New tag-team champions and a new Knockouts champion were crowned at Impact’s Turning Point event last night. The show was exclusive to Impact’s streaming service, Impact Plus. Additionally, former AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, Joe Doering returned to the promotion.
The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) defeated The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page) to win the Impact tag-team titles. They are the 37th team to win the titles and begin the 55th reign in the titles’ lineage. The Good Brothers have now won the WWE RAW tag-team titles (2x), the IWGP heavyweight tag-team titles (3x), and Impact’s tag titles once.
The win ends the North’s 2nd reign with the belts. Their first reign lasted a record of 380 days. The team’s second reign lasted only 3 weeks. The North’s combined 401 days with the title rank them 4th all-time in combined days as champions. They sit behind only LAX, Beer Money, and the Wolves in that category.
Deonna Purrazzo regained the Impact Knockouts Championship at Turning Point. She defeated Su Yung in a no disqualification match for the honors. Purrazzo also debuted a new piledriver finishing move she calls the “Cosa Nostra”. Yung had defeated Purrazzo for the title at Bound For Glory.
Purrazzo was the 24th Knockouts Champion when she first won the title. She is the 14th wrestler to win the title more than once.
AEW has booked an NWA Women’s Championship rematch between Serena Deeb and Thunder Rosa for AEW Dynamite next week. Deeb recently defeated Rosa for the title on a UWN show and then successfully defended it against Allysin Kay on the AEW Full Gear Buy-In show. Following the title defense, Rosa appeared on the ramp and appeared to challenged Deeb for a rematch.
Thunder Rosa recently confirmed that she is under contract with the NWA through 2021. She also spoke about the developing relationship between the NWA and AEW during a recent interview.
“The working relationship is there, I’m returning, I wasn’t expecting to return so quickly. Yes, I think Billy [Corgan] and Tony [Khan] have been talking. They are very happy with my performance so far,” Rosa said to Sportskeeda. “I hope, knock on wood, it continues. It’s going well for me. We are putting NWA name on a broader platform, which is the goal at the end of the day.”
Rosa is also booked on Dark this week to face the winner of Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport women’s tournament, Lindsay Snow (making her AEW debut).
Meanwhile, AEW announced they had signed Serena Deeb to a contract back in September. Deeb had been a trainer at the WWE Performance Center before being furloughed and eventually released this spring.
Chelsea Green wrestled her first match since May on last night’s Smackdown. She suffered a broken left wrist in the match and has since undergone surgery for the injury.
Green took to Twitter to comment on her injury:
Just like the rest of my career, I couldn’t have an easy debut! LOL, that just wouldn’t be fit for my wild journey. I’m headed into surgery now. I am beyond devastated but so excited to be a part of @WWE team SmackDown, when I get back! ?
“During Friday’s Fatal 4-Way Match for the opportunity to qualify for the SmackDown Women’s Survivor Series team, Chelsea Green suffered a broken left wrist,” reads a WWE.com update. “Chelsea was taken to a local medical facility for further evaluation.”
According to a report from Fightful, Green was scheduled to win the fatal 4-way match on Smackdown last night. This would have qualified her for the Smackdown women’s Survivor Series team. Instead, Liv Morgan pinned Tamina in the match and will perform on the PPV in Green’s place.
This was Chelsea’s first match since May. She had previously been on the NXT brand but fired her manager, Robert Stone, before it was rumoured she was due to be called up to the main roster. Plans evidently changed and her debut was pushed back.
Green is a graduate of Lance Storm’s Storm Wrestling Academy and is also a former Knockouts Champion with Impact Wrestling.
Recently in AEW, Kenny Omega has been given long introductions before making his way to the ring. These ring intros include a listing of his many accomplishments and nicknames but also some strange references to the state of North Carolina.
According to Omega himself, the references to North Carolina are an homage to the starting lineup introductions for the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls. Fans would always cheer loudly when the PA announcer would say “From North Carolina, at guard, 6ft 6, Michael Jordan!”
Jordan played college ball in North Carolina and spent much of his childhood in Wilmington, NC.
Lance Storm asked about the references to North Carolina recently on Twitter and Omega responded.
Hate to share industry secrets but it’s a tribute to the Chicago Bulls and how they treated Michael Jordan making his entrance.
Kenny Omega Inducted Into Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame
Additionally, Kenny Omega was recently selected for induction in the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame. Omega also responded to this news on Twitter recently.
“I’m not even sure what to say. To be amongst those that have done so much for our sport is incredibly humbling. With however many years I have left as an active performer, I’ll keep trying my best to contribute something positive to the world of Pro Wrestling,” Omega Tweeted.
Kylie Rae was scheduled to wrestle Deonna Purrazzo for the Impact Knockouts Championship at Bound For Glory. She did not appear on the show, however. While many details of the situation are being kept private, Kylie would later announce on Patreon that she is no longer a professional wrestler.
According to a recent update from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Kylie had been scheduled to defeat Purrazzo for the title. She was also expected to begin portraying a Marvel character as part of AAA’s new deal with the company.
“She was also going to be one of the two women playing Marvel characters in AAA which was going to be a high-profile mainstream spot, with lots of merchandise in Mexico and the possibility of it opening up in the U.S. as well,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Kylie released the following statement to her Patreon subscribers earlier this month:
“I’m truly sorry for the pain I’ve caused and miscommunication, I am currently unwell. I’m also sorry that I wasn’t able to get this out before your monthly subscription charge.”
“I wanted to take this time to say I am no longer a professional wrestler and am currently taking a break from social media. It’s been a very hard decision to make but please understand. When I am well, I will try to fulfill any obligations that have missed.”
Kylie has not been released from her contract with Impact Wrestling. Although Kylie has stated she is no longer a wrestler, the door has been left open for her if she decides to return.
A new episode of the Mandalorian is currently available on Disney+ and Sasha Banks’ character makes her first appearance. Her performance on the show is credited under her real-name of Mercedes Varnado.
Banks has been posting to Twitter today in recognition of her character’s first appearance on the show.
“The Mandalorian braves high seas and meets unexpected allies,” reads a description for the episode.
Banks spoke to Digital Spy earlier this month about the role.
“I am just beyond extreme blessed. I cannot believe that I am in two of the biggest universes in the whole world, with WWE and the Star Wars universe,” Banks said. “I’m just like so in shock. I can’t believe it.”
“I act every single week on Friday Night Smackdown,” Sasha continued. “So I love performing and I love entertaining. So wherever that takes me, then that’s where I want to be.”
In September, Banks appeared in the trailer for the new season of the show. She appeared in a long robe that led to some speculation she could be portraying a Jedi character.
AEW presented Full Gear from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida last weekend. The show was the 4th and final PPV event for the company in 2020. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the show’s buyrate was consistent with what the company has done for previous shows.
“It looks to have done about the same as All Out in September and Revolution in February,” wrote Dave Meltzer. Those events both hovered around 100,000 buys.
Most AEW PPVs hover around 100,000 buys, with the only exception being May’s Double or Nothing 2020 event. That show featured the Stadium Stampede match pitting the Elite and Matt Hardy against the Inner Circle. It is estimated to have done 115,00 to 120,000 buys on PPV. This was just two months into the pandemic and at the time, PPV numbers were up for the UFC as well.
AEW’s Full Gear 2020 is projected to be around the same or slightly above what Full Gear 2019 is said to have done. That event is believed to have gotten around 100,000 buys or slightly lower.
AEW PPV Buyrate estimates:
Double or Nothing 2019 – approximately 100,000 buys.
All Out 2019 – approximately 100,000 buys.
Full Gear 2019 – approximately 100,000 buys or slightly lower.
Revolution 2020 – approximately 100,000 buys.
Double or Nothing 2020 – approximately 115,000 – 120,000 buys.
Levis Valenzuela Jr, better known to wrestling fans as No Way Jose, was signed to WWE in 2015. The following year, he began portraying the No Way Jose character in NXT. He’d take the act to the main roster in 2018 but failed to make a big impact on the RAW brand. He was released along with many others in April.
According to a report from Fightful, however, WWE has interest in re-signing the 32-year-old. It is not altogether clear if he would be coming back under his old gimmick.
WWE recently filed to trademark the name “The Way” as well, leading to some speculation it could be related to Valenzuela’s return.
Shortly after being released, No Way Jose began taking indy bookings under the name Levy Valenz.
He’s only wrestled one match on record since leaving WWE. That occurred in August when he appeared on a Lariato Pro show in Georgia. He teamed with Doc Gallows on the card and they defeated the team of Air Paris & Aleksandr Koloff. His last match in WWE was on April 13th when he dropped a match to Bobby Lashley on RAW.
It happened. FTR wrestled the Young Bucks and now, many wrestling fans are rejoicing. The match that was years in the making took place at AEW Full Gear. The Young Bucks defeated FTR and won the AEW World Tag Team Championships for the first time.
Dax Harwood released a statement regarding the match. He posted the following to Twitter:
“The emotions of Saturday night have finally settled down. Thank you to everyone for the praise & admiration of this match. The texts and calls I’ve received from guys and girls who are considered the best in this business will never be forgotten. We poured every bit of passion, intensity, & fire we could muster up from the bottom of our soul to find out who was the best.”
“I had many sleepless nights because of this one match. The moment in time that our hands would be raised and we’d be called the greatest tag team of this generation actually scared me. What if we didn’t deliver on our behalf?! What if this one match completely tainted our legacy?! Money’s cool. Fame is cool. A legacy lasts forever.”
“Will it go down as one of the greatest tag matches in US wrestling history? I don’t know. My only hope is that we made you FEEL. I don’t care about the stars or the ratings. For 36 years, professional wrestling has made me FEEL. I still FEEL! With everything I have, I LOVE this sport. I’m happy this match could for you what many others did for me.”
“Young Bucks, I hope there’s a round 2. Top Guys, out.”
Peyton Royce and Billie Kay lost a match this summer to the Riott Squad that carried the stipulation that the losing team had to disband. Just like that, the former WWE Women’s tag-team champions were split up.
On RAW lately, Peyton Royce has been teaming with Lacey Evans. When WWE sent out a Tweet asking fans to give the pair a name, however, Royce responded that they were not a team. She added in that she would only ever form a team with Billie Kay.
Here is what Royce said on Twitter:
We are not a team.
I will only be in a tag team if it’s with Billie Kay. That’s it. The end. I’m dead serious.
“We are not a team. I will only be in a tag team if it’s with Billie Kay. That’s it. The end. I’m dead serious.”
She continued to say that her and Billie Kay can re-form their team once they have accomplished enough as singles competitors.
“The IIconics can return in years after we have both challenged ourselves & made exponential growth as singles competitors,” Peyton followed up with.
The Iiconics won the WWE Women’s tag-team titles at WrestleMania 35. They won a 4-way match and won the titles away from Sasha Banks and Bayley. They held the belts for 120 days before dropping them to Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross.
The Bella Twins believe they have one more WWE run left in them. The 36-year-olds were recently interviewed by Michael Lopez on Access and said that the WWE Women’s tag-team titles serve as motivation for them to get back in the ring.
“When we left, all of the sudden the WWE Women’s Tag Titles came, and we’re like, ‘Wait a sec, that’s for the Bella Twins.’ Like, we’ve been dying to have tag titles, and so her and I feel like we have one more run in us, and we really want to go for those tag titles,” Brie Bella said during the interview.
This isn’t the first time the Bella Twins have expressed interest in going after the tag belts. They replied to a WWE post on Twitter regarding current tag champs, Shayna Bazler and Nia Jax.
While the twins have never held tag-team gold, they are each former Divas Champions. Brie held the title once while Nikki had two reigns with the belt. Nikki’s 307 combined days with the title is second only to AJ Lee’s 406 combined days with that particular championship.
Last night on Impact Wrestling, it was revealed that the Rascalz (Trey Miguel, Zachary Wentz, & Dezmond Xavier) are leaving the company. In storyline, the trio received an eviction notice after it was revealed they had not paid rent on their treehouse in 2 years.
The trio is actually done with Impact Wrestling. They are said to be leaving on good terms and finished up at the last set of TV tapings. On next week’s episode of Impact, Dez and Wentz will team against Rich Swann and Trey Miguel. The Rascalz are not booked to be at Turning Point on Saturday.
In addition to performing for Impact Wrestling, the Rascalz have teamed together for promotions such as CZW and PWG. Dez and Wentz are 2x CZW tag champions and 1x PWG champions.
The Rascalz came out to save Rich Swann from an attack by Sami Callihan last night on Impact. Callihan was going to hit Swann with a baseball bat before the trio made the save. Later in the back, Swann would book the tag match for next week which will be the final episode for the Rascalz.
According to a report at WrestlingInc, the Rascalz have a ‘standing offer’ from WWE and are expected to join the company soon.
John E Bravo continues to be in a medically induced coma but don’t worry, Tommy Dreamer has a Sherlock Holmes hat and is dedicated to solving the case. This week, Dreamer hooked several suspects up to a lie detector.
Dreamer went through interviews with Larry D and Cody Deaner before an interesting session with Father James Mitchell. The Sinister Minister stated that he didn’t shoot Bravo, but he thinks he knows who did. Havok was then brought in to Dreamer’s interrogation room but she pointed the finger at Rosemary instead. The segment ended before we could hear Havok’s full interview with Dreamer.
The Good Brothers and The North Battle Ahead of Turning Point Title Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je8oAM74pgM
Karl Anderson met Josh Alexander in the main event this week. At Turning Point, however, the stakes will be much bigger. The finish of the match came when Alexander had just fended off the Gun Stun by Anderson and Page jumped in the ring and caused the disqualification.
Doc Gallows got in the ring as well and the two teams brawled ahead of their title match on Saturday. Officials from the back had to come out and separate the teams as the show came to an end.
The Rascalz Are Leaving Impact Wrestling
The Rascalz received an eviction notice this week. Evidently, the trio hasn’t paid rent on their treehouse in years. This was clarified to mean that the Rascalz are actually leaving Impact Wrestling. They have to be gone after next week.
Later in the show, the trio rescued Rich Swann from an attack by Sami Callihan, Ken Shamrock, and Chris Bey. In the back, Swann and the Rascalz decided to send the team out in style. It was agreed that Swann would team with Trey Miguel in a tag match against Dez and Wentz next week in the Rascalz final match for Impact.
Tenille Dashwood & Madison Rayne Have Trouble Working As A Team
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ0NP6Jz-fc
Last week on an episode of Madison Rayne’s “Locker Room Talk”, Tenille Dashwood and Rayne agreed to try being a tag-team. Things didn’t work out well in their first match this week, however.
Rayne was initially hesitant to get in the ring after Dashwood tagged her. Turns out she was right to be worried as Havok and Nevaeh made pretty short work of her. Havok pinned the former multi-time Knockouts champion after a tombstone piledriver.
Havok and Neveah look prepared for the start of the Knockouts tag title tournament. Rayne and Dashwood not so much.
Rohit Raju Retains Over TJP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8813A7rj-DE
The stipulation heading into this week’s title match was that if TJP doesn’t win the title, he’s not able to challenge again while Raju is champion. Raju, like he often does, resorted to underhanded tactics to score the victory. With the ref out of position, Raju hit a low blow followed by a running knee to the head for the win. Now TJP will be unable to challenge for the title again until someone other than Raju is champion.
Raju will once again hold his “Defeat Rohit” challenge at Turning Point on Saturday.
Chris Sabin Recruits James Storm To Be His Partner At Turning Point
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDwCBgcd1Lw
Chris Sabin was able to use his speed and technical precision to defeat the much larger Acey Romero this week. Sabin is without his partner Alex Shelley at the moment, who is out with injury. After Sabin won the match, Larry D attacked him from behind and Team XXXL stood tall over him to end the segment.
Later in the show, Chris Sabin offered James Storm a beer to be his partner at Turning Point.
A highly skilled young blue-chipper versus a highly-skilled veteran in this match. Commentary noted that Bey will be competing in the Super J-Cup next month for NJPW and also mentioned Don Callis’ appearance at AEW Full Gear.
Edwards picked up the victory when he countered Bey’s springboard cutter into a pinning combination for the win.
After the match, it looked like Bey and Edwards were going to continue the fight but Sami Callihan came out to attack Edwards. This brought out Rich Swann for the save but then Ken Shamrock came out for the heel contingent and Bey got back into things as well. Then the Rascalz came out to save the babyfaces just as Callihan was going to hit Swann with a baseball bat.
Upcoming Matches In Impact Wrestling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lInLyhLmKUI
Here are the matches scheduled for Turning Point on Saturday:
Moose vs Willie Mack
Eddie Edwards vs Daivari
Brian Myers vs Swoggle
Tenille Dashwood & Jordynne Grace vs Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary
Defeat Rohit Challenge
Impact Tag Team Championships
The North (c) vs the Good Brothers
Knockouts Championship No DQ Su Yung (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo
Impact World Championship Rich Swann (c) vs Sami Callihan
These matches are scheduled for next week’s episode:
AEW has released new top-5 rankings ahead of tonight’s episode of Dynamite. Kenny Omega is now the top-ranked contender in the men’s singles division and Big Swole has moved up to the top spot in the women’s rankings.
AEW Men’s Singles Division
AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (21-0) TNT Champion: Darby Allin (14-5)
Kenny Omega (7-0) (previously unranked)
MJF (10-1)
Cody Rhodes (20-3-1) (previously TNT Champion)
Brian Cage (10-1) (-3)
Ricky Starks (12-2) (previously unranked)
The men’s singles rankings were almost completely overhauled based on the results of AEW Full Gear. TNT Champion Darby Allin’s victory at Full Gear bumps Cody Rhodes to the #3 spot.
#1 Kenny Omega shoots to the top-ranked position after winning the title-eliminator tournament.
#2 MJF maintains his rankings this week after defeating the unranked Chris Jericho at AEW Full Gear.
#4 Brian Cage drops several spots after not competing at Full Gear. His “Team Taz” teammate Rick Starks sits just underneath him at #5. Both Starks and Cage might be interested in challenging for Darby Allin’s TNT title soon.
AEW Women’s Division
AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (20-1)
Big Swole (11-4) (+3)
Nyla Rose (12-3) (-1)
Penelope Ford (9-5) (-1)
Serena Deeb (3-2) (Previously Unranked)
Dr. Britt Baker (6-6)
Champion Hikaru Shida defeated top-contender Nyla Rose at Full Gear. The loss for Rose drops her to the #2 spot in the rankings.
#1 Big Swole jumped several spots in the rankings this week. She picked up a win on Dark but also benefits from losses by Rose and inactivity from others in the division.
NWA Women’s Champion Serena Deeb debuts in the rankings. She defeated free agent Allysin Kay at Full Gear. It seems Thunder Rosa may want to run things back with Deeb again sometime soon, however.
#3 Penelope Ford drops one spot, mainly due to inactivity.
#5 Britt Baker stays put in the rankings.
AEW Tag Team Division
AEW Tag Team Champions: Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) (10-3)
The Young Bucks are the new AEW Tag Team Champions. The loss for FTR drops them to the #1 ranked spot in the division.
The only other movement in the rankings this week saw Jurassic Express and the Butcher and the Blade switch spots. Jurassic Express has picked up 3 straight wins on Dark.
Lance Archer is currently the #3 ranked wrestler in AEW’s men’s singles division. So far, his only losses in the promotion have been to Cody Rhodes and Jon Moxley. He spoke with Chris Van Vliet recently and talked about his “Everybody Dies” gimmick as well as what led to him signing with AEW.
“There’s kind of that underlying meaning to the phrase ‘Everybody Dies’ that’s like everybody’s career ends at some point. I’ve been lucky and blessed over 20 years now and still going strong and at a top level with a top company in the business of professional wrestling but at some point, it will come to an end. I don’t know when and I don’t plan on it being any time soon,” Archer said on the show.
Lance Archer On Signing With AEW
The Murderhawk was also asked about what led to his signing with AEW last year.
“It was December of 2019 when I had just finished up the New Japan Tag League tour literally two days prior and AEW came to town to Dallas, Texas so I went there just to see some friends and whatnot because there’s a lot of people that I’ve been around the business with and become really good friends with. That was kind of where the seed was planted because people were asking what my situation was. And at that time, my situation with New Japan was that I did not have a full-time contract.”
Archer continued to say that his deal with NJPW was tour by tour and that he had done that for over 8 years. He also expressed he feels quite fortunate with all the places he’s gotten to wrestle throughout his career.
“I’ve worked in a lot of different places from TNA to WWE for a short cup of coffee, I showed up in Ring of Honor a few times, I worked down in Mexico with AAA and different places like that. So I’ve bounced around and been a journeyman to say the least.”
Priscilla Kelly and Darby Allin were married in November of 2018. In August, Kelly announced on Twitter that the couple was going through a divorce. Kelly noted at the time that they were not on bad terms and wished the best for each other. She appears to be happy for Darby’s recent success at AEW Full Gear, where he defeated Cody Rhodes for the TNT Championship.
She took to Twitter to congratulate Allin on the win:
It’s crazy watching someone start from barely having money to eat to taking over the world. No one deserves it more, and I’m super proud to have been there to watch him grow over the years into who he is as a performer today.
“The last few months have been extremely difficult, and there’s been a lot of questions. Not only due to Covid and the loss of work for myself, but also due to the fact that Darby and I have been going through a divorce.”
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs, but we have come to the conclusion that we are just not compatible together as people. We are on great terms, and wish only the best for each other. There are no hard feelings, as we both understand this is what is best. I know a lot of you have supported us for a long time as a duo, and we appreciate it so much, but this decision is what’s best for both of us and our wellbeing. I hope to see him continue his rise in the entertainment industry and take the world by storm as he already is. As for me, it’s time to begin a new chapter.”
With the NBA set to return on December 22nd and the Orlando Magic set to return to the Amway Center, WWE has reportedly been given a date that they must move out of the venue by. According to comments made by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, other nearby venues are being discussed as the new home for RAW and Smackdown broadcasts.
“The contract is through whatever it is, like November 24th but I think that they’ve been given like 2 more weeks and then they’ve got to go because the Amway Center has got to get ready for the Orlando Magic games,” Dave Meltzer said. “They have been given like an out date, I think it’s right around December 4th.”
Meltzer then continued to say he has heard that Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg is an option. The Tampa Bay Rays play their home games there. Although it is called a “field” the venue is actually indoors and does not have a retractable roof.
“I don’t know where they are going. Believe it or not, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg has been talked about, which is a baseball stadium. I don’t know how you run that every week,” Meltzer continued.
Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows signed with Impact Wrestling earlier this summer. There are also rumors that the pair will head back to Japan for NJPW when the world opens back up. They are 3x IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions in the promotion.
Recently, NJPW announced that Impact’s Chris Bey will be part of the J-Cup tournament. Historically, the tournament has always involved lighter weight champions from other promotions but Rocky Romero believes Bey’s involvement will help rebuild a better relationship between the two companies.
“I think it’s just him being involved is obviously important to rebuilding a relationship with IMPACT! and New Japan. I’ve gotta say, like you said with the Full Keg special being a part of it was a big deal. Even IMPACT! being so cool with shouting out New Japan Strong and New Japan World on the special as well. I think it’s just little steps here and there. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future obviously, but I think it’s definitely moving in the right direction. They’re definitely are more friendly than they have been for a very long time. That’s for certain. I think it’s a testament to the Good Brothers and their relationship with both companies and how they’re so important for both companies and the respect is deep there. I think they have a lot to do with it as well,” Romero said to Fightful.
Karl Anderson On Impact & NJPW Relationship
Karl Anderson also spoke about repairing the relationship between Impact and NJPW during the interview. In particular, Anderson noted that he believes the two companies will be working with each other by the summer.
“I think all that’s going to be repaired as well. Because there’s a whole new regime at IMPACT! right now. I think us moonwalking into IMPACT! and being so close with the higher-ups there and then with Rock working with us and us being close with the higher-ups in New Japan as well. We’re all working really hard to repair everything. I think by the summer 2021, there’s going to be a lot of big shit that’s happened by then. Especially once we can get the world opened back up. It’s a game-changer,” Anderson said.
Anderson will team with Doc Gallows tonight on Impact to challenge the North for the promotion’s tag-team championships.
Cody Rhodes says he plans to retire from in-ring action in 5 years when he’ll be 40-years-old. In a recent interview with the Bleacher Report, Rhodes stated that he has political aspirations which could include running for the Senate in his home state of Georgia.
“I have a ton of desire to do more acting so long as it doesn’t conflict with my job here,” Rhodes said. “I’m 35, and I said I only wanted to wrestle for five more years. I have political aspirations. I would love to run for the Senate in the great state of Georgia. I want to help with the sphere of influence I have created. I always say if you do the work, it will pay off. That is why I love Brandi. She is so incredibly hardworking, and we have to remind each other to be present often, but when we are it’s very special.”
Rhodes recently lost the TNT Championship at AEW Full Gear to Darby Allin. He recently regained the ability to use the in-ring last name of “Rhodes” after a trademark battle with WWE. The 35-year-old had been wrestling as just Cody since leaving Vince McMahon’s company in 2016.
Longtime WWE employee and ring announcer Tony Chimel has reportedly been released by the company. According to a report from PW Insider, WWE has released as many as 10-15 employees today including Chimel. The exact number of releases is not known, however. The releases are said to be mostly logistical and behind the scenes staff.
Tony Chimel had been with the company for nearly 30 years, having started in 1991. He was originally hired to work backstage but eventually became a full-time ring announcer as well. He became the first-ever announcer for the Smackdown brand upon the show’s debut. In recent years, Chimel had been working to supervise the ring crew as well as a production manager.
Additionally, one other notable name was released by WWE today. The Director of Venue Merchandise and Remote Operations, Derek Casselman, was also let go. As with Chimel, Casselman had been with the company since the early 1990s.
WWE’s layoffs today come on the heels of the company announcing strong profits for the 3rd quarter of 2020. The company reported total revenue for the period at $221.6 million, an increase of 19%, or $35 million.
“Our third quarter financial performance was strong and reflected our ongoing creativity in a challenging environment,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO. “We continue to adapt our business, as demonstrated by the creation of WWE ThunderDome, focusing on increasing audience interaction and engagement to support the value of our content globally.”
MLW returns after an 8-month hiatus on November 18th, 2020. That is when the first new episode of Fusion since the pandemic will air on YouTube and Fubo Sports. The promotion has booked Davey Boy Smith Jr. to challenge Jacob Fatu for the MLW World Championship on the show.
“This is a dream match we originally slated for Pay-Per-View this past summer and felt it was the perfect match to give the fans as a thank you for hanging tight and supporting us through #TheRestart,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer.
In storyline, Fatu’s Contra Unit took control of the promotion by raiding the corporate head offices. During the raid, Smith was left injured, apparently with a broken back. MLW has since revealed he has been cleared to compete. Smith also won last year’s Opera Cup tournament, making him a top-ranked wrestler in the promotion.
Fatu has held the MLW World Championship for a record 492 days at this point. Granted, much of the was during the pandemic period when the league wasn’t running. In total, 8 wrestlers have held the title. No wrestler has won the belt more than once.
MLW World Champions:
Satoshi Kojima (267 days) (7 title defenses)
Low Ki (205 days) (7 title defenses)
Jacob Fatu (492 days) (5 title defenses)
“Filthy” Tom Lawor (154 days) (3 title defenses)
Steve Corino (235 days) (2 title defenses)
Shane “Swerve” Strickland (91 days) (1 title defense)
Gangrel and The Hurricane both appeared in the Elite Deletion match at AEW Full Gear. During the post-event media scrum, Tony Khan was asked about their involvement and what could be next for them in the promotion.
“I’m not sure, you know, you never know. To be honest, I don’t have either of them booked on anything in the next loop or in the immediate future but I’m also really open to both of them coming back.”
“I was at the compound for the Deletion producing the match and I spent time with both guys. I’ve known Shane for awhile and I had never met Gangrel before and I really enjoyed spending time with both guys and I’d love to see both of them come back at some point, I think that’d be a lot of fun.”
Impact Wrestling EVP Don Callis was also on the show. He provided commentary during the Kenny Omega vs Hangman Page match. Callis and Omega go way back and are both from Winnipeg. Khan addressed Callis’ role at Full Gear as well during the post-event media scrum.
“It was definitely something I did for Kenny and I put it together with Impact and agreed for Don to come, he’s an executive there. I’d love to have Don back in the future and I’m open to working with people. I think we’ve demonstrated multiple times that AEW is probably the most friendly major company, definitely right now.”
WWE recently abandoned its request to renew its trademark of the name “Cody Rhodes”. Cody recently dropped his attempt to trademark several WCW PPV names as well, including “Slamboree”.
According to information publicly available on the US Patent and Trademark Office website, WWE filed to trademark several WCW PPV names recently including those Cody had been attempting to obtain.
WWE filed to trademark the following terms on November 3rd:
Slamboree
The Match Beyond
Bunkhouse Stampede
BattleBowl
Superbrawl
Bash at the Beach
WWE and Cody File To Trademark Similar Terms
WWE filed to trademark the term “Slamboree” just one day after abandoning its request to trademark “Cody Rhodes” on November 2nd. Cody had also recently abandoned his trademark filing for “The Match Beyond”. WWE then filed to trademark that same term on November 3rd.
WWE filed for “Bunkhouse Stampede” on November 3rd as well. There is no record of Cody having attempted to trademark that term.
WWE filed to trademark the term “BattleBowl” on November 3rd. Cody had attempted to trademark this term all the way back in March 2019.
Cody abandoned his attempt to trademark the “Superbrawl” name on October 30th. WWE then filed to trademark the name on November 3rd.
WWE filed on November 3rd to trademark the term “Bash at the Beach”. Cody had filed to trademark the term last year. AEW did hold some events last year under the Bash at the Beach moniker.
Based on the timing of these filings, it appears some deal between WWE and Cody Rhodes has been worked out.
As Alberto Del Rio awaits trial for assault and kidnapping charges, his ex-fiance Paige has opened up about physical abuse she suffered at his hands. The two were engaged in 2016 but later split in 2017.
Paige was a guest on “Grown Ass Women” with Mickie James, Lisa Marie Varon, and SoCal Val when she spoke about what she endured.
“I’ve never openly talked about my ex, which is very out there, it’s out there but I’ve never talked about it,” Paige said. “It was very obvious what was happening, it is very obvious what I went through and all that kind of stuff.”
She spoke about the cycle of abuse she suffered.
“In the end, it becomes a cycle. Eventually, something is happening to you every day,” Paige said. “You could be trapped in a room for 6-7 hours, getting your ass beat every couple of minutes. And he’s doing all these crazy things to you.”
“I never thought that I’d be put in that position in my life, just cause of the way I was brought up,” Paige continued. “It happens to even the most strongest people and you should never feel bad about it.”
Paige continued to allude to the abuse she suffered, although she never mentioned her ex by name.
“I’ll never say his name again, because he’s like Voldemort to me,” she continued. “Karma’s what’s happened to him and karma’s a real thing. And you put out what you receive, and right now he’s receiving it.”
Eddie Kingston will face Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship at Full Gear on Saturday. Before the big card, Kingston spoke with NY Post about contemplating retirement in 2019. He said he decided against it due to wanting to make his niece and nephew proud.
“I believe God sent my niece and nephew to me not to stop wrestling because he knew good things were gonna happen,” said Kingston.
Things were particularly difficult for Kingston back in March as well. With no independent wrestling shows taking place, he was forced to sell some of his belongings in order to make the mortgage payments on his place in Orlando.
“I think probably another month I would have sold the house and moved back to New York and back to my parents’ place until I could get a regular job and, you know, get my own apartment,” he continued.
Then in July, Kingston wrestled Cody in a match for the TNT title. His promo and match that night impressed AEW enough to sign him to a contract. Signing with AEW after having had many ups and downs in his career took an emotional toll on him.
“I just started crying in the car,” Kingston said. “I didn’t understand why I was crying and my girlfriend was just like, ‘Let it go, let it out because you reached a goal. You did it.’ I was like, damn. I was gonna be broke and homeless and back living with my parents. It hit me then. I just started bawling in the car and apologizing for crying. That whole New York tough guy thing, I can’t let anyone see me cry.”
Kingston continued to talk about the storyline between him and Moxley, noting that much of what he has said in his promos about their history is true.
“We were at a bar in Philadelphia after one of his last shows [with Chikara] and I was so happy for him and I was giving him hugs,” Kingston said. “I was like, ‘Good for you, man. You get to buy your mom a house.’ I was so happy for him. And he’s like, ‘Hey Eddie, the inmates are gonna run the asylum.’ I’ll never forget that. And what happened? Nothing, nothing.”
