The Rascalz finished up with Impact Wrestling earlier this month. Two members of the group, Zachary Wentz and Desmond Xavier, have already reported to WWE’s Performance Center. WWE announced they are two of the latest recruits who have begun training at the facility.
As for Trey Miguel, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that he is weighing his options and has interest from both WWE and AEW. “Trey Miguel, the third member of the team, was at last word considering both WWE and AEW,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Wentz and Xavier were a team before Miguel was added to the group. They started teaming together in the winter of 2015/16 for promotions such as Combat Zone Wrestling and Rockstar Pro. Myron Reed and Trey Miguel were added to the CZW version of the stable in 2018. In PWG, Wentz and Xavier debuted as a tag-team and would eventually win the promotion’s tag titles twice.
The faction debuted in Impact Wrestling during the fall of 2018. This version was a three-man group consisting of Zachary Wentz, Trey Miguel, and Dezmond Xavier.
Trey Miguel is also the current champion for Chicago’s Warrior Wrestling promotion.
Tessa Blanchard has wrestled just one match since leaving Impact Wrestling this year. She never returned to the promotion following the onset of the global pandemic. Impact ultimately stripped her of the world title as a result.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW is not interested in bringing her in, despite her immense talent. “Based on what we were told, when her name came up, the feeling was that while nobody will deny her talent and from that standpoint they know she’d be very valuable, especially with the nature of their women’s division, the decision was made to not pursue her,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
“I’ve been away for a while, the main reason for that is to focus on my wedding & honeymoon. The past few months I’ve gotten back to the basics & been focusing on the relationships I have with family, friends & myself,” Blanchard wrote.
“The point of this post is because I’m taking back the control of my narrative. I’ve had people weigh in on what I should do, what I should say, what interview to do, where to go.. now, I want to listen to what I want and what’s in my heart.”
AEW’s Winter is Coming show ended with Impact Wrestling executive Don Callis telling fans to tune into his show Tuesday night on AXS TV. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW is open to working with all wrestling companies right now and is still hoping to create a working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
“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.
Earlier reports stated that Tony Khan was cautiously optimistic about what Harold Meij leaving NJPW would do for a potential working relationship.
“I’m not sure yet,” was Tony Khan’s reaction to Meij’s departure in the Wrestling Observer in October. “But my initial gut feeling is it could be good.”
“We all definitely watch a lot of New Japan in this room. I think they are a great company and a lot of my people have worked shows there and I have no problem with guys – as long as its not interfering on a regular basis with what we do on Wednesdays and with our PPVs, guys working there. That’s some of the flexibility we have. Can’t have it all the time but I think it’s been fine for me, it doesn’t really bother me.”
Nick Dinsmore had a run with WWE from 2004 to 2007 where he portrayed the character of Eugene. He recently sat down for an interview with Chris Van Vliet and spoke about if he feels the character would work in wrestling today.
“One thing I know about WWE is that they can almost always make anything work,” Dinsmore responded.
“When Eugene first started, I didn’t have my first match on TV for two or three weeks and in those first two or three weeks some people I had heard, like radio stations or news outlets were saying ‘What is WWE going to do with this character?’. But the minute I won my first match, then they know it’s an underdog story of a boy with a dream wanting to be a wrestler and he’s fulfilling that dream.”
He was also asked if he was worried about people thinking the character was making fun of people with special needs.
“I thought about that going in but it was my opportunity but I was either going to sink or swim on it. But I had got so much positive affirmation afterwards. So many people said to me, ‘My brother has special needs and he told me that he can do anything because Eugene did it’. I heard that more times than I heard, ‘You’re making fun of people’. No, instead I heard ‘You’re giving them a voice’ or ‘Oh my God, there’s someone like me’. That’s what I want to be. That’s what WWE should be a representation of every type of person that there is around the world.”
Major League Wrestling presented another episode of Fusion on December 2nd, 2020. This week’s show featured two matches in the Opera Cup tournament and the debut of the “Black Hand of Contra.”
MLW Fusion 12/2 Quick results:
Opera Cup 2020 (1st Round) ACH defeated Laredo Kid
Mads Krugger defeated Ariel Dominguez
Opera Cup 2020 (1st Round) Low-Ki defeated Davey Boy Smith Jr.
MLW Fusion kicked off this week with ACH and Laredo Kid vying for the right to advance to the 2020 Opera Cup semi-finals. These two battled for close to 15-minutes in what was an even match up until the finish. Laredo Kid went to the top rope but was caught with a kick by ACH who then landed the Spirit Bomb (brainbuster) for the win. He’ll meet Tom Lawlor in the semi-finals.
After ACH defeated Laredo Kid, we saw a backstage promo from ACH’s next opponent, Tom Lawlor. The former MLW World Champion announced that his Team Filthy stablemate, Dominic Garrini, has found a new tag partner in Kevin Ku and they will wrestle next week.
The Von Erichs cut a promo this week from Hawaii. The brothers took offense to Contra Unit’s calling them out and vowed to go after the stable. It was later announced that Marshall and Ross will defend the tag titles next week against Jacob Fatu and Simon Gotch next week.
Recently on Fusion, a large man known only as the Black Hand of Contra debuted and attacked Alexander Hammerstone. This week, we learned the man’s name is Mads Krugger. He faced the much smaller Ariel Dominguez in singles action this week. Krugger manhandled his opponent and finished him off with a front-facing slam in under 2-minutes. Masked members of the Sentai Death Squad came out after the match and put Dominguez in a body bag.
Low-Ki Defeats Davey Boy Smith Jr. To Advance To Opera Cup Semi-Finals
Last year’s Opera Cup winner, Davey Boy Smith Jr. faced former MLW World Champion, Low-Ki, in this week’s main event. These two met in the 1st round of last year’s tournament, with Smith coming out the winner.
The finish of their match from last year’s tournament would factor into the finish of their match in this year’s tournament. After battling back and forth for 20-minutes, Smith attempted his running power slam but it was countered by Low-Ki into a choke. Smith attempted to turn the choke into a pinning combination as he did last year but Low-Ki reversed it into a pinning combination of his own and got the win.
With the win, Low-Ki moves on to face Richard Holliday in the semi-finals.
Next Week On MLW Fusion
The following matches are on tap for MLW Fusion next week:
Calvin Tankman in action
MLW Tag Team Championships The Von Erichs (Ross & Marshall) (c) vs Jacob Fatu & Simon Gotch (Contra Unit)
Opera Cup Semi-Final #1 Richard Holliday vs Low Ki
Also on Fusion this week:
Salina de la Renta is in Mexico City. She cut a promo saying she had some business to take care of and she doesn’t think Konnan will like it.
Richard Holliday cut a promo saying he’s dedicating his performance in the Opera Cup tournament to his injured stablemate, Alexander Hammerstone. Holliday was involved in an altercation with former Dynasty stable member, Gino Medina, last week.
AEW’s Winter is Coming was an eventful show, to say the least. We saw Sting’s AEW debut, which garnered mainstream headlines and was still trending on social media on Tuesday morning. However, that memorable moment was overshadowed by what transpired at the end of the broadcast.
Dynamite closed with Kenny Omega winning the AEW World Championship with help from longtime friend (and Impact Wrestling executive), Don Callis. As Omega and Callis were leaving the arena, Callis said that Omega would be on Impact Wrestling next Tuesday night.
AEW’s relationship with Impact Wrestling was discussed on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio. “The Callis thing has been in the works for a while,” Dave Meltzer. “I didn’t know this but I presume that Don Callis – you know, Don Callis came up with the Omega Jericho match- I presume he came up with this idea and Tony Khan went with it and Omega probably wanted it.”
Kenny Omega is now a full-blown heel, with Don Callis at his side. Hijacking the AEW World Championship and are taking it to another ‘territory’ is a huge development that presents a multitude of storyline options.
In addition to Omega appearing on Impact television next week, we’ve heard that this affiliation will naturally lead to some talent exchange. It is very likely that some Impact talent will end up on AEW television, which is win-win for both sides. Impact has a strong women’s division, as well as several tag teams like The North, Gallows & Anderson and the Motor City Machine Guns. You can also expect some AEW talent appearing on Impact.
Sting’s deal with AEW was discussed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio. “It’s not like WWE where you show up once every year or whatever. I mean, he is going to be on this thing. They wanted the idea of the big star from the old generation TNT being back as a regular.”
At 61-years-old, Sting is limited with how physical he can get. Don’t expect to see him working 20-minute singles matches, but he can still be a valuable asset to AEW.
“Whatever physical stuff he does, they are going to have to do very safely,” Meltzer continued. “There will be physical stuff but I don’t think he’ll be taking any bumps or anything like that. But he’s in, he’s going to be a character in some form.”
Sting’s debut was timed for the holiday season in part to sell merchandise. Fans probably noticed Sting was wearing an official AEW t-shirt for his debut. Immediately after his segment on Dynamite, a line of Sting t-shirts, hoodies and hats was added to the AEW store.
Check out Sting’s new AEW merchandise at ShopAEW.com.
Anyone who has ever glanced at John Cena’s social media knows he loves a good inspirational quote. Now, a whole book of them will be published on April 6th, 2021. In fact, Cena will actually publish two books on that day.
One book will be titled “Do Your Best Every Day to Do Your Best Every Day” and will be aimed at readers aged 8-12. The book will feature inspirational messages inspired by Cena’s Twitter feed. Another book, “Be A Work in Progress,” will be similar in substance but will be geared towards readers of all ages.
Cena was quoted in a press release announcing the two books.
“We all have a lot on our minds, especially now, given the current state of the world. Words of encouragement can help us stay motivated and focused on what’s really important, and I hope that both Do Your Best Every Day to Do Your Best Every Day and Be a Work in Progress will inspire kids and adults to be the best versions of themselves,” Cena said in a statement.
Purpose, like person, can evolve. But always strive to have an understanding of why and who you are.
“John Cena has a great talent for connecting with and encouraging kids and adults alike,” says Mallory Loehr, executive vp and publisher of Random House Books for Young Readers Group. “These collections are a new way for him to encourage readers of all ages to celebrate their achievements and take time to become the best version of themselves—whatever that might be.”
The news was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter here.
Former Olympic boxer turned AEW wrestler Anthony Ogogo has called out YouTube personality turned boxer, Jake Paul.
On the undercard of Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr over the weekend, Paul knocked out former NBA player Nate Robinson to earn his second win as a professional. Video of the viral knockout can be seen below.
Ogogo sent the following message to Paul on Twitter, challenging him to step up if he wants to ‘play with the big boys.’
.@jakepaul I heard you think you’re a real boxer. LOL. I’d knock you spark out and I only have one good eye.
10x British Champ
Junior Olympic Champ
Junior World Champ
European medals aplenty
Olympic Medal.
Let me know when you wanna play with the big boys ??.
Ogogo signed with AEW in October of 2019. He is training with Cody Rhodes and QT Marshall as well as working in a commentary role periodically on AEW Dark. He retired from the boxing ring in 2019 after suffering visual impairment following a broken orbital bone suffered in a 2016 fight against Craig Cunningham. His trainer took him out of the fight in the 8th round, resulting in the only loss of Ogogo’s pro career. Ogogo has said he was declared legally blind as a result of the injury and had his driver’s license taken away.
He hasn’t fought since and officially retired in 2019.
“I’ve been through a lot in my career. I’ve had 17 operations and suffered every pain imaginable. I’ve won, lost, cried and hurt. But if you were to ask me would I do it again? In a heartbeat. I love this game,” he said when announcing his retirement.
As for Jake Paul, he has over 20 million subscribers on YouTube. He is also the brother of famous YouTuber, Logan Paul. Jake Paul won his first pro-fight in January and then knocked out his opponent over the weekend in a clip that has gone viral online.
AEW has released new top-5 rankings ahead of tonight’s episode of Dynamite.
Men’s Singles Rankings
AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (21-0) TNT Champion: Darby Allin (14-5)
Kenny Omega (7-0)
Maxwell Jacob Friedman (10-1)
Cody Rhodes (20-3-1)
Brian Cage (11-1)
Ricky Starks (14-2)
There was no movement in the men’s singles division this week.
Tonight on Dynamite, #1 Kenny Omega will challenge champion, Jon Moxley.
TNT Champion Darby Allin will team with #3 Cody Rhodes tonight in tag action against #5 Ricky Starks and Will Hobbs.
#2 Maxwell Jacob Friedman will look to defend his Dynamite Diamond ring tonight in the battle royal.
Women’s Singles Rankings
AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (21-1)
Big Swole (13-4)
Nyla Rose (12-3)
Serena Deeb (4-2)
Penelope Ford (11-5)
Abadon (5-1) (previously unranked)
Anna Jay drops out of the rankings this week after losing to Hikaru Shida in a title match last week. Abadon, who confronted the champion after the match, replaces Anna in the #5 spot.
In the women’s division tonight, unranked Britt Baker takes on unranked Leyla Hirsch.
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) (+1)
The Natural Nightmares (Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall) (9-2) (-1)
The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) (14-2)
The Jurassic Express and Natural Nightmares switch spots this week. No other movement was recorded in the tag team division, however. There are no matches featuring established tag-teams scheduled for Winter is Coming.
Impact Wrestling continued the Knockouts tag team tournament this week and the X-Division title was also on the line. The promotion also announced the first few matches for Final Resolution later this month on Impact Plus.
Impact Results 12/1:
The Motor City Machine Guns defeated Team XXXL
Knockouts Tag Team Title Tournament (1st Round) Jordynne Grace & Jazz defeated Renee Michelle & Killer Kelly
Cody Deaner vs Johnny Swinger – No Contest
X-Division Championship Rohit Raju (c) defeated Crazzy Steve
Willie Mack defeated Chris Bey
Both Chris Bey & Moose Are Coming For Rich Swann’s World Championship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD0MfQe0_Qw
There is no shortage of contenders gunning for Rich Swann’s world championship. Chris Bey has the next shot upcoming at Final Resolution but Moose’s shot will likely come not long after that. Bey failed to pick up any momentum heading into his title shot as he dropped this week’s main event to Swann’s former tag partner, Willie Mack. After the match, Moose came out and delivered a spear to Mack which brought Swann out for the save. Swann took out Moose but then Bey delivered a springboard cutter on the champion. Bey then held the title over his head and stood strong to end the show.
Jordynne Grace & Jazz Advance In Knockouts Title Tournament
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OpgPiDwdPo
The Knockouts title tournament continued this week. Renee Michelle and Killer Kelly gave a strong performance but in the end, it was Jazz who was able to pick up the victory for her team after giving a facebuster to Michelle.
The win means that Grace and Jazz will move on to face Havok & Nevaeh in the semi-finals. The final 1st round match in the tournament will take place next week when Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary take on Deonna Purrazzo & Kimber Lee.
James Mitchell Has Possession Of Su Yung
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdBrGiViL44
Deonna Purrazzo and Kimber Lee enlisted the help of James Mitchell last week. The two noted that they would have a much easier time dealing with Susie rather than Su Yung and asked the Sinister Minister this week if he could turn her back into her less threatening persona. Mitchell agreed but needed Purrazzo and Kimber Lee to lure Su Yung out of hiding. Purrazzo then cut a promo that brought out Yung and then Mitchell came out and unleashed an army of undead brides against her.
Su fought back but just as she was going to give Purrazzo the poison mist, the Virtuoso grabbed her by the neck and forced the poison mist down her throat, seemingly paralyzing her in the process. Then she gave Yung the “Cosa Nostra” piledriver for good measure. The undead brides then walked out with Yung in their arms.
It’s Eric Young and Joe Doering’s World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDDVetXlvcg
Eric Young and Joe Doering continued their reign of terror this week. They interfered in the Cody Deaner vs Johnny Swinger match causing it to be thrown out. Young then cut a promo saying that their actions would continue until everyone’s “eyes are open.” He continued to say that this world belongs to them several times before the segment ended.
Later in the show, Deaner was upset in the back that Young interfered in his match. He talked about how Young was a pivotal figure in the early part of his career and he wants to show him that he’s not “nothing.” A match between the two was then scheduled for next week.
Rohit Raju Retains Again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2iajUaY6vc
Rohit Raju once again found away to retain his title this week. After dropping a non-title match to Crazzy Steve under a Suicide mask last week, a title match between Steve and Raju was scheduled for this week.
With the title on the line, Raju once again resorted to under-handed tactics to retain. He grabbed the middle rope during a pinning combination for extra leverage and got the 3-count.
The Motor City Machine Guns Have A Path To The Tag Team Championships
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REeMmJu_qhA
This week’s episode kicked off with tag-team action as the Motor City Machine Guns picked up a win over Team XXXL. During the match, it was noted on commentary that MCMG have a path to the championship and it starts with Team XXXL. They’d pick up the win with a neckbreaker/top-rope splash combo.
Josh Matthews then noted that next up on MCMG’s path to the championships is the North.
Next Week On Impact Wrestling
Here are the matches scheduled for next week’s show:
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
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVC1GBtGgW0
Coming Up At Final Resolution On December 12th
The following matches have been scheduled for Final Resolution on December 12th:
Impact World Championship Rich Swann (c) vs Chris Bey
Thaddeus Bullard, better known to wrestling fans as Titus O’Neil, is one of the most charitable people to ever be in the wrestling industry. Today is “Giving Tuesday,” held the Tuesday after American Thanksgiving every year. It is a day where people are encouraged to donate to charities rather than spend their money on Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales.
Titus O’Neil and his Bullard Family Foundation have donated $127,500 to four different charities today.
A $100,000 donation was given to Metropolitan Ministries. This charity is based out of O’Neil’s hometown of Tampa Bay and helps at-risk populations and people experiencing homelessness in the region. The charity also provides meals for more than 40,000 families during the holiday season.
10K was also donated to Florida Sheriff Youths Ranches. Another 10K donation was made to the Machen Florida Opportunity Scholars Program from the University of Florida. Finally, O’Neil also donated $7500 to the MANNA FoodBank.
“I chose these four charities because their impact goes beyond just a donation. They invest in families so that they can change generations,” O’Neil said regarding the donations.
Batista opted to post the following photo of him with Titus to help support the foundation:
Titus O’Neil’s inspiring story is available to read in book form. It can be purchased from Amazon here.
You can Pre-Order my Book “There’s No Such Thing as a Bad kid” before the August 6, 2019 Release date by Clicking the link below??I pray that you’re Educated, Entertained and Inspired to Help, Heal and Love people more than you thought you ever could??https://t.co/bWrjSslS1x
As of this writing, Alberto Del Rio is still scheduled to go to trial in January. He has been charged with kidnapping and sexual assault. It now appears, however, that his accuser will likely not testify and the charges against him could be dropped.
Alberto’s former girlfriend recently posted a short statement through her social media. She apologized to the Rodriguez (Alberto’s real last name) family for her actions but did not go into detail.
“An apology to the Rodriguez del Rio family for the damages caused by my mistakes,” she wrote in Spanish.
Alberto has reportedly been saying the charges against him have been dropped and that he will have one more hearing on the matter.
The situation involving the charges against Del Rio was also addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“It looks like that case is gonna go away because the woman is recanting her story,” Dave Meltzer said. “There was police inspectors saw her, saw her bruises, so it’s hard for me to go, well, you know, she changed her story. Then there was actually talk originally that she was going to leave town and not even testify in the first place.”
“It looked bad for him as far as the indictment and everything like that and the crime was like freaking hideous the way it was described. But the charge itself is going to go away,” Meltzer continued.
Alberto Del Rios’ brother put out a statement regarding’s Alberto’s accuser recanting.
“Well gang, as everyone knows the truth always falls under its own weight. After so many and so many months, finally the garbage person who accused my brother of something totally false spoke with the truth admitting her lie,” he wrote.
Meltzer continued to talk about the reaction to Alberto’s accuser recanting.
“There’s too much. She recants her story and then the family starts talking about she’s a money-grubber type of thing. That she’s using it for money. And the criminal case was not about money. So, you know, you try to tie the dots together. I certainly come up with something but I better not say it.”
Most years, AAA’s TripleMania takes place during the summer. This year’s show was scheduled for August 22nd, but was later postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
AAA has announced TripleMania XXVIII will be held on December 12th. No fans will be in attendance. AEW star Kenny Omega will defend the AAA Mega Championship against Laredo Kid in one of the top matches. Here is the complete lineup:
Hair vs Hair Match Pagano vs Chessman
AAA Mega Championship Kenny Omega (c) vs Laredo Kid
Marvel Lucha Libre Aracno and Leyenda Americana vs. Terror Púrpura and Venenoide
Tito Santana (not the Tito Santana you are thinking of), Carta Brava Jr., and Mocho Cota Jr.) vs. Niño Hamburguesa, Máximo, and Mr. Iguana
Lady Shani vs. Faby Apache vs. Chik Tormenta vs. La Hiedra vs. Hades vs. Lady Maravilla
AAA Tag Team Championships Los Lucha Brothers (Fénix and Pentagón Jr.) (c) vs. Jinetes del Aire (Myzteziz Jr. and Octagon Jr.) vs. Los Mercenarios (Texano Jr. and Rey Escorpión)
Los Psycho Circus (Psycho Clown, Monster Clown, and Murder Clown) vs. Blue Demon Jr. and La Familia Real (L.A. Park and El Hijo de L.A. Park)
Lance Storm was the first member of WCW to kickoff the invasion when he made a run-in during a show from his hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Buff Bagwell would also take part in the invasion when he and Booker T wrestled an infamous match on RAW in 2001. Bagwell would never wrestle an official match for WWE again and plans for the invasion were changed drastically.
Storm talked about what happened with Bagwell in WWE during a recent audio show on the Wrestling Observer website.
“Everyone was mad at Buff,” Storm said. “There was the bad match with Booker and Buff but Book the next day showed up with ‘yeah, that sucked’ and Buff showed up with ‘no, everybody’s got it wrong, it wasn’t that bad, I watched it back’ and made excuses.”
Bryan Alvarez then quipped that the match wasn’t that bad, although it certainly did not resemble anything good.
“Buff was blown up in a minute and a half and grabbed a 2-minute chin lock,” Storm responded to Alvarez’s comments. He continued to talk about how Buff was going to get his “receipt” later (although nobody can seem to remember what show this was on) when he did a run-in during a segment.
Lance Storm On Buff Bagwell’s Time In WWE
“All the Invasion guys go to the ring and then APA runs down at the end,” Storm continued. “We’re all supposed to bump, get the hell out. But Buff is the one guy who is not supposed to be able to roll out of the ring and Buff is supposed to take a power bomb from John and then the spine buster from Ron. And it’s his receipt.”
Storm then mentioned what the members of APA said to him before the segment.
“If that son of a bitch rolls out, you guys better throw him back.”
Storm continued to say that Buff did not roll out of the ring before taking a powerbomb from JBL but did fake an injury after.
“So he plants him with this powerbomb and then Buff fakes an injury and won’t get up. He’s laying on the mat like he hurt his neck. I can still to this day remember vividly Ron standing over him ‘get that son of a bitch up!'”
Storm continued to say that if Buff had just taken the moves, his heat in the back may have dissipated.
“Now granted, the next weekend he no-showed the house shows and we got the Atlanta show and I don’t believe we ever see Buff again but I think he could have quelled the heat if he had just took his licking and didn’t sell it and didn’t complain.”
Highlights of Booker T vs Buff Bagwell can be viewed in the player below:
According to recent reports, Braun Strowman was planned to be Drew McIntyre’s opponent at TLC. On RAW last week, however, Strowman’s character attacked Adam Pearce and was subsequently suspended indefinitely.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, Strowman is dealing with a knee injury and that is why he was removed from the WWE title picture at TLC.
Following Survivor Series, it had been reported Strowman would face McIntyre on the PPV. After Monday’s RAW, however, the Observer reported that Strowman was likely dealing with a knee injury.
“The story is that he got a knee injury at the elimination match [at Survivor Series] but I don’t know that the story is accurate. I’ve heard it, I heard that what was the tournament was for but it still could just be a storyline and Braun is getting the title shot anyway,” said Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.
Strowman’s last match was at Survivor Series 2020. He was one of the 5 survivors from Team RAW’s traditional 5-on-5 match on the show. Strowman eliminated Otis from that match as well. Riddle, AJ Styles, and Keith Lee will face each other tonight on RAW to determine McIntyre’s next challenger.
BREAKING NEWS: Per @WWE, @BraunStrowman has been suspended indefinitely for putting his hands on @ScrapDaddyAP during last night's Monday Night RAW. pic.twitter.com/VExVJshJiE
Survivor Series 2020 was billed as the Undertaker’s “Final Farewell” and many legends from the past were there to help celebrate. One of The Undertaker’s longtime friends in the business, “The Godfather” Charles Wright, was amongst them. Godfather spoke to SI.com recently about the reunion Taker’s “Bone Street Krew” had at the show.
“When WWE invited me to the Survivor Series tribute for Mark, I texted him right away and said, ‘Let’s do a BSK reunion,’” said Wright. “We paid homage to Mark Calaway and the phenom that he created with The Undertaker.”
The reunion took place Saturday night before the Survivor Series. No food was served, only whiskey and beer. Other attendees included Savio Vega, Rikishi, Phineas Godwinn, and Mark Henry.
“For that one night, the past came back to life,” Wright continued. “If you didn’t know any better, it felt like it was 20 years ago. We told stories, we hugged, we cried—and we put Timmy White to bed, just like we used to back in the day.”
Godfather continued to talk about what Taker did for others during his career.
“Mark is honest, he respects the business and he never forgets about his friends,” said Wright. “He changed the business, especially for big men. He’s one of a kind.”
On Sunday, the documentary “Liv Forever” will air on the WWE Network. 26-year-old Liv Morgan first signed with WWE in 2014. As of late, she is back together with her old Riott Squad partner, Ruby Riott. Morgan spoke to the Asbury Park Press about feeling as though the first incarnation of the Riott Squad was broken up too early.
“The first time The Riott Squad was around I feel like we disbanded before we were ready. We were just hitting our stride and then it was taken away,” Morgan said. “And so to have the opportunity again, Ruby and I kind of feel like we have a chance to re-write history and to create whatever we want.”
The Riott Squad debuted on the main roster in November of 2017. In the spring of 2019, Morgan moved from RAW to Smackdown, breaking up the team for a period. This spring, Sarah Logan was released from the company. Liv and Ruby began teaming with each other again this summer.
“And so we can go at it this time around doing everything that we wished we could have the first time. And so we’re not taking it lightly at all. We know this might be the last time, and so we are completely focused and have our sights set on becoming the next WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions and we just know we have to make the most of it.”
Impact Wrestling has reportedly been trying to keep their options as open as possible lately concerning its storylines. According to a report from Fightful Select, the promotion has been filming multiple endings to matches recently. This gives the promotion some options if a wrestler leaves the promotion after the tapings but before their match airs. Impact can then decide which wrestler will be shown winning the match closer to when the show airs.
In addition to different endings to matches being taped, segments were also reportedly filmed multiple times using different wrestlers. This was done in case one or more of the wrestlers used in the scenes depart the company.
Impact has run into problems in this area over the last year. At Bound For Glory, the promotion was left with few options as to how they could handle Kylie Rae not facing Deonna Purrazzo on the show. They also were left scrambling earlier this year when Michael Elgin, Dave Crist, and Joey Ryan were all alleged to have committed acts as part of the #SpeakingOut movement.
Impact may have multiple wrestlers leaving the company soon too as well. All 3 members of the Rascalz recently departed. Both Ethan Page and Taya Valkyrie reportedly have contracts that expire soon as well.
Kevin Nash has performed in many films and TV shows throughout his acting career. He has a starring role in the film “COVID-19 Invasion” which is currently in post-production. No release date has been confirmed as of yet for the film.
A description of the film reads “Chinese bats invade America. It’s up to Navy Seal Team Six to stop them.” Few details other than that are available.
Micah Lyons wrote and directed the film. The film had an estimated budget of $3 million and was filmed in Longview, Texas. IMDB’s page for the film is here.
Nash is also featured in the recently released “Chick Fight” film. Malin Akerman, Alec Baldwin, and Kevin Connolly all appear in the movie as well. His other IMDB credits include Magic Mike XXL, John Wick, Magic Mike, Rock of Ages, Monster Brawl, The Longest Yard, The Punisher, and of course, 1992’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze when he played the role of Super Shredder.
The synopsis for this movie starring Kevin Nash: "Chinese bats invade America. It's up to Navy Seal Team Six to stop them."
— kevbone316 on threads & @kevbone on bsky (@Kevbone) November 27, 2020
150k new Covid cases today. Heard idiots tell me to watch after the election how cases will start to disappear. It's real, no hoax. Seeing less and less masks every day.
Nash recently took part in an interview with the Miami Herald and spoke about how wrestling and Hollywood have overlapped through the years.
“(Sylvester Stallone) was really the first one to open the door. Wrestling was still the red-headed stepchild. I don’t think it was until (the Rock), everything he did with opening number one at the box office, Dwayne is the one that really has made it sheik to be a pro wrestler or ex-pro wrestler and be in this field. A guy like Dave Bautista, he’s a lead but he also does smart things. He did the role in Blade Runner. He reads the script and realizes that the character is intricate to the story.”
Bronson Rechsteiner, the son of Rick Steiner and nephew of Scott Steiner, received a WWE tryout recently. Rechsteiner was signed to the Baltimore Ravens earlier this year but was cut from the team during training camp. His WWE tryout was addressed recently in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
“Bronson Rechsteiner, the son of Rick Steiner, who was a college football star running back at Kennesaw State University, but didn’t make the NFL, had a recent tryout,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Rechsteiner spoke with SI.com shortly after signing with the Ravens. He was asked about potentially following in his father’s footsteps by taking up a career in wrestling.
“I’m open to it,” said Rechsteiner about a career in pro-wrestling. “But I know wrestling will always be there for me. It’s always been my dream to carry the family’s legacy in professional sports, and I’m staying focused on taking football as far as I can.”
Scott Steiner had a run with Impact Wrestling recently. He collapsed backstage at a set of tapings earlier this year and had to be taken to hospital. Steiner would later cut a promo about the experience and added some “Steiner Math” to it.
“As I was sitting in the hospital bed, the doctor came up to me and said ‘the procedure that happened to you, normally you only have 80 percent chance of winning…of getting out of the bed…of living’ I said doc, every time I step in the ring I have a 140 and two-thirds chance of winning. What do you think my chances are of jumping out of this bed? So this goes to all my freaks in Jasper, Alabama. Big Poppa Pump is your hookup! Holla if you hear me!”
More of Steiner’s comments can be read in the link below:
The venue for WrestleMania VI, WrestleMania 18, and the most-attended episode of Monday Night RAW ever might be getting demolished in the not too distant future. A report from Toronto’s Globe and Mail recently stated that plans are in place to demolish the Roger’s Center (formerly known as SkyDome).
67,678 attended WrestleMania VI (Ultimate Warrior vs Hulk Hogan) in the venue. 68,237 fans also attended WrestleMania X-8 (Hogan vs Rock, Jericho vs Triple H) at Skydome. A record 41,432 fans attended a special Saturday night version of RAW on February 13th, 1999 inside Skydome as well.
Rogers Communications, however, stated that any plans to demolish the famous venue have been put on hold. This is due to the pandemic.
“Prior to the pandemic, we were exploring options for the stadium but through this year our primary focus has been keeping our customers connected and employees safe, so there is no update on the Rogers Centre to share at this time.” – Andrew Garas, director of communications at Rogers.
WrestleMania VI: April 1, 1990 at Toronto’s Skydome
The original report stated that the plans were to demolish the building and build a new stadium on the property. Condo buildings and a shopping center would also be built. The new stadium would have a real grass field for Toronto Blue Jays baseball games. The Blue Jays played their home games in Buffalo this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
WWE typically runs shows at the Scotiabank Arena (formerly Air Canada Center) in Toronto nowadays. The venue is home to the Toronto Raptors and Maple Leafs. WWE presented SummerSlam weekend and 4 straight nights of events from the venue last summer.
MLW Fusion 11/25 featured the start of the 2020 Opera Cup tournament. Two opening round matches took place as well as the promotional debut of Calvin Tankman.
MLW Fusion 11/25 Quick Results:
Opera Cup 2020 (Opening Round) Richard Holliday defeated TJP
Calvin Tankman defeated Robert Martyr
Opera Cup 2020 (Opening Round) “Filthy” Tom Lawlor defeated Rocky Romero
Here are 6 key takeaways from MLW Fusion 11/25
Tension Between Richard Holliday and Gino Medina
Before he made his way into the arena, cameras caught up with Richard Holliday. The Dynasty member gave a quick update on Hammerstone, who was attacked last week by a mysterious new member of Contra Unit. Holliday said Hammerstone will be fine and that who attacked him isn’t what’s important right now. He then walked past former Dynasty member, Gino Medina, who was talking on his phone. Holliday stopped as he heard Medina insult him in Spanish. The two then got into a debate over whether Medina was fired from the Dynasty by Holliday or if he quit. It seems some tension is building between the two former stablemates.
Richard Holliday Advances In The Opera Cup By Defeating TJP
Holliday insisted the referee hold up the Caribbean Championship before the bell despite the fact it was not a title match and Holliday isn’t even the rightful holder of the belt. During the match, TJP demonstrating some impressive looking submission moves but it would ultimately be Holliday who would pick up the win and advance. The finish of the match came when TJP missed a Swanton and Holliday capitalized with a spinebuster and the 2008 Market Crash for the win.
Salina de la Renta was recently revealed to have been in cahoots with Contra Unit regarding the stable’s takeover of MLW offices. The league may end up terminating her contract for this but she is still scheduled to produce the January 6th show. If MLW hasn’t taken action by then, Salina will likely be out for revenge that night. She called out Konnan (who exposed her association with Contra) and threatened to sue the league.
Calvin Tankman didn’t need much time at all to put away Robert Martyr. He first demonstrated that he is an agile 355lbs big man by doing leapfrogs and other impressive looking feats. He quickly put away his opponent with the Tankman Driver for the win.
After the match, Tankman cut a promo in the back and said he’s coming for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship.
Following the attack last week by Contra Unit, we got an injury update on Alexander Hammerstone. The National Openweight Champion revealed he suffered bruised ribs, whiplash, and tranverse mylelitis (spinal inflammation). Hammerstone was promising to get revenge on Contra Unit when the line was taken over by Josef Samael. The Contra Unit member told Hammerstone he put a target on his back when he referred to himself as “Contra Hunter.” This led Samael to hire the Black Hand of Contra to attack Hammerstone.
“Filthy” Tom Lawlor Defeats Rocky Romero, Advances In Opera Cup
We had a veteran of New Japan Pro Wrestling against a veteran of the UFC and former MLW World Champion, Tom Lawlor in the main event this week. It was a highly competitive match and in the end neither wrestler would really prove dominance but one would come away with the victory. The finish of the match came when Lawlor was in the process of locking in a rear-naked choke but just when Rocky had fought out of the move, Lawlor responded by wrapping Romero up in a pinning combination for a 3-count.
After the match, Lawlor cut a promo expressing his frustration with not being booked in the tournament last year. He said that soon the names on the trophy like Stu Hart and George Hackenschmidt will be joined by his.
American Top Team’s Dan Gable and King Mo are irate with MLW officials for not including Mo in the Opera Cup. They believe that Low Ki should not be medically cleared for the tournament. As of this report, Low Ki is scheduled to face Davey Boy Smith Jr. in the first round.
Lio Rush vs Myron Reed has been booked for December 23rd’s “Kings of the Colosseum” event.
Next week’s show will have the final 2 opening round matches of the Opera Cup: ACH vs Laredo Kid, and Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs Low-Ki.
After having been let go by the company in the spring, Hurricane Helms is back with WWE. According to a report from PW Insider, Helms was backstage at the Survivor Series and worked RAW on Monday as a producer.
Helms had been with WWE as a producer from January 2019 to April 2020. He announced his departure from the company on April 15th, 2020.
Helms also made a cameo on the AEW Full Gear PPV on November 7th, 2020. He was featured in the Elite Deletion match between Sammy Guevara and Matt Hardy. During the match, Helms noted that Hardy had waited 2 years to rescue him and was later dunked into the Lake of Reincarnation.
In WWE, Helms is a former European Champion (1x), Hardcore Champion (1x), Cruiserweight Champion (2x), and twice held the World Tag Team Championships, once with Kane and another time with Rosey. He is a former WCW Hardcore and Cruiserweight Champion as well, having held each title once.
Helms also holds the distinction of having defeated the Rock in singles competition. They met on the March 10th, 2003 edition of Monday Night RAW in a no disqualification match. Highlights of that match are available in the player below:
AEW has released new rankings for each of its divisions ahead of tonight’s episode of Dynamite.
Men’s Singles Rankings
AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (21-0) TNT Champion: Darby Allin (14-5)
Kenny Omega (7-0)
Maxwell Jacob Friedman (10-1)
Cody Rhodes (20-3-1)
Brian Cage (11-1)
Ricky Starks (13-2)
There was no movement in the mens singles rankings this week.
Next week, possibly the biggest match to take place in this division will air on Dynamite. #1 Kenny Omega will challenge champion Jon Moxley for the belt.
#2 Maxwell Jacob Friedman is currently involved in an angle with his stablemates in the Inner Circle. #3 Cody Rhodes looks to be headed into a feud with Shaquille O’Neal. #4 Brian Cage and #5 Ricky Starks might both be gunning for Darby Allin’s TNT Championship.
Women’s Singles Rankings
AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (20-1)
Big Swole (13-4)
Nyla Rose (12-3)
Serena Deeb (4-2) (+1)
Penelope Ford (11-5) (-1)
Anna Jay (4-3)
An AEW Women’s Championship is booked for tonight. #5 Anna Jay will challenge Hikaru Shida for the belt.
#1 Big Swole picked up a win on Dark this week. #2 Nyla Rose hasn’t wrestled since Full Gear.
#3 Serena Deeb moves up one spot in the rankings this week after defeating Thunder Rosa to defend the NWA women’s title last week. #4 Penelope Ford drops one spot as a result.
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) (18-7)
The Natural Nightmares (Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall) (9-2)
Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) (13-5)
The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) (13-2)
There was no movement in the tag-team division this week but there are 3 big tag matches taking place on Dynamite tonight.
SCU will take on Jake Hager and Chris Jericho. PAC and Rey Fenix will take on the Butcher and the Blade. Also, Top Flight returns to take on the Hybrid 2.
