AEW Dynamite is 1-year old. One thing Cody Rhodes promises will be different about the 2nd year of Dynamite is that he’s going to talk less. He spoke to USA Today recently about this and other topics.
“As an executive, in the first year I spoke way too much,” Cody said. He would contiue to say that he tried to give AEW an identity in the media.
“I wanted to really promote the brand, I wanted to pound the pavement, but in speaking I kind of confined our product. I tried to give an identity to a product (when the) identity is evolving, its identity is growing,” Cody continued.
Cody Rhodes On AEW’s Identity Evolving
He would continue to say that AEW will have a different identity over the next year.
“AEW is going to have a different identity in Year One than it has in Year Two, and we want that identity and that flavor profile to improve. But to say it’s one thing would be incorrect because wrestling is something that there’s no one specific way to do it right. There’s many different ways to do it right.”
Cody then talked about some of what he said being taken out of context. These comments then seemed to drive tension between AEW and WWE fans.
“I spoke too much as an executive in my efforts to promote the brand and a lot of this kind of click-bait journalism (followed) in areas where what I said was taken out of context and might have rubbed people the wrong way or might have created more tension between an NXT fan and an AEW fan. A little less talk from me, a little more action, is one of my goals (going forward).”
Matt Hardy has launched a new web series. The first episode of “The Multiverse of Matt Hardy” released on his official YouTube channel yesterday.
“In his brand new web series, Matt Hardy attempts to learn how to balance his normal, everyday life with all of the multiple identities inside of him,” reads a description of the show.
Hardy released a teaser for the web series on Twitter recently.
FINALLY, TOMORROW AT NOON – The first episode of my brand new web series, "The #MULTIVERSE of Matt Hardy" debuts. Get ready to see all of me and meet The New ME! Here's a teaser for tomorrow's 12pm est premiere at https://t.co/diOoGWufsYpic.twitter.com/7isvKKjdtc
The 6-minute video focusses on Hardy’s life at the Hardy Family Compound in North Carolina. He wrestles his kids and even teaches them some promo skills as well. Hardy goes through several of his personas throughout the video.
Injuries From Sammy Guevara Feud
Hardy has yet to wrestle since his match against Sammy Guevara at All Out 2020. That match was briefly stopped shortly after Hardy appeared to be knocked out after falling off a lift through a table.
Hardy was also injured via chairshot from Guevara leading up to the PPV match.
“I was really lucky I wasn’t concussed badly,” Hardy admitted about the chairshot. “I was able to hit the chair a little bit and slowed it down. If I wasn’t able to slow it down, I’m sure it would have knocked me completely unconscious. But even knocking it down and slowing it down, it still split me open.”
Joey Ryan was part of a short-lived faction called “Cancel Culture” in Impact Wrestling. Not long after the faction started, Ryan was the subject of a series of allegations as part of the #SpeakingOut movement online.
Ryan has since reportedly filed lawsuits against some of his accusers. According to a report from Pwinsider, Ryan has also filed a lawsuit against Impact Wrestling as well.
Ryan is stating that Impact failed to live up to their side of the contract which committed to him until 2021. He seeking $10 million. The lawsuit was filed last month in Nashville.
Ryan alluded to possibly taking legal action against his former employer in a YouTube video released in July.
Contract Dispute
In Ryan’s lawsuit, part of his Impact contract is attached. Sections of his contract note possible reasons he could be released from the company. Below are some reasons Ryan could be released from Impact according to documents obtained by PW Insider:
“(g) Wrestler commits any act with Promoter believes, in its reasonable business judgment, would damage Wrestler’s or Promoter’s reputation.”
“(h) Wrestler commits any act (other than in character in accordance with direction provided to Wrestler by Promoter’s Creative team) which places or could place Wrestler or Promoter (or any of its affiliates) in a patently negative light; or
(i) Any instance of a violation for which Wrestler has already received a warning, reprimand or notification therof, provided, however, that in the case of a breach under paragraphs (a), (b), (f), (g),or (h), Promoter shall provide Wrestler with written notice of breach and a 5 day cure period.”
Section (i) seems to imply Impact needed to give him written notice and time to defend himself if they felt he breached sections (G) or (H). Ryan also noted in a YouTube video this July that he didn’t feel the company could fire him for allegations that allegedly took place before he signed with the company as well.
Denying Allegations
Ryan has also denied that he is guilty of any of the allegations against him. He had the following to say on the video he released in July:
“I have never had sex with a woman without her consent. I have never acted criminally towards a woman and I have never acted criminally with sex. And unlike these allegations, I have actual evidence that can show you that,” Ryan said.
The lawsuit was filed in Nashville on September 15th and Impact was served on September 24th.
Lars Sullivan returned to WWE Friday night on Smackdown. He also appeared on RAW last night and attacked the Miz and John Morrison. Sullivan will face Jeff Hardy in singles action on this coming edition of Smackdown as well.
According to comments made on Wrestling Observer Radio, there is a planned direction for Sullivan. Whether the company sticks to this direction or not might be another story but the plan is for Sullivan to eventually feud with Braun Strowman.
“Well, you knew that Lars Sullivan’s feud is not going to be with Miz and Morrison, they’re just there to get destroyed,” said Dave Meltzer.
“It’s Strowman in a year but not yet, they are on a different sides,” Meltzer continued to say about where Lars is going.
“There is, Braun Strowman in a year,” Meltzer then responded when Bryan Alvarez sounded skeptical that there is a plan. “I already know that.”
Alvarez then offered to bet Meltzer $50 on whether or not the feud actually happens. Currently, Strowman and Sullivan are on separate brands.
“There is a direction, there is always a direction. It’s just Vince wakes up and changes the direction, you know how that goes,” Meltzer continued.
Jey Uso will challenge Roman Reigns in an I Quit match at Hell in a Cell later this month. He sat down with Peter Rosenberg for ESPN’s Cheap Heat Podcast recently and spoke about the feud with his cousin and more.
Rosenberg asked Uso if he realized his feud with Roman would be a gigantic moment for his career.
“Yeah, hell yeah, man!” Uso said. “You know uce, when they come to you and they put you in that position, they running with you. It’s the #1 guy and whoever you’re feuding with that’s the #2. As of right now, I’m the #2. I knew, man, I knew!”
Uso was also asked about making the transition from tag-team to singles matches.
“It’s a dope transition, I think it’s a good transition to make at this point cause I’ll always revert back to the tag-team game, that’s my ish right there. I do like this singles competition, it’s really making me find out something about myself, uce, that I didn’t know that I could do.”
“Even all the outside stuff, social media, interviews, everything is getting real busy, man. Especially before Clash of Champions and after Clash fo Champions, ain’t no stopping this. If you seen that PPV you know damn well that this is the hottest thing in wrestling right now.”
The Hottest Angle In Wrestling
Uso continued to talk about why he feels his program with Reigns is the hottest thing in wrestling right now.
“We showing you real emotion, we showing you feeling. You can put the Fiend with Roman, you can put Seth Rollins with Roman, whoever, whatever, whatever top guy they got, put him with Roman, I guaran-damn-tee you, uce, they didn’t pull out emotion, they didn’t pull out real feeling, they didn’t pull out storytelling the way me and uce did that thing.”
“Tell me you didn’t feel like you were watching a damn movie, you forgot you were watching wrestling,” he continued.
Uso then said he considers his work with Roman to be the best of his career.
“When I watched it back, I was watching that thing like I wasn’t in it. I was like ‘man, this is good, this is my best work.'”
“One and Done”
As the interview with Uso continued, he revealed that his angle with Roman was not supposed to continue past Clash of Champions.
“Nah, this was a one and done, supposed to be. They were like ‘this sh*t is fire right here, bro’.”
“I think I was just to get Roman to the next homie but man, you see the storytelling, this is real. The feeling’s right there, the promos right there. If you watch the match back, the match was basic, what grooved is the damn story and that is the main thing.”
Make It Real
Uso was also asked about his real-life relationship with Roman.
“From the sandbox, we met each other when we was like 4,” Usos said.
“We grew up all the way, elementary, middle school playing football, all the way through middle school.”
“Everyone knew we was part of a wrestling family but what protected us and gave us our own stripes, we were real good at football.”
“(Roman) was a high prospect, getting recruited by D1 colleges,” he continued.
He continued to talk about how they all watched wrestling growing up and would sometimes throw up the D-X crotch chop after sacks or tackles.
Anoa’i Wrestling Dynasty
Uso also talked about how when him and his brother first landed in WWE, they were matched up against the Hart Dynasty.
“When we first came in the game, it was legit the Hart Dynasty and then every other tag-team were two people that were put together.”
He continued to talk about working with the Hart Dynasty.
“Shout out to Davey and Tyson Kidd and Natalya. They taught us how to live on the road cause we were with them a whole lot doing the house shows.”
Dream Match
Rosenberg asked Jey about the possibility of his family being involved in multiple matches or angles at next year’s WrestleMania. He responded by naming his #1 dream match he wants to have before retiring.
“My number one match, uce, my dream match that I want to do before I ever hang the Air Force Ones up is wrestle my damn twin. One-on-damn-one on the biggest damn stage, WrestleMania.”
Uso then spoke about his family’s legacy in wrestling.
“I want to give a shout out to my family, we are the royal wrestling family. I know we got the Harts and we got the Armstrongs but man, the Anoa’i/Fatu family we the first family of WWE and that’s real talk, bro.”
Jon Moxley made his debut for Josh Burnett’s Bloodsport yesterday. The event was originally scheduled for April but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was part of The Collective series of independent wrestling events to take place this weekend in Indianapolis.
Moxley picked up the submission win over Chris Dickenson in the night’s main event. He transitioned from a rear-naked choke to a bulldog choke to get the win. He uses the same move in the movie Cagefighter: Worlds Collide, which was released on video-on-demand services recently.
Following the match, Moxley cut a promo asking fans to wear masks, social distance, and wash their hands.
MMA reporter, Marc Raimondi noted that Moxley was training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas for the bout. Moxley is also said to have done a full training camp before entering last summer’s G1 Climax tournament with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
AEW champ Jon Moxley has a shoot-style match this weekend against Chris Dickinson at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport. Think he’s going in cold? Nah. Moxley has been at Xtreme Couture working on catch-wrestling techniques this week with @gil_guardado and @Eric_XCMMA.
Former WWE Diva, Eva Marie, is reportedly on her way back to the promotion. Ms “All Red Everything” departed from the company in the summer of 2017. According to a report from Cultaholic, her return to WWE could come as soon as tonight episode of RAW.
Since leaving the company in 2017, Eva Marie has landed several film & television roles. She finished in 7th place on a season of Celebrity Big Brother which aired in 2019. Eva Marie also made her major motion picture debut in Nicolas Cage’s Inconceivable in 2017. She also plays the role of Sasha in the 2020 Bruce Willis film “Hard to Kill”.
So freaking pumped today is the day“HARD KILL” is now available on all your pay on demand streaming services!!! ????? I had such a blast playing my character Sasha and can’t wait for you guys to watch this bad boy! pic.twitter.com/InDWznOVP5
She also commented on her feud with Bayley recently Twitter.
.@itsBayleyWWE taught me so much about in ring performance, and always went above and beyond to show me the ropes. My matches with her were hands down my favorite! I would come back just to do a run with her! @wwe#AllRedEverything ? https://t.co/thQCxXp0of
Eva Marie first signed a developmental deal with WWE in 2013. She had her first professional match that summer at the SummerSlam Axxess event. She teamed with Brie Bella and lost to the team of Maria Menounos & Natalya.
2 former WWE Superstars are set to make their debut on the United Wrestling Network’s Prime Time Live card next week. In conjunction with the NWA, UWN hosts weekly PPVs on FITE TV from Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California.
Scheduled for this week’s upcoming show will be former WWE Superstars Chris Masters and Darren Young (Fred Rosser). They will face each other in singles competition.
Darren Young has also been wrestling on the NJPW Strong shows. Those cards air on New Japan World and are filmed from the promotion’s Los Angeles Dojo. Masters has been competing regularly on the independent circuit as of late.
Fans of the latest incarnation of the National Wrestling Alliance are hoping for a return of Powerrr. The promotion recently sent out a survey to fans via email, leading to speculation of a possible return shortly.
“We are currently talking about brining back POWERRR very soon, even if it means we can’t have fans in the stands because we just want to get back to work. But it’s nice to see our friend and former champion Tim Storm here. If anyone can lead us out of this, it’s a man or woman like him: who gives it all he or she’s got even when the chips are done. That sounds more grim than I mean it, ’cause yeah: still here, still kicking, and ready to get ready to rock…” Billy Corgan wrote recently.
Fans of Scott Hall’s are expressing concern today following a cancelled Meet & Greet yesterday. Hall was scheduled to take part in an online session with Dark Parlor Originals but was reportedly not in good enough shape to continue and management decided to end his session early.
Dark Parlor Originals’ Steve Ruiz had the following to say on live chat about the situation (via WrestlingNews.co).
“He was being difficult. They got a late start, Mike was trying to get through everyone’s orders in a timely manner but Hall kept having issues with every inscription or request and had issues with how rushed he felt. Influenced by meds or other substances. He was trying but he wasn’t in a mental state to push through so quickly with so many items in a 4 hour period while being streamed live. Nash could multi task, tell stories and crank out signatures.”
Fans online have been attempting to notify Hall’s friends about his condition.
Dark Parlor Originals then posted the following update this morning:
“Good Morning Guys! I know a lot of people are asking for updates from last nights signing. First, I want that thank everyone who reached out to check on us and to see how we are doing, having that support right now is tremendous and greatly appreciated.”
They then offered up an update on how Hall is doing.
“Scott is back home and is doing ok. I refuse to go into detail about exactly what’s going on or what happened to Scott. His health and safety is top priority and I’m not going to share personal details or information, that is not my business to discuss. I can discuss our business and how it relates to DPO.”
“We ended the feed soon after and everything has been deleted. Our intention was never to put Scott in a bad spot or in a negative situation to make him look bad,” the update continued.
Scott Hall has had numerous issues in the past with substance abuse. He appears to have turned his life around in recent years, most notably after spending time living with Diamond Dallas Page.
Everyone here at SEScoops wishes Scott all the best and hope he is doing well at this time.
Eddie Guerrero would have turned 53 on Friday. The 15-year anniversary of his death will be next month on Friday, November 13th, 2020. Numerous wrestlers and people involved in the wrestling industry posted tributes to Eddie online recently.
Randy Orton wrote a tribute to Eddie on Instagram.
“He saw a young newcomer to the biz who was excited to work with him and he took the time to make me feel comfortable. I take that with me these days, the understanding that the new guys aren’t anything more then exactly how I USED to be. He made me feel welcome,” wrote Orton.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGJanTiAAFu/
CM Punk posted the following in tribute to Eddie Guerrero:
"He took over the world when he stepped foot in that ring. I still feel he's next to me."@reymysterio remembers the great Eddie Guerrero ??pic.twitter.com/ggxrOegU94
Happy birthday to one of the absolute greatest performers I’ve ever known, Eddie Guerrero. You were a brother to me, but in the ring, you were my fiercest enemy. You continue to be Loved by everyone every day. #itstrue#happy53rd#RIPEddiepic.twitter.com/i3KpQetFs2
“Happy birthday to one of the absolute greatest performers I’ve ever known, Eddie Guerrero. You were a brother to me, but in the ring, you were my fiercest enemy. You continue to be Loved by everyone every day,” Angle wrote.
Kevin Blackwood, who has been on AEW Dark lately, got an Eddie Guerrero tattoo earlier this month:
I know it’s going to be a good weekend because I started it by doing an Eddie Guerrero traditional tattoo. ? pic.twitter.com/eTgr0dZ2l2
Matt Riddle’s legal team recently stated they plan on filing a civil suit against a person who accused him of sexual misconduct during the #SpeakingOut movement. Also recently, Candy Cartwright’s (wrestling name of Matt Riddle’s accuser) legal team announced they were filing suit against WWE, Matt Riddle, and EVOLVE to the tune of $10 million each.
As of this writing, there is no evidence that either side has actually filed their announced civil suits, however.
When asked for comment about Cartwright’s lawsuit, WWE stated: “WWE has not been served with a lawsuit by Ms. Tavel. However, if served, we will vigorously defend ourselves and contest it.”
Leaked Email Provides Insight On Candy Cartwright Legal Action Against WWE
David Bixenspan, formerly of Deadspin and now of the Babyfaces v. Heel newsletter, published an article recently that includes a screenshot of a leaked email from NXT Extra Talent Liaison, Drake Wuertz. The email is from Wuertz to Cartwright and appears to state that WWE was cancelling her booking due to her having past issues with a member of the WWE roster.
Here is what the leaked email reads (punctuation added for clarity):
“Samantha, I regret to inform you that we will have to cancel your booking for this Wednesday, February 5th as well as March 4th. Apparently, there were some past issues I wasn’t aware of with you and one of our talent that would not make for an ideal work environment. Good luck to you in your career.”
The email appears to give credence to the idea that Cartwright suffered losses in her career and financially as a result of her issues with Riddle. This does not necessarily guarantee her legal recourse, however.
Jeff Jarrett’s lawsuit against Anthem Sports and Entertainment was ruled a mistrial this summer. The courts decided that “cumulative errors by both the Court and counsel resulted in neither party receiving a fair trial”. Jarrett’s legal team filed a motion recently asking for a new trial.
According to a report from PW Insider, Jarrett’s request for a new trial has been denied. The court rejected the motion for the following reason: “because of the press of other Court business, the fact that criminal cases take precedent, and the impact COVID-19 has had on the ability to regularly schedule jury trials.”
The request was denied without prejudice meaning Jarrett has the option of filing again when the courts have more availability. This likely means there will be no progress on the case until after the pandemic.
Both sides have been ordered into mediation regarding the case. Previously, Anthem and Jarrett’s teams stated an agreement through mediation was unlikely to occur. Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw has again requested that the two sides meet with a mediator.
Jarrett is suing Anthem Sports and Entertainment over the failed merger between his Global Force Wrestling and Anthem’s Impact Wrestling. Jarrett’s team says that Anthem continued to use GFW branding following Jarrett’s departure from the company.
WWE announced 20 draft picks Friday night on Smackdown and another 5 the following day on Talking Smack. 5 Superstars were left as free agents. The Draft will continue on RAW Monday night.
The supplemental draft picks named on Talking Smack yesterday were:
Raw – Humberto Carrillo SmackDown – Murphy Raw – Tucker SmackDown – Kalisto Raw – Drew Gulak
RAW Roster thus far:
Men’s Singles Division:
Drew McIntyre (WWE Champion)
The Hurt Business (United States Champion Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, Cedric Alexander and MVP)
AJ Styles
Ricochet
Humberto Carrillo
Tucker
Drew Gulak
Angel Garza
Women’s Singles Division:
Asuka (RAW Women’s Champion)
Naomi
Mandy Rose
Dana Brooke
Male Tag Teams:
Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods (Smackdown Tag Team Champions)
The Miz and John Morrison
Women’s Tag Teams:
Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler (WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions)
Smackdown Roster thus far:
Men’s Singles Division:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns
Seth Rollins
Jey Uso
Big E
Otis
Rey Mysterio
Dominik Mysterio
Murphy
Kalisto
Women’s Singles Division:
Sasha Banks
Bianca Belair
The 5 Superstars eligible to be drafted in the first 5 rounds who have been left free agents are:
Chad Gable
Lince Dorado
Gran Metalik
Mickie James
Elias
Eligible to be drafted beginning on Monday:
The following Superstars can be drafted beginning on RAW this Monday:
Ember Moon returned to NXT and to pro-wrestling at TakeOver 31 last weekend. She made her in-ring return on this week’s edition of NXT on Wednesday night as well. Moon spoke with SI.com recently about returning to NXT and overcoming a career-threatening injury.
“When learned I was headed to NXT, the whole motorcycle package was an idea I had after watching an action movie called Hardcore Henry,” Moon said. “The NXT creative team is absolutely amazing, and they got this massive set for me. I wanted elements of The Masked Singer so we could have clues to keep people guessing. And they were like, ‘Let’s do it!’ There is a video game I play, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, where there are these two dueling voices and you have to listen closely, and we did something similar for the surprise, which was absolutely amazing.”
Moon went nearly 13 months between matches. Her last match before returning on Wednesday night was a loss to Lacey Evans on September 23rd, 2019. She was injured during a segment on Smackdown last year where she was chasing after then-24/7 champion Carmella. The injury turned out to be more serious than expected.
“I went to an amazing doctor in the Dallas area, and he was confident that there would barely even be a scar. Coming out of surgery, he said to me, ‘The good news is your Achilles is fixed. The bad news is that it was completely off, it ripped off the bone.’ Instead of the very tiny scar, they had to slice the entire back of my foot open to surgically repair it.”
Moon appeared on WWE Backstage in May and noted that her injury was career-threatening.
“I’m coming back from the hardest injury and I might not have a chance to redeem myself of all the things I wanted to do and all the things I want to do in my future. It’s so hard to think back in regret when I try to look forward.”
Alberto Del Rio, real name Jose Alberto Rodriguez Chucuan, was arrested in May after a woman came forward alleging that he beat and sexually assaulted her over a period of several hours on May 3rd, 2020. Del Rio was then released on $50,000 bond.
According to a recent report from PW Insider, Del Rio was indicted recently by a Texas grand jury for aggravated kidnapping. It is not clear if he has also been indicted on sexual assault as well. A conviction for aggravated kidnapping in Texas carries a potential 5-99 year prison sentence as well as a fine of up to $10,000. Some cases can result in a sentence of life in prison as well.
Del Rio’s accuser alleges that he accused her of being unfaithful to him and slapped her on the head several times. He is then alleged to have forced her to wear a dress and “dance for him”. When the woman says she started crying, Del Rio is alleged to have told her to stop or he would drop her son in the middle of the road.
He is also alleged to have tied her up and put a sock in her mouth according to an article from the Houston Chronicle. Reports that came out after Del Rio was arrested in May also stated he had sexually assaulted the victim.
Del Rio is a 2x WWE Champion and a 2x World Heavyweight Champion. He’s also held the AAA Mega Championship and the GFW Global Championship.
The 2020 WWE Draft begins tomorrow night on Smackdown. WWE has sent in a press release detailing the official rules and eligible Superstars for this year’s draft.
Here is what has been revealed about the draft:
Stephanie McMahon will preside over the draft and announce the picks for both RAW and Smackdown.
Much like last year as well, RAW will get 3 picks for every 2 picks that Smackdown gets since it is a 1-hour longer show.
Tag-teams count as one pick unless a brand specifically says they only wish to draft one member of the team.
Anyone left undrafted will immediately become free agents. This happened to Heath Slater, which was hard for him since he has so many kids.
Different superstars will be eligible to be drafted on different nights of the draft. Superstars eligible to be drafted on Friday night will not be eligible on Monday and vice versa.
List of Superstars eligible to be drafted on Night 1 of Draft:
Asuka
Sasha Banks
Bianca Belair
Dana Brooke
Humberto Carrillo
Elias
Angel Garza
Drew Gulak
Heavy Machinery (Otis & Tucker)
The Hurt Business (Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, Cedric Alexander and MVP)
Mickie James
Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado)
Drew McIntyre
Murphy
Rey & Dominik Mysterio
Naomi
The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods)
Roman Reigns
Ricochet
Seth Rollins
Mandy Rose
Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax
Shorty G
AJ Styles
Jey Uso
List of Superstars eligible to be drafted on Night 2 of Draft:
We could be getting a little closer to a partnership between All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Harold Meij recently announced that he is stepping down as the President of New Japan Pro Wrestling. The news has led to some AEW fans believing that Meij’s departure could perhaps open the door for some type of relationship between the two promotions.
Tony Khan recently spoke to Dave Meltzer for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and said he thinks Meij’s departure could be a positive development towards a working relationship between the two organizations.
“I’m not sure yet,” was Tony Khan’s reaction to the Wrestling Observer. “But my initial gut feeling is it could be good.”
There were several references to NJPW made on last night’s edition of AEW Dynamite. The “Ace of New Japan” Hiroshi Tanahashi sent in a video congratulating Chris Jericho on his 30-years in wrestling. There were also references to NJPW matches involving Lance Archer and Jon Moxley on Dynamite.
Moxley and Archer will meet for the AEW World title on next week’s “1-Year Anniversary” edition of Dynamite. They faced each other at this year’s Wrestle Kingdom as well.
The references to NJPW on this week’s Dynamite led to much speculation from fans but Dave Meltzer noted they likely have nothing to do with a potential relationship between the two promotions.
Not necessarily, that was Jericho's doing. He loves Tanahashi. Ultimo Dragon was on as well. https://t.co/SDgsNULf2r
AEW’s Hangman Page has released an official statement. The rather official-looking document is printed on branded letterhead as well. It addresses his entry into the AEW World Champion #1 Contender tournament.
“After deep contemplation, about half a bottle of Scratch Bourbon Whiskey, and chucking a dozen watermelons at a red oak out of the back of a pickup, ‘Hangman” Adam Page has decided to enter the single-elimination tournament to decide a number one contender to the All Elite Wrestling World Championship,” his statement reads.
Page then listed off a few of his reasons for entering the tournament including:
“The tournament could provide ‘Hangman’ Adam Page with his first opportunity to challenge for the AEW World Championship since his catastrophic and embarrassing loss to Chris Jericho at All Out 2019.”
It appears Page dictated the statement to someone and this person was unable to make out some of his comments.
“As a child, ‘Hangman’ Adam Page (unintelligible – the voicemail devolved into a slurred monologue with the occasional yell, followed by two minutes of silence).”
Page then listed what he will be doing to prepare for the tournament. These included the following:
“‘Hangman’ Adam Page will continue to wear a mask while in public, wash his hands, and social distance to avoid contracting COVID-19 to preserve the integrity of his lungs and his character.”
Ronda Rousey hasn’t wrestled for WWE since the main event of WrestleMania 35. While it has been a year and a half since Rousey has been a part of WWE programming and storylines, she is still under contract to the promotion.
Rousey’s contract has approximately six months left on it, according to Pwinsider. This means Rousey is under contract through to WrestleMania 37, although there is no guarantee she will be participating in that event.
One of my fav matches – such a huge challenge in so many ways, what a crazy day ??? looking forward to a rematch someday @NatbyNature! https://t.co/CVNWBU0n8m
Rousey has frequently expressed interest in one day returning to WWE. She stated post-WM35 that she was taking an “impregnation faction” to start a family. As of yet, Rousey has not announced a pregnancy, however.
Rousey was recently spotted training in a wrestling ring with Teal Piper, the daughter of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
Natalya also teased that she was training with someone but couldn’t name who, leading to speculation it was Rousey.
Finished a wrestling practice in our ring… @TJWilson ran our practice with “Dr Tom” @drtomprichard man in the middle drills. Forgot how much I love/hate those drills! So much fun … wish I could tell you who i trained with!! ???????
Ronda Rousey has been spending a lot of time on her self-sufficient California Ranch nicknamed “Browsey Acres”. She frequently posts videos to her official YouTube channel of her tending to the goats and other parts of the ranch. WWE Superstars such as Paige, D-Von Dudley, and others have made cameos on her channel.
Rousey also frequently plays video games live on Facebook while raising money for charities.
AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (19-0) TNT Champion: Brodie Lee (8-1)
Lance Archer (13-1)
Brian Cage (8-1)
MJF (9-1)
Cody (18-2)
Scorpio Sky (8-2)
There has been no movement in the men’s singles rankings for a few weeks now. 2 big matches in the division will take place tonight, however. #2 Brian Cage will defend his FTW title against newly signed Will Hobbs. A win for the newcomer certainly would catapult him up the division.
#4 Cody will challenge for the TNT Championship against Brodie Lee tonight in a Dog Collar Match.
AEW Women’s Division
AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (17-1)
Nyla Rose (10-2)
Big Swole (9-3)
Penelope Ford (9-5)
Abadon (5-1)
Dr. Britt Baker (5-6)
There was no movement in the women’s singles division either this week. Previously, #3 Penelope Ford moved up one spot in the rankings over Abadon. Last week, #5 Britt Baker returned to singles action and picked up a win over Red Velvet.
#2 Big Swole is in action tonight against the unranked and newly signed Serena Deeb.
AEW Tag Team Division
AEW Tag Team Champions: FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) (10-0)
Best Friends (17-6)
Young Bucks (7-3)
The Natural Nightmares (8-2)
Butcher and the Blade (9-5)
Santana & Ortiz (8-5)
The tag-team rankings also stayed steady this week, with no team moving up or down.
Champions FTR will look to defend their titles this week against The Hybrid 2 team of Angelico and Jack Evans. TH2 has yet to crack the top-5 but have a heck of an opportunity tonight.
Chris Jericho has previously said that he and Jake Hager would like a crack at the tag titles. They are scheduled to face Luther and Serpentico tonight as Jericho celebrates his 30 years in pro-wrestling.
Impact 10/6 featured the build to the October 24th Bound For Glory PPV. It was also the first show since Victory Road on Saturday night. The card was headlined by the Motor City Machine Guns facing Ace Austin & Madman Fulton.
The Deaners (Cody Deaner & Cousin Jake) defeated Johnny Swinger & Crazzy Steve
The Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) defeated Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
Here are 9 takeaways from Impact 10/6:
Tag Team Chaos Closes Show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyNq-_Niwpc
With Bound For Glory and the 4-way tag team title match just 18 days away, MCMG faced Madman Fulton & Ace Austin in this week’s main event. The two other teams involved in the BFG title match made their presence known at the end of this match. The North sauntered to ringside and got up on the ring apron to distract the ref. This brought out the Good Brothers who started brawling with Page and Alexander.
Meanwhile in the ring, The Guns hit Fulton with a neck breaker/crossbody combo for the win. All 4 teams jawed at each other to close the show.
Contract Negotiations With Heath Break Down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUKLZz67Zvs
At Victory Road, Scott D’Amore informed Heath that he had a contract to offer him. This week, Heath visited D’Amore’s home but had his own proposal drawn up. D’Amore said that Heath should sign the contract he offered him and they would work towards him earning the contract Heath wanted. This didn’t sit well with Heath and contract negotiations quickly broke down. It appears Heath still isn’t officially a member of the Impact Wrestling roster.
Jordynne Grace Robbed Of X-Division Title
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-aaeR8s8kg
X-Division Champion Rohit Raju has proven he’ll do whatever it takes to retain his title. This week, he once again issued an “Open Challenge”. It was answered by former Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace.
Raju was tentative to start the match and was distracted by Willie Mack on the outside when Grace rolled him up for the pin. The ref counted 3 and it looked as though Grace was the new champion but Raju then clarified that the match was not for the title belt.
Scott D’Amore then announced a 6-way scramble for Bound For Glory. The match will feature Raju defending against Grace, Chris Bey, Willie Mack, TJP, and Trey Miguel.
Does Impact Have A Women’s Tag Division?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIrN1RDwDhw
Despite the Knockouts tag team titles having been vacated years ago, Impact has a fairly good women’s tag division right now. This played out this week in a match between Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz against Taya Valkyrie and Rosemary.
Rosemary would pick up the win for her team this week, pinning Steelz.
Neveah and Havok were shown watching the match in the back. They’ve been an established team for some time now. Next week, we’ll get Hogan & Steelz vs Neveah & Havok vs Rosemary & Taya.
Along with those 3 teams, Susie and Kylie Rae have teamed frequently in the past, as have Kimber Lee and Deonna Purrazzo. That is more established teams than other promotions who do have women’s tag titles have.
Eric Young Attacks Rich Swann In Gym
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U2Flhhx1us
With Bound For Glory just 18 days away, Eric Young got in another attack on Rich Swann. This time, Young attacked Swann in a gym where Swann was preparing for the match. He tied Swann’s leg to a machine and began hitting his injured leg with a kettle bell. The attack was so vicious, it is not clear if Swann will be able to compete at Bound For Glory.
Brian Myers Goes Too Far In Match Against Tommy Dreamer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upTMTsbg-0U
Brian Myers and Tommy Dreamer have been involved in a rivalry as of late. Dreamer confronted Myers during a backstage interview recently and would later speak about how he hired him into WWE and wanted him to do well now that he is in Impact. Myers didn’t appreciate the advice, however. Mysers would also pick up the win when the two faced off at Victory Road. A rematch would kick off this week’s episode of Impact.
Dreamer kicked out of the Myers’ finish, causing Myers to grab a kendo stick. Despite it not being a no dq match, Myers would bring the weapon into the match. Dreamer then went to hit Myers with it when Myers’ implored him not to saying “think about my girls,” referring to his daughters. After Dreamer showed compassion and put the weapon down, Myers picked it up and assaulted Dreamer, leading to the DQ. Myers continued the assault after the bell rang until several officials including Scott D’Amore came out to stop him.
The Rascalz Pick Up Another Victory Over Team XXXL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUKzxCjdP1w
Dez and Wentz dropped a match to the Good Brothers last week on Impact Wrestling but defeated Team XXXL at Victory Road and again on the show this week. On commentary, they noted that with the win the Rascalz had established themselves as a top-contender team in the division, despite being left out of the 4-way match at Bound For Glory for the tag titles.
EC3 continued his taunting of Moose with the TNA World Heavyweight Championship this week. A video was shown of EC3 throwing the belt off a bridge. This will not sit well with Moose who has spent several weeks searching for EC3.
Next Week On Impact Wrestling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZAxwnVmKqU
The following has been booked for next week’s episode:
Update on Rich Swann’s condition
Havok & Neveah vs Rosemary & Taya vs Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz
A true legend of women’s wrestling and trailblazer in the industry has decided to officially retire from in-ring competition. Former ECW and WWE star Jazz spoke with Chris Van Vliet recently and confirmed that she considers her pro-wrestling career over.
“Honestly, I just had my last match this past Sunday. I am done in the ring,” Jazz said. “I was going to do a whole tour in 2020, but with the pandemic happening, that screwed everything up. I’ve been having issues with my knees and my back and a lot more issues physically, mentally and emotionally. That’s why I had to forfeit the NWA title. I have two beautiful daughters and I have to focus on them right now.”
Jazz burst onto the pro-wrestling seen in the late 1990s with Extreme Championship Wrestling. She would mainly perform in inter-gender matches as the promotion never did have an established women’s division.
Jazz was honored by the Cauliflower Alley Club this year and awarded the club’s Women’s Wrestling Award. She is a 2x former WWE Women’s Champion and 1x NWA Women’s Champion.
The Rock was set to star in “Black Adam” in the DC superhero universe but the movie has been indefinitely delayed. Originally slated for a December 2021 release, Warner Brothers now lists it as “undated”. The change was made as the pandemic continues to cause uncertainty in Hollywood.
This does not mean the movie will not be given a theatrical release. It’s just not clear when that will happen.
Several other Warner Brothers movies also saw their release dates pushed back or recently. The Batman starring Robert Pattinson was pushed back from a 2021 release to March 2022. The Flash and Shazam 2 also saw their release dates pushed back.
Black Adam producer Hiram Garcia spoke to Variety about the movie last month.
“The journey we’re going to put Black Adam on, it’s very compelling,” Garcia said. “What he’s gone through and what you’re going to see on-screen is going to be amazing to watch play out, and then when you couple that with how powerful every character is who is going to be in the universe, it’s really going to heat things up. We have a lot of fun saying that the hierarchy of the power in the DC Universe is going to change because when Black Adam arrives, everyone needs to watch out because he’s going to change the game.”
News broke yesterday that Netflix decided to cancel the 4th and final season of the hit show, GLOW. The series was a fictional recreation of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling promotion from 1986 to 1989. The streaming service announced it was cancelling the show due to the ongoing global pandemic, however.
Fans of the show are not happy about the decision and neither are the cast. An article in Vanity Fair came out shortly after the decision and blasted Netflix for canceling the show.
Netflix is cancelling #GLOW, which is both a terrific and frustratingly underappreciated show, with a dynamite ensemble cast and great writing. Badly done, @netflix. Badly done.
Then, show star Marc Maron took to Instagram to pitch a 2-hour movie to close out the series.
“Let us wrap it up in a two-hour Netflix movie. Give the showrunners and the cast and the writers the chance to finish the story in a movie, right? Then it’s all fine,” Maron said. “That would take the financial pressure off and the writers could play it out, we could shoot it out.”
“The reason I was given from the showrunners was basically a financial one in that they didn’t want to pay to keep the sets alive anymore,” he continued.
“They were two and a half episodes in on the day they went into lockdown,” Maron also confirmed.
Ethan Page noted on Twitter today that he is pulling out of Joey Janela’s Spring Break event this year. He said that his reason for doing so is a series of trading cards produced by Janela’s Game Changer Wrestling featuring his likeness. Page says he did not give GCW permission to use his likeness and has not been compensated for the cards.
Here is what Page wrote on Twitter regarding the matter:
Page was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated about his pending free agency.
“I’m looking to convince Impact Wrestling to sign me to a new house,” he said. “I’m tired of stepping on toys in my living room. My kid needs a playroom in a new house, so I’m trying to change my home life through my professional life.”
He also noted that Impact is allowing him to negotiate with other companies.
“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.”
