ultimatum segment. Chris Jericho explained that he wasn’t there because of all the internal fighting that has been going on in the faction as of late. We’ve noted that Santana is dealing with a personal issue. He has since posted an emotional message on Instagram noting that his step-father recently passed away.
SEScoops sends our deep condolences to Santana and his family.
Wrestling Observer Radio posted early Thursday morning notes that he is expected back at Dynamite next week.
Major League Wrestling’s episode of Fusion on 12/9 featured a double main-event. Richard Holliday would face Low-Ki in the semi-finals of the 2020 Opera Cup and The Von Erichs would defend the tag belts against Contra Unit.
The full show can be viewed in the player below:
MLW Fusion Results 12/9:
Calvin Tankman defeated Zenshi
Violence is Forever (Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku) defeated Jason Dugan & Robert Martyr
Opera Cup 2020 Semi-Final Low-Ki defeated Richard Holliday
MLW Tag Team Championships The Von Erichs (Ross & Marshall) vs Contra Unit (Jacob Fatu & Simon Gotch) – No Contest
The Von Erichs are about as true blue of babyfaces as there can be. On the opposite side of the spectrum is Contra Unit. Whenever these two units collide it is a little reminiscent of when the Von Erichs would clash with wrestlers like the Great Kabuki and his manager Gary Hart in WCCW.
The match pretty much started once the Von Erichs came out. A wild brawl took place early and the referee had trouble controlling it. Eventually, a traditional tag match did take place, but things would devolve again before the end of the show. Marshall and Gotch found themselves on the outside and the barefooted Von Erich gave his opponent a claw-slam through a ring board. Then, for reasons which will likely be explained later, Team Filthy hit the ring and caused a no-contest. Jordan Oliver was out there as well attacking people and utter chaos ensued to close the show.
The 1st of MLW’s double main event this week saw Richard Holliday take on Low-Ki in the semi-finals of the Opera Cup. King Mo and American Top Team have been complaining that Low-Ki shouldn’t even be in the tournament, however. They are urging MLW officials to review Low-Ki’s medical charts, as they believe King Mo gave him some type of neurological injury.
Low-Ki wrestled really smart against Holiday, however. He peppered the Dynasty member’s quads with leg kicks that would play a factor in the outcome of the match. Holiday looked like he was going to suplex his opponent but was seen clutching at his leg as Low-Ki fought out of it. Low-Ki then hit a dropkick followed by a double foot stomp from the top for the win.
After the match, Low-Ki paraded around with Holiday’s Caribbean Championship belt for a little bit. He’ll face the winner of Tom Lawlor vs ACH in the finals.
Hammerstone Challenges The Black Hand Of Contra For Kings of the Colosseum
National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone was interviewed by Alicia Atout this week. Hammerstone said he’s never been hit as hard as Contra Unit’s Mads Krugger hit him with a chair on the 1st Fusion back since the restart. He also announced that he’s cleared to wrestle and wants to face Krugger at Kings of the Colosseum.
Recently on Fusion, Salina de la Renta said she was traveling to Mexico to take care of some business. She also said that Konnan wouldn’t like what she was up to. This week, Salina was in Mexico and spoke about summoning someone named Pascal Mendoza. This person was a little boy of 7 years old when the 1985 Mexico City Earthquake hit. This person lost everything and developed a hate for the world at the time. Now this person is wandering around Earth with an unquenchable desire for revenge.
Lucha Underground fans might have an idea as to who Salina is talking about. Mil Muertes’ backstory on that show was that he was a boy named Pascal Mendoza during the 1985 Mexico City Earthquake. Does that mean Ricky Banderas is on his way to MLW? Or does Salina have someone else in mind?
Previously on Fusion, we’ve seen MLW Middleweight Champion, Myron Reed, issue a challenge to the newly signed Lio Rush. This week, cameras caught up with Lio while he was on his way to the recording studio. Rush said he’ll face Myron Reed, but he’ll do so when he wants to, and that will be at January’s Kings of the Colosseum event.
Last week, Tom Lawlor cut a promo saying Team Filthy was entering the tag division. This week, he introduced the debuting Kevin Ku along with Dominic Garrini. The duo took on Jason Dugan & Robert Martyr who offered little in the way of competition for the team dubbed “Violence is Forever.” A brainbuster superkick combo would pick up the win for the new team in under 2 minutes.
Zenshi was in tough this week as he took on Calvin Tankman in the opening match. The Chilean fighter attempted to work the big man’s legs but it was to no avail. Tankman caught him with a back elbow as he came off the top rope and then hit the Tankman Driver for the win.
Coming Up in MLW
Opera Cup 2020 Semi Final #2 ACH vs Tom Lawlor
Booked for Kings of the Colosseum:
MLW Middleweight Championship Myron Reed (c) vs Lio Rush
With Kenny Omega the new AEW World Champion, Jon Moxley drops to the #1 ranked spot. There was no other movement this week in the men’s singles division.
#2 Maxwell Jacob Friedman will face the unranked Orange Cassidy tonight with the winner being awarded the Dynamite Diamond ring.
#3 Cody Rhodes teamed with TNT Champion Darby Allin to defeat Powerhouse Hobbs and #5 Ricky Starks last week as the American Nightmare Family vs Team Taz rivalry continues. #4 Brian Cage, also a member of Team Taz, picked up a win on Dark this week.
Women’s Singles Rankings
AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (21-1)
Big Swole (14-4)
Nyla Rose (13-3)
Serena Deeb (4-2)
Penelope Ford (11-5)
Abadon (5-1)
There was no movement in the women’s singles rankings this week. Champion Hikaru Shida has been challenged by the frightening #5 Abadon, and it seems she has been left a little unnerved by the situation. Abadon will be in singles action tonight.
#1 Big Swole and #2 Nyla Rose both picked up wins on Dark this week.
#3 Serena Deeb and #4 Penelope Cruz stay put in the rankings this week.
The unranked Britt Baker and Thunder Rosa were involved in a big pull apart last week after Baker defeated Leyla Hirsch, so we could see something between them soon in AEW.
Tag Team Division Rankings
Tag Team Champions: The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) (11-3)
FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) (12-1)
The Best Friends (Trent & Chuck Taylor) (19-7)
Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) (14-5)
The Natural Nightmares (Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall) (9-2)
The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) (14-2)
There were no changes this week in the tag-team division.
A non-title match between The Young Bucks and the Hybrid2 will take place on tonight’s show. The Bucks said last week that if Angelico and Jack Evans can beat them tonight, they’ll get a future shot at the belts.
Former champion, #1 FTR, will also be in action tonight. They’ll face Brian Pillman Jr. and Griff Garrison, collectively now known as The Varsity Blondes.
The unranked teams of the Lucha Bros and Butcher and the Blade will be in action tonight as well. Lance Archer will team with the Lucha Bros to take on Eddie Kingston and the Butcher and the Blade.
There can be no doubting that Kenny Omega’s advertised appearance on Impact Wrestling this week was a draw. The viewership of last night’s broadcast on Twitch was more than double Impact’s previous record on the platform. By the end of the show, over 55,000 people had tuned in on Twitch.
The promotion sent out the following Tweet to note the achievement:
?Trending #3 right now. ?Double our previous all-time viewership record on Twitch. ?Top 5 channel on ALL OF TWITCH right now. #IMPACTonAXSTV
Much of last night’s show was hyping up Saturday’s Final Resolution event. The show will air on Impact’s streaming service, Impact Plus. The following matches have been scheduled for the event:
Impact World Championship Rich Swann (c) vs Chris Bey
Karl Anderson vs Ethan Page
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo vs Rosemary
Tenille Dashwood & Kaleb vs Eddie Edwards & Alisha Edwards
Old School Rules (If Larry D loses he’s charged with attempted murder, if he wins, he’s not) Larry D vs Tommy Dreamer
Eric Young vs Rhino
X-Division Championship Open Challenge (Defeat Rohit Challenge) Rohit Raju (c) vs TBA
When Impact Wrestling aired last night on Twitch and AXS TV, it had been 6 days since Kenny Omega won the world championship and Don Callis promised they would appear on Impact this week. Omega’s interview segment would close the show but we also saw the final 1st round match of the Knockouts tag title tournament, Josh Alexander take on Chris Sabin, and we continued the build to Saturday’s Final Resolution event on Impact Plus.
If you haven’t seen it, the entire full show has been put up on Impact’s YouTube page here:
Impact 12/8 Quick Results:
Chris Sabin defeated Josh Alexander
Brian Myers defeated TJP
Eric Young defeated Cody Deaner
Knockouts Tag Team Tournament (1st Round) Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary defeated Deonna Purrazzo & Kimber Lee
Chris Bey & Moose defeated Rich Swann & Willie Mack
Here are 9 takeaways from Impact 12/8:
Kenny Omega Explains Why He Has Arrived In Impact Wrestling
Josh Mathews’ sit-down interview with Kenny Omega and Don Callis would close the show. First, Don Callis explained the relationship between him and Omega and how he was trained by Omega’s Uncle the Golden Sheik. Callis explained that just as Omega’s Uncle used to take care of him, Callis does the same for Omega.
He talked about the history of their early days in the business, up to Callis getting back into the industry after a 13-year hiatus. They talked about Callis being there when Omega won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, about Callis’ role in booking Chris Jericho vs Kenny Omega in the Tokyo Dome. Finally, Callis explained that he is the “Invisible Hand” behind Omega’s whole career.
What is Kenny Omega doing in Impact?
Omega was asked what he is doing in Impact. He explained that he is now something of a collector, with the AEW World Championship being the prized gem of his collection. Callis and Omega insinuated there were titles in Impact that Omega was interested in collecting.
Omega’s comments were likely heard by Impact World Champion, Rich Swann. Just before Omega’s interview segment, Swann was seen being told he could not visit the luxury bus that Omega and Callis were in because he “wasn’t on the list.”
Has Omega come to collect Rich Swann’s title?
Tony Khan Purchases Advertising Time On Impact Wrestling
Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone were both on Impact Wrestling this week as well. Khan purchased advertising space on the show and a commercial of sorts aired. The AEW President said if he wanted to, he could shut down Omega’s appearance on the show but he’s chosen not to. He continued to say that he knows Omega will be on Dynamite tomorrow and then invited Callis to come on as well. Khan and Schiavone then hyped up this week’s episode of Dynamite on TNT.
The Many Challengers To Rich Swann’s Impact World Championship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FonA9Hy2iBI
The last we saw of Rich Swann on this week’s show, he was angrily leaving the building after being denied access to Omega and Callis. While Swann likely feels disrespected by the AEW World Champion, he has plenty of challengers waiting for his title. On Saturday, Chris Bey will challenge Swann for the belt. The self-proclaimed TNA World Champion, Moose, is also waiting in the wings and has made no secret that he considers Swann’s belt secondary to his.
This week’s main event saw Swann team with his longtime friend, Willie Mack against Moose and Chris Bey. Moose and Bey were not on the same page at all, with Moose using his partner as a weapon and tossing him against their opponents.
The finish of the match came when Mack missed a frog splash and Moose delivered the Lights Out spear. Instead of going for the pin, however, Moose got in the full mount position and started delivering elbows to Mack’s head. Moose has been winning matches via referee stoppage this way as of late. Swann came to Mack’s rescue but this allowed Bey to swoop in and pin Mack for the win.
Saturday night at Final Resolution, Chris Bey has a chance to become Impact World Champion.
Dissension Between The North?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrVFHafL54I
It appears there is a little dissension brewing between Ethan Page and Josh Alexander. This week’s show was opened up by Josh Alexander taking on Chris Sabin in singles competition. The finish of the match came when Alexander was in control but Page was yelling instructions from the outside. As Alexander was listening to Page, Sabin scored a pinning combination and got the 3-count for the win.
As for the Motor City Machine Guns, they are working on their path back to the tag titles now that Shelley has returned. They defeated Team XXXL last week and said the North was next.
Eddie Edwards Gets A Measure Of Revenge On Sami Callihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcMdR_qQ_-E
The feud between Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan has been reignited. Callihan recently tried to recreate the infamous baseball bat incident from a few years ago and busted Edwards wide open. With Edwards out of the picture, Alisha Edwards ditched her tag team with Tenille Dashwood to focus on getting revenge. Alisha attacked Sami last week and confronted him this week.
Callihan cut a promo about being the Draw and the history between him and Edwards. Alisha then came out to confront him and the distraction allowed the returning Eddie Edwards to attack from behind. The attack sends Callihan scrambling away from the ring area.
Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary Advance In KO Tag Title Tournament, Eliminate Deonna Purrazzo & Kimber Lee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlBUnBW5u2Y
Knockouts champion Deonna Purrazzo and her run-in buddy, Kimber Lee, were perhaps too distracted with Su Yung in the build-up to this match. They enlisted Father James Mitchell to abduct the undead bride last week. They had stiff competition in the 1st round of the KO tag title tourney, however, when they faced two former KO champions, Taya Valkyrie and Rosemary.
Rosemary would pick up the win for her team after hitting a double-undertook sit-down slam. She and Taya will now face Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz in the semi-finals.
Cody Deaner Unable To Get Revenge On Eric Young
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enolZeeU6XE
Eric Young and Joe Doering have been attacking everyone in Impact Wrestling as of late. This included Cody Deaner, who took special offence to it considering the history between him and Young in the business. He said he wanted to prove to Young that he isn’t a nobody and requested that Cousin Jake not interfere in their match tonight.
While Deaner fought valiantly, it wasn’t enough to defeat the former world champion. Young picked up the winning with a devastating looking piledriver.
After the match, Young and Doering continued the attack on Deaner. Cousin Jake looked to make the save, but they took him out too. Finally, Rhino would come out with a lead pipe to make the save and end the post-match attack.
Brian Myers Defeats TJP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTrohvzpMCY
TJP is the latest wrestler in Impact Wrestling to take issue with Myers’ attitude towards the rest of the roster. He confronted Myers last week, leading to this week’s singles match between the two. Myers pulled out the victory after delivering a spine buster followed by a lariat. That’s 4 straight wins in singles matches for Myers, having defeated Swoggle, Crazzy Steve, Fallah Bah, and now TJP.
Larry D Can Get Out of Attempted Murder Charges If He Defeats Tommy Dreamer At Final Resolution
Larry D was recently revealed as the person who shot John E Bravo. While the Team XXXL member says he was set up, Dreamer still challenged him to an Old School Rules match at Final Resolution. If Larry D wins, he will not be charged with attempted murder. If Tommy Dreamer wins, Larry D will be charged with attempted murder. When Larry D asked Dreamer how such a match stipulation could take place, Dreamer just answered that he can do whatever he wants.
Lineup For Saturday’s Final Resolution On Impact Plus
Here are the matches confirmed for Saturday’s Final Resolution event on Impact Plus:
Impact World Championship Rich Swann (c) vs Chris Bey
Karl Anderson vs Ethan Page
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo vs Rosemary
Tenille Dashwood & Kaleb vs Eddie Edwards & Alisha Edwards
Old School Rules (If Larry D loses he’s charged with attempted murder, if he wins, he’s not) Larry D vs Tommy Dreamer
Eric Young vs Rhino
X-Division Championship Open Challenge (Defeat Rohit Challenge) Rohit Raju (c) vs TBA
After Sting’s AEW Dynamite debut last week, many fans likely did not assume the 61-year-old would become an active member of the roster. According to Justin Barrasso of SI.com, Sting is expected to wrestle for the promotion.
“Sports Illustrated has learned the relationship between Sting and AEW president Tony Khan will be collaborative, which was certainly not the case in WWE with McMahon,” Barrasso wrote. “Even with his advanced age, there are plans for Sting to eventually enter the ring in AEW,” he continued.
Lengthy singles matches are probably not the right vehicle for Sting at this stage in his career. However, he could be used strategically teaming with other AEW wrestlers and even in cinematic matches.
Sting’s most recent match took place five years ago. The last time he was in the ring, Sting was injured during a match with Seth Rollins at Night of Champions 2015. He wrestled 4 matches for WWE that year, including his loss to Triple H at WrestleMania 31. Last week’s AEW Dynamite was Sting’s first appearance on TNT since wrestling Ric Flair on the final episode of WCW Nitro back in 2001.
Sting speaks to Tony Schiavone Wednesday night in a reunion of sorts for the longtime colleagues.
Posted December 8th, 2020 in AEW, News. Tagged: Sting.
Joey Ryan was released by Impact Wrestling following numerous allegations against him as part of the #SpeakingOut movement earlier this year. Ryan filed suit against Impact in late-September and is reportedly seeking $10 million.
According to a report from PW Insider, Impact would request an additional 30 days time to respond to the lawsuit that Ryan’s team filed on September 24th. They then missed that deadline and Ryan’s team filed to have a judgment made in their favor as a result on November 27th. Impact then responded to the lawsuit in a filing on December 4th.
In their response to the lawsuit, Impact is stating that they only made a public comment about Ryan’s release so that fans would not expect to see him on their shows. There is also a dispute between the two parties over Ryan’s Impact contract and the wording around what he could be fired for and what process would have had to be followed. Impact’s response states that they believe they did not breach their contract with Ryan.
Ryan’s legal team is seeking $10 million from Anthem Sport and Entertainment, Impact’s parent company.
Ryan, along with Dave Crist, was fired from Impact Wrestling this June. The company announced at the same time that Michael Elgin would not longer be appearing on its programming.
AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Don Callis will appear on tonight’s episode Impact Wrestling TV. According to a HeelByNature, AEW President Tony Khan is also scheduled to make a cameo on the broadcast.
Khan and AEW broadcaster Tony Schiavone are expected to appear on the show in a “paid advertisement.” This sounds similar in format to when the NWO would run promo spots during WCW programming.
Longtime fans remember the black and white segments that began with a voiceover stating, “The following announcement has been paid for by the New World Order.”
Impact Wrestling Preview
In addition to the Kenny Omega & AEW involvement, the following matches are announced for tonight’s Impact Wrestling:
Cody Deaner vs Eric Young
Brian Myers vs TJP
Josh Alexander vs Chris Sabin
Knockouts Tag Team Title Tournament (1st Round) Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary vs Deonna Purrazzo & Kimber Lee
If you don’t have access to AXS TV, you can watch for free at the Impact Wrestling Twitch Channel starting at 8PM (Eastern). Melissa Santos hosts during commercial breaks. Note that a replay of the show is not available on Twitch after it has aired, however.
AEW Dynamite Preview
AEW has announced the following matches for tomorrow night’s show:
Dynamite Diamond Ring Match Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs Orange Cassidy
The Young Bucks vs The Hybrid2
FTR vs The Varsity Blondes
Lance Archer and The Lucha Bros. vs. Eddie Kingston, The Butcher & The Blade
Dustin Rhodes vs 10
Abadon vs TBA
Additionally, Sting will appear in a speaking segment and the Inner Circle will decide if they should disband.
WWE’s Tribute to the Troops airs tonight and while former US Marine, Lacey Evans, won’t be on the card, she’s been promoting the event and speaking with servicemen and women. Evans spoke to TV Insider recently about how this year’s event will be different.
“It will definitely be different. I was just excited to be part of the backstage process figuring out ways we can continue giving back to them. Our troops will be front and center. We’ve done virtual meet-and-greets. I met 11 troop members and their families. A few of us did go to a military base in Miramar, California. [WWE is] still making it work regardless of the Hell the world is going through,” Evans said.
Evans continued to say that working with WWE allows her to continue to meet with military personnel and their families.
“Once you get out, you miss being in the military every day. But at least my job allows me to be surrounded by them on and off because WWE has so many partnerships. They have ones with the USO, Hire Heroes, Tribute to the Troops. I still get to see my brothers and sisters. It’s not climbing through the mud anymore, [but] it keeps me motivated as ever,” Evans continued.
As for what fans can expect at Tribute to the Troops, Evans revealed some details.
“We are going to bring the fireworks. We’re still going to bring the entertainment with some hard-hitting action. Veterans love that. They love the noises. The impact, the ground, and pound. That’s exactly what they are going to get. We don’t stop giving back to our troops. Not now, not ever.”
The lineup for tonight’s show is below:
Drew McIntyre vs The Miz
Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair vs. Bayley & Natalya
Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy & The Street Profits vs. King Corbin, Elias, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode
The full interview with Lacey Evans can be read here.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Tony Khan was still beating down NJPW’s door in the hopes of developing a working agreement between the two promotions. It was reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, that Khan was speaking with NJPW’s Rocky Romero regularly to get something done.
“Khan has been speaking to Rocky Romero regularly of late to try and open doors to New Japan, feeling the odds are better to do something with Harold Meij gone,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Romero refuted these reports recently on an episode of Talk N Shop with Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows. According to Romero, he hasn’t talked to Tony Khan in over a month.
“I guess Meltzer’s reporting that me and Tony Khan are having calls all the time, like every week, which is not true at all,” Romero said on the show.
“I’m not talking to Tony weekly, no. I mean, I’ve talked to Tony in the past, of course,” Romero continued. He was then asked about the last time he spoke with the AEW President.
“I’ve talked to Tony probably a month ago, maybe more,” Romero continued.
“(Meltzer) is not completely lying but he’s making it seem… he’s selling something and trying to make it seem something… He’s trying to get clicks,” Romero continued. He would later refer to the report as “misleading.”
Shortly after this, the subject of what exactly Rocky Romero’s role with NJPW is concerning American talent. Although unofficial, Romero has long been thought of as NJPW’s point person for American and English-speaking talent.
“I’ve never said that,” Romero said when the Good Brothers referred to him as working for talent relations in NJPW. Gallows wasn’t convinced, however.
“I’m saying that, it might not be your actual title,” he said. “Your pay cheque says differently. They don’t just pay you to talk guys out.”
Chelsea Green has had an interesting year in wrestling. She left NXT in May and seemed destined for a main roster call-up but would not make her Smackdown debut until 6 months later. When she did finally debuted, she broke her wrist in her first match and is now on the sidelines with the injury.
According to a report from Fightful Select, Green and Mickie James were planned to be in an angle together this year. The angle would have been a “reboot” of the famous Mickie James and Trish Stratus angle that culminated in their match at WrestleMania 22. Only in this version of the angle, Chelsea Green would have played the role of the stalker and James would have been in the Trish Stratus role.
Green and James are even reported to have filmed content for the angle but it was scrapped just hours before it was to debut. Green would have been portrayed as an obsessed fan of James’.
Mickie James and Trish Stratus’ angle leading up to WrestleMania 22 was so well-received by fans, that James was actually cheered on the show despite being a clear heel at the time.
The wrestling world lost Pat Patterson this week. The legendary figure passed away at 79 years of age. There has been an outpouring of tributes for him since. WWE recently posted a video of Patterson’s longtime friend, Gerald Briscoe, reflecting on his friendship with the man.
“Pat was family,” Briscoe said. “Heaven’s a beautiful place with Pat there laughing and telling his corny jokes.”
Patterson began his career in Montreal during the late 1950s. He’d move to the United States in the early 60s and found a home with San Francisco’s Big Time Wrestling in the middle part of the decade. Along with Ray Stevens, he found success and won NWA tag-team gold as a member of the Blonde Bombers. The team would split in the early 1970s but reunite in the latter part of the decade in the AWA. Patterson would begin wrestling for Vince McMahon’s Sr’s company in the late 70s and began working backstage in the mid-80s when Vince Jr. took over.
Gerald Briscoe On Pat Patterson
“He had so much knowledge, working with Pat was like working with an encyclopedia. you could ask him a question about any time, any era, in any town and he had a story,” Briscoe continued.
“To me, he was the most wonderful person and the most giving person. Pat was one of those guys that just gave you everything that you ever asked for and more. This business was Pat Patterson. Pat was a businessman 24/7 but Pat loved to have his good times.”
Briscoe continued to talk about how well-liked Pat was backstage.
“You weren’t a friend of Pat Patterson’s, you were a brother of Pat’s. Whether you’re a sound technician, a cameraman, our producer, director, it didn’t matter. Pat Patterson was your friend for life and he would stick up for you.”
Briscoe’s full comments can be viewed in the player below:
Former World Heavyweight Champion, the Great Khali, has joined the ongoing mass farmer protests in India. Khali is urging Indians to support their farmers and oppose new regulations brought in this September by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Khali is fairly easy to notice at the protests as he stands a foot taller than anyone else.
58% of Indians rely on farming for their livelihoods. New laws passed this September have eliminated mandatory minimum prices for their products, however, which many feel will open up the doors for corporations to undercut their competition. This could be devastating for individual and smaller-scale farmers.
Tens of thousands of farmers have flocked to New Delhi to protest the new laws. They have been met with police resistance.
The protests have caused a bit of an international incident between India and Canada, where 1.37 million people with Indian heritage live (including Jinder Mahal & the Bollywood Boyz). Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a statement supporting the farmers’ right to protest and was more or less told to stay out of it by the Indian government. Trudeau’s response is below:
After a 5-year hiatus, the Slammy Awards are returning to WWE. The last time the awards were held was on December 21st, 2015.
WWE released a Tweet recently that lists the “2020 Slammy Awards” as being added to the WWE Network in December. Other content being added to the Network this month includes a Q&A session between Drew McIntyre and Matthew McConaughey, an episode of WWE Untold on Goldberg’s streak, a Broken Skulls Session with Drew McIntyre, and something listed as “WWE Superstar Gaming Series.”
Slammy Award Winners
The awards ran most recently from 2008-2015. Previous awards were given out twice during the 80s and 3 times during the 90s.
Superstar of the Year Slammy Award Winners:
2015: Seth Rollins
2014: Roman Reigns
2013: Daniel Bryan
2012: John Cena
2011: CM Punk
2010: John Cena
2009: John Cena
2008: Chris Jericho
1997: The Undertaker (Star of the Highest Magnitude)
1996: Shawn Michaels (Leader of the New Generation)
1994: Diesel (MVP)
1987: “Superstar” Billy Graham (Hulk Hogan “Real American” Award)
1986: Junkyard Dog (Best Single Performer)
Other notable award-winners from 2015 included the Usos being named Tag Team of the Year. Nikki Bella won “Diva of the Year” and Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker from Hell in a Cell won Match of the Year.
