Impact Wrestling 7/28 was the second show since the company began its new era at Slammiversary. The show kicked off with Eddie Edwards making his first title defense against Trey and would conclude with the Good Brothers making their in-ring debut.

Impact Results (7/28)

1. Impact World Championship
   Eddie Edwards (c) defeated Trey
2. Wrestle House Match
   Acey Romero defeated Crazzy Steve
3. Deonna Purrazzo defeated Kimber Lee
4. Wrestle House Match
   Cousin Jake defeated Cody Deaner
5. The Good Brothers defeated Reno Scum

Here are 8 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 7/28:

The Good Brothers, Ace Austin & Madman Fulton Brawl To End The Show

After being attacked by Reno Scum last week, The Good Brothers made their in-ring Impact debut against the punk-rock team from Nevada this week. Ace Austin would come out and sit on the stage to watch the match.

The Good Brothers picked up the win with a Magic Killer. After the match, however, both Ace Austin and Madman Fulton attacked. The brawl spilled to the back and then to the very parking lot where Reno Scum attacked Anderson and Gallows last week. The show concluded with Gallows booting Fulton into the camera.

EC3 Wants To Destroy His Past

A video featuring EC3 was shown this week on Impact. In the video, the former TNA World Champion says he’s not coming back home, he’s coming to destroy his past.

“The things I had to do to become who I am are the things I have to re-evaluate. I have to face them head-on. I don’t fear my past anymore. My past is my biggest foe and I am here for the destruction of my past,” he said on the show.

Eric Young Stares Down Eddie Edwards

Impact Wrestling kicked off this week with a world title match between new champion Eddie Edwards and Trey from the Rascalz. Trey picked up a near-fall by countering a tiger driver but this seemed to only motivate the new champ. Edwards landed a lariat, tiger driver, and Boston Knee Party in succession to pick up the win.

After the match, a new returnee to the promotion Eric Young walked down the ramp and stared down Edwards. Young faked like he was going to get in the ring but then backed away. As he left, Young said that he’d take on Edwards when he decides.

Jordynne Grace Attacks Deonna Purrazzo

Deonna Purrazzo faced Kimber Lee in a non-title clash this week. Much like she did at Slammiversary, the Virtuoso used her submission skills to gain the victory.

After the match, former champion Jordynne Grace marched to the ring with her arm in a sling. As she faced down Purrazzo, however, she took off the sling and delivered a takedown to the champion. Purrazzo eventually escaped Grace’s attack and hightailed it out of the ring.

Sami Callihan Ruins Katie Forbes’ New Website

Backstage this week, Katie Forbes confused Sami Callihan with a fan who walked backstage and attempted to have him kicked out of the building. Later in the show, Katie Forbes came out to debut a series of new photos for her website. Callihan managed to hack into the photos, however, and cropped his head onto all her pictures. This infuriated Forbes and RVD. It also will likely lead to a feud between Callihan and the legend from ECW.

Wrestle House Debuts!

Wrestle House debuted this week and even led to two matches. It was revealed that the house is an investment property of Tommy Dreamer’s and he seems to be serving as host to some degree.

Taya attempted to leave the house but when she opened the door there were flames, fire, and Abyss holding a bag of thumbtacks. Some jokes were made regarding where Abyss is nowadays.

The Deaners and Team XXXL seem to have declared a truce with each other at the urging of Susie while in the house.

It was revealed that there are only 6 bedrooms in the house which led to a match between Acey Romero and Crazzy Steve with Kylie Rae as the ref. The two wrestlers both wanted to sleep in the ring but only the winner of the match would be granted the right to do so. Romero picked up the win and the right to sleep in the ring.

Later in the show, Cousin Jake defeated Cody Deaner in a match meant to solve the mystery of who was snoring throughout the night.

Heath Can Earn An Impact Contract By Defeating Moose

Moose was shown backstage this week with his TNA World Championship belt. He was confronted by Heath, who in storyline is still not signed to the promotion. Scott D’Amore informed Heath that if he can defeat Moose next week, he’ll be signed to a contract.

The Motor City Machine Guns Want To Prove They Are The Best, The North Want Their Titles Back

A video featuring the Motor City Machine Guns was shown this week. They said they want to prove they are the best tag-team out there. Meanwhile, the team they beat for the titles, The North, cut a promo saying they plan on regaining the titles after cashing in their rematch clause.

This week on RAW, Nia Jax came out to cut a promo but was interrupted by Shayna Baszler. The two brawled and were eventually scheduled for a match later in the night. The two continued to brawl during the match and were both counted-out by the referee.

After the match, the two had to be separated by security. During the melee, Nia gave a WWE official a Samoan Drop leading to the company taking disciplinary measures.

“Nia Jax has been fined an undisclosed amount for inappropriate contact with multiple WWE officials in the aftermath of her match against Shayna Bazler on Monday’s Raw, WWE.com has learned,” a WWE.com update reads.

Nia Jax vs Shayna Baszler

Since returning to the ring after WrestleMania this year, Nia Jax has wrestled in WWE 9 times. She is sporting a 5-2-2 record in those matches. Nia lost a RAW Women’s Championship match to Asuka last month. She also didn’t win the Money in the Bank ladder match back in May. Nia went to a double count-out with Asuka at Backlash and again with Baszler on RAW this week. Her victories since returning have been over Kairi Sane (3x), Natalya and Charlotte Flair in a triple threat match, and Deonna Purrazzo.

As for Baszler, she is 5-1-1 since WrestleMania. Her only loss was when she didn’t win the MITB ladder match. Baszler’s draw came against Nia Jax this week. Her victories since WrestleMania have been over Indie Hartwell, Natalya (2x), Sarah Logan, and Jessi Kamea.

• WWE Provides Update On Rey Mysterio’s Condition

Following having his eyeball extracted in storyline at Extreme Rules, WWE has offered an update on Rey Mysterio’s condition. According to the latest report from WWE.com, Mysterio’s eye has been re-attached, he is regaining his vision, and a return to the ring is expected.

“WWE Digital has learned that Rey Mysterio’s vision is improving slowly each day, and that his optic nerve is intact, completely secured and back in its socket. A timeline for Mysterio’s return to the ring is unknown at this time,” reads the latest update from WWE.com.

Rey Mysterio’s Free Agency Status

Rey Mysterio’s storyline medical condition may reflect how contract renewal negotiations are going between him and WWE. Mysterio has reportedly been working without a contract after a deal he signed in 2018 expired. Current speculation holds that Rey Mysterio will eventually re-sign with WWE. No new deal between the sides has reportedly been reached as of yet, however.

Mysterio is reportedly asking for a raise but Vince McMahon is saying those aren’t being given out at the moment.

“Essentially where things stand is that Mysterio had asked for a raise and been told that no raises were being offered, and that they had just let a number of wrestlers go,” wrote Dave Meltzer in a recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

• Cody Rhodes: “There’s Nobody Greater” Than Rey Mysterio

Tonight on Dynamite, independent wrestling standout Warhorse will challenge Cody for the TNT Championship. Cody has been defending the belt against wrestlers from outside AEW as of late, including last week’s tilt against Eddie Kingston.

Warhorse spoke to SI.com about the upcoming match.

“I’ll be head banging like nobody’s business on TNT,” Warhorse said to SI.com. “People are going to see independent wrestling is alive and well. That’s the most important part of this match to me. Indie wrestling is going to rise to the occasion.”

Warhorse would also say during the interview that he treats his career like wrestlers did during the territory days. Instead of using television as his platform, however, he uses the internet. Warhorse continued to say he’ll be looking to get on the mic as soon as possible on Dynamite, something Kingston did as well.

“I’ll be looking for a mic as soon as I walk in the building,” said Warhorse. “My personality, that is how I have a connection with the fans. And I’ve got a lot to say.”

As for how the match itself will go, Warhorse says he’s got a plan.

“My plan is to get in the ring and move faster than a bullet, with twice the firepower, and beat the ever-living s— out of Cody Rhodes.”

• Arn Anderson Comments On Warhorse Facing Cody

The full interview with Warhorse can be read here.

Eric Bischoff was recently asked on an episode of 83 Weeks if he feels WWE goes out of its way to bury or kill-off old WCW ideas or gimmicks. Bischoff feels WWE does not do this, however, and actually does a good job at cashing-in off of some of WCW’s bigger successes such as the NWO.

“No, I don’t think that,” Bischoff said when asked if he felt Vince McMahon buries WCW ideas or gimmicks. “I understand why people might think that but I don’t think that’s the case. I honestly believe Vince will take advantage of, exploit, use anything that he possibly can to make his business healthier, and generate revenue including anything that was WCW.”

“But I also do believe that there is a certain culture, a corporate culture, whereby WWE, the brand and all the things that are created as original intellectual property will always be positioned as a priority. I’m not so sure that that’s not a great idea.”

Eric Bischoff on How WWE Markets The NWO Still To This Day

Bischoff used the example of the NWO to showcase how WWE still uses and earns money off WCW creative.

“The NWO to this day is still to this day one of the most successful products in the WWE catalog in terms of merchandise,” Bischoff continued.

“The fact that WWE is promoting the NWO as much as they have and are and the fact that they are still selling their merchandise kind of contradicts the statement that they are trying to kill it. I think they are trying to make money off it. But, I also at the same time think that the NWO will always take a backseat or anything that was WCW original including Sting’s return and his positioning at WrestleMania against Triple H, it will always be positioned as secondary to anything that’s WWE. But that’s not the same as killing it.”

• Tony Khan Says There Would Be No AEW Without Eric Bischoff

Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the player below:

On a recent episode of “Grillin Jr” Conrad and Jim Ross talked about the Fully Loaded PPV from 2000. It was around this time that Michael Hayes began to move up the ranks backstage in WWE. Hayes is now reportedly a member of Vince McMahon’s inner circle. Ross commented on Hayes’ mind for the wrestling business on the show.

“I remember Bill Watts used to say that Michael Hayes had one of the best minds in wrestling,” JR said. “Even though Michael will still tell you the story that he thinks he got screwed on a payoff in the Superdome one year, 88 years ago.”

“Michael’s got a great mind and that comes from a young kid getting into the territories and only earning the tickets that you sell. That’s your grocery money, rent money, car payment money, living money. So he understood what it took to be a good heel, he understood the value of heat. I’m sure he still does.”

“I don’t know that he’s allowed to do everything that he would generally want to do if he had complete autonomy but Michael Hayes is a brilliant wrestling mind.”

• Jim Ross – “Vince McMahon Solidified My Financial Future”

JR’s comments can be heard in the player below:

Ric Flair’s wife, Wendy Barlow, has been diagnosed with COVID-19. The Nature Boy recently appeared on Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling YouTube show and Hall of Fame ESPN radio show to give an update on her condition.

“She’s doing great, much better. Not 100% but she’s doing much better,” Flair said of Barlow’s condition. “It’s been over 3 weeks now but it was a nightmare. All of a sudden, it just came on her, and then, of course, you backtrack and figure out where it came from.”

“She was real sick. I had to take her to the hospital twice. For I.V once and then just to make sure she was okay. You never know and of course, they released her both times after keeping her for a couple of hours. You can’t be careful enough.”

Flair also spoke about how the two are social distancing while living in the same house.

“The house is pretty big which is nice and she’s way upstairs. She’s isolated and I don’t think she needs to come downstairs but once just in the last couple of days for the first time, not down there to see me, just down the stairs to the front door and stuff. Even though they say 2 weeks and this has been 3, you just never know, right?”

• Ric Flair ‘Just Wants To Be Remembered” By Wrestling Fans

Flair’s comments can be heard in the player below:

Eva Marie is set to host a new show on women’s wrestling for “Now This.” The show is titled “Faces and Heels” and will follow the lives of 7 female wrestlers. The show premieres on July 30th, 2020.

The below trailer for the show features women’s wrestlers such as Kiera Hogan, Jordynne Grace, and more.

“I’m so pumped to announce that I’m the host of a new show about women wrestlers on @nowthisnews. Faces and Heels follows 7 amazing women who are kicking ass in the real world of wrestling. Let’s just say I can relate to these women in more ways than 1,” Eva Marie Tweeted.

Eva Marie is asking fans to keep an eye out for the first episode on her Facebook page.

“Check out the trailer and keep an eye out for the first episode on Thursday 7/30 on my Facebook page,” she posted on Instagram.

Eva Marie Post-WWE

The 35-year-old Eva Marie was with WWE from 2013 until 2017. Since leaving the company she has appeared on the television shows Celebrity Big Brother, Celebrity Showdown, and performed as Jade on the show Paradise City.

• Eva Marie Praises Bayley, Open To WWE Return

Eva also plays the role of Sasha in the movie Hard Kill that is currently in post-production.

Last week on Smackdown, Kofi Kingston revealed he will be out of action for 6 weeks. This leaves Big E as the only currently active member of the New Day. Kingston said the stars have aligned for Big E to have a single’s run.

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley posted a video to Twitter offering his thoughts on a potential Big E singles push.

Mick Foley: Strap The Rocket to Big E

“I’ve been thinking about this upcoming single’s run (Big E’s) going to have,” Foley said. “I really believe WWE is in unprecedented times. Ratings have been dropping. It’s time to make a bold statement and go with a couple of really talented guys, people we’ve had all along.”

“When it comes to being successful and really getting to that next level, it’s really about having the ability and the willingness to shift gears and get out of your comfort zone.”

“The way I see it, Big E’s been in this really enjoyable, very successful holding pattern for a few years. New Day is one of the great acts in WWE history. They always will be looked on that way. But I believe, and I don’t want to overdo the racing metaphors, if Big E can shift into high-gear and really put the foot down on the accelerator and remind people of the work it took to look the way he does, that you don’t get to be one of the most powerful men the sport has ever known through good humor alone.”

“I believe if he can show a little different side of himself. A little bit more seriousness, a little bit more anger when the situation calls for it, that he will go down in history as one of the great WWE Superstars and I hope it happens.”

• Mick Foley Praises Britt Baker

Foley’s comments can be heard in the Tweet below:

Maxwell Jacob Friedman (aka MJF) is currently the #1 ranked wrestler in AEW’s men’s singles division. He has yet to be pinned or submitted in the promotion.

AEW is now promoting that MJF will address the state of the wrestling industry this Wednesday night on Dynamite.

MJF also sent out the following Tweet with just the words “40 days”. 40 days from today will be Saturday, September 5th, 2020. AEW’s “All Out” PPV is currently scheduled for that date.

MJF has been making various ominous comments about AEW World Champion Jon Moxley as of late as well. Could MJF be lobbying for a title shot at All Out? It seems we could find out on Wednesday night.

• MJF Accuses Jon Moxley Of Holding Him Back In AEW
• AEW Rankings Report (7/22): MJF Retakes #1 Spot

Maxwell Jacob Friedman in AEW

MJF has wrestled 18 times for All Elite Wrestling. He is 1-2 in battle royals, 0-1 in fatal 4-ways, 3-1 in tag matches, and a perfect 10-0 in singles matches.

1. 5/25/19: 21 Man Casino Battle Royal (won by Hangman Page)
2. 6/29/19: Hangman Page defeated Jimmy Havoc vs Jungle Boy vs MJF (Fyter Fest 2019- 4-way match)
3. 7/13/19: Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Sammy Guevara & Shawn Spears defeated Darby Allin, Jimmy Havoc & Joey Janela (Fight for the Fallen 2019)
4. 10/2/19: Maxwell Jacob Friedman defeated Brandon Cutler
5. 11/20/19: Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal won by Hangman Page and MJF (final 2 participants would meet the following week for the Dynamite Diamond Ring.)
6. 11/27/19: MJF defeated Hangman Page
7. 1/15/20: The Butcher And The Blade (The Blade & The Butcher) & MJF defeated Diamond Dallas Page, Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall (AEW Bash at the Beach)
8. 1/21/20: MJF defeated Joey Janela
9. 2/12/20: MJF defeated Jungle Boy
10. 2/29/20: MJF defeated Cody (AEW Revolution)
11. 3/11/20: MJF & The Butcher And The Blade (The Blade & The Butcher) defeated The Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus & Marko Stunt)
12. 5/13/20: MJF defeated Lee Johnson
13. 5/20/20: MJF defeated Marko Stunt
14. 5/23/20: MJF defeated Jungle Boy (Double or Nothing)
15. 5/27/20: TNT Title #1 Contender Battle Royal won by Jungle Boy
16. 6/11/20: MJF defeated Billy
17. 7/1/20: The Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) defeated MJF & Wardlow 
18. 7/16/20: MJF defeated Griff Garrison

Independent wrestler Warhorse will challenge Cody for the TNT Championship on Dynamite this week. Recently on the Arn Show, Conrad Thompson asked Arn Anderson how Warhorse got on his radar.

“Well, just because I’m illiterate where computers go, I have advanced this far, I can look on my phone, go to a Twitter account, go to an AEW twitter account, go to Conrad’s Twitter account. My go-to ones that I have to go to, I can go to and that name when the fans are talking wrestling and what they hear on our show, the name started to pop up.”

Anderson continued to talk about how Warhorse’s name kept popping up on his feed.

“Apparently this Warhorse kid has developed a pretty good following out there in the independent world. If you think about it, 90% of the talent on the AEW roster was in the same position he was in. They were making the indies, making the circuit, earning their stripes, and paying their dues.”

He continued to talk about how Tony Khan has challenged him with finding wrestlers such as Warhorse to challenge Cody.

“He’s on the radar screen and in this day and time, for a lot of guys who would like to be in that spot, that’s good enough.”

• Warhorse Announced As Next Challenger To Cody’s AEW TNT Championship

Double-A’s comments can be heard in the player below:

WWE tried Luke Gallows out under a few different characters after he was first signed in 2005. In Deep South Wrestling he was known as “The Freakin’ Deacon.” His first experience on the main roster was as an imposter Kane in a short-lived angle. Then in 2007, Gallows formed a team with Ray Gordy known as “Jesse and Festus.”

Gallows recently spoke about how Vince McMahon pitched him the Festus character during an interview with Chris Van Vliet.

“I was 23-years-old and basically they told me to kind of get out of shape and this was the character they had for me,” Gallows said. “Originally, we were going to be hillbillies. I mean, how far is this hillbilly thing going to be able to go?”

“We’re getting ready to debut, we’re in the ring saying we’re going to do this, this and this, it’s like 20 minutes before doors and they go ‘Vince McMahon wants you guys in his office.’ Are we getting fired already? So we go in the office and Vince is literally like ‘hey, big man, can you do this?” Then Vince did the face Festus was known for. Gallows continued to say that he and Vince then made the Festus face back at each other for ten minutes or so.

“When you grow up thinking you’re going to be a long-haired wrestler with a beautiful robe and this cool guy and you become Festus, it’s not exactly ideal.”

• Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows Appear On BTE With The Young Bucks

Vince McMahon Didn’t Realize Gallows Was Festus

In an interview on the Sam Roberts podcast in 2016, Anderson and Gallows mentioned that when Gallows returned to WWE, Vince McMahon had no idea he was the one who played Festus.

“The best part of the Festus character is that we heard from Talent Relations, or the Head of Talent Relations is that Vince doesn’t even remember that he was Festus,” Anderson said on the Sam Roberts podcast.

Gallows’ comments can be heard in the player below:

Adam Cole recently stormed off from an interview with Pat McAfee. Cole shoved a stagehand after taking issue with McAfee’s line of questioning and referring to him as “kind of small.”

• Adam Cole Storms Out Of Interview With Pat McAfee

Cole recently published a statement on the incident.

“I’ve had the weekend to think about everything, and it’s still hard to put into words where to begin. First of all, to anyone that I offended, I apologize. I apologize because I represent a brand that commands respect. Not just because of what we do in the ring, but how we handle ourselves outside the ring. Even though he continued to push my buttons, I still should have kept my composure and acted like a professional. I’m embarrassed by my reaction, and I will make sure something like that never happens again. Thanks for the continued support everyone.”

Although the segment appeared to have been a worked angle, one WWE Hall-of-Famer believes it was real. Mark Henry said he believes the incident was legit recently on Busted Open Radio.

• Mark Henry On Adam Cole & Pat McAfee Incident: “This Is Not A Work”

“This is not a work, this is real sh*t that’s going to have to be turned into business because it’s too good not to,” Mark Henry explained. “Here we are with all the stuff that happened for a week in pro wrestling and we’re talking about a verbal disagreement on a show. It was real and that’s why we talking about it.”

Brian Pillman Jr. recently wrestled a couple of matches on AEW Dark. He dropped bouts to Shawn Spears and Brian Cage. He is currently signed to MLW and has been involved with the new Hart Foundation stable in the promotion. Pillman recently spoke to Talk Sport about the help he’s received in his career from numerous wrestling legends.

Pillman was asked about his relationship with AEW’s Chris Jericho:

“Me and Chris have been close for a long time. That was also somebody that was pulling for me in the company [AEW] and he helped me get the opportunity at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view about one year ago. That was May 22, 2019,” Pillman said.

“So it’s been about a year since I’ve been there, so it’s been a long time. they wanted to see how far I have come and what improvements did I make and I think they were all happy with that.”

Brian Pillman Jr. On Advice From Steve Austin

Pillman also noted he got to speak with Jericho at the tapings as well.

Additionally, Pillman spoke about the guidance he’s received over the years from his father’s former tag-team partner, Steve Austin.

“Steve has offered me advice on several, several occasions,” Pillman said about Austin. He continued to say he asked Austin if he should go into the wrestling business.

“He just told me ‘You can do whatever you want to do. Your father would want you to do what’s passionate to you.’”

Pillman also spoke about his relationship with Bret Hart, Pillman’s father’s former stablemate in the Hart Foundation.

“He’s definitely someone that if I ever needed anything, he would be right there for me. Whenever I’ve seen him, he’s been nothing but family to me,” Pillman said of Hart.

• Cody Comments On If He’s A Babyface Or Heel

The full interview can be read here.

We have a rare look at Impact Wrestling viewership data for the company’s weekly TV show on AXS TV. Earlier this year, AXS TV began to be rated with Nielsen allowing for Impact Wrestling TV ratings to be publicized.

According to information obtained by PWTorch, Impact averaged 174,000 viewers per week for the first quarter of 2020. During the Q2 COVID-19 ’empty arena’ era, that number fell to 147,000.

Slammiversary generated significant buzz for Impact. That spike in interest carried over to the Impact TV show two days later. The post-PPV edition of Impact averaged 163,000 viewers, up from 156,000 the previous week before and 135,000 two weeks prior.

Impact Wrestling is the most-watched show on AXS TV by a considerable margin.

In the 18-49 demo that advertisers care most about, Impact brought in a 0.05 this week. In comparison, NXT did a 0.17 in the key demo this week and hovers around 600,000 to 700,000 viewers per week on the USA Network.

• Impact Results (7/21): A New Era Begins

Impact began a new era this week at both Slammiversary and on AXS TV. The Good Brothers, EC3, Eric Young, and more either made their return or debut last week. This week on the show, The Good Brothers will face Reno Scum in tag-team action. There will also be an Impact World Championship match between Eddie Edwards and Trey from the Rascalz.

Major League Wrestling hasn’t produced an event since March. The company’s last show was in conjunction with AAA for a card in Tijuana on March 13th.

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the current plan is for MLW live events to return in December. These plans could change anytime between now and then, however.

“The current plan, and this can change in an instant, is to go back live in December, perhaps in Philadelphia,” wrote Dave Meltzer regarding MLW.

In storyline, Contra Unit took part in a hostile takeover of the company leading to it shutting down temporarily.

MLW’s Court Bauer has previously said the company won’t return to live events until it is safe to do so.

• Court Bauer Provides Update On MLW’s Return, NJPW Relationship

“I will wait until we are sure it’s safe to return. We’re doing that for our fans, our athletes, and our crew, and all of their families. We do not want to put anyone at harm. We’ll see what the NBA looks like once they go live with their season, and we’re seeing what is happening with WWE. This [battle with COVID] is far from the rearview mirror. Our decision to proceed will be dictated by science and experts in the medical world. Until we know it’s safe, we’re going to be as judicious as possible.”

Impact Wrestling refers to its women’s division and championship with the term “Knockouts.” Some fans have expressed the belief that this is an outdated term akin to how “Diva” was used in WWE. According to Gail Kim, however, conversations have taken place backstage about the term and the Impact roster is in favor of continuing to use it.

“Knockouts is the perfect name for the women past and present of Impact(TNA) Strong, powerful, tough and kick ass. All different and beautiful in their own way. I will always be proud to be the Original knockout,” Tweeted Traci Brooks.

The conversation got started when Courtney Rush (aka Rosemary) responded to a fan on Twitter.

Chelsea Green, who performed under her Hot Mess character in Impact, agreed with Rosemary:

Allie, who left Impact after her character was killed off in the undead realm, echoed the sentiment.

The Knockouts Champion also commented:

Madison Rayne noted that the term represents a positive history in women’s wrestling:

Deonna Purrazzo is the current Knockouts Champion. She defeated Jordynne Grace for the title at Slammiversary. Purrazzo is the 24th wrestler to win the championship and begins the 55th reign in the title’s lineage. Gail Kim has won the title 7x and held it for a combined 711 days, the most in both categories.

• Update On How Well Slammiversary Did On PPV

Cody Rhodes says his character is neither a babyface nor a heel. There has been some debate about this as of late considering how many of his TNT title defenses have gone. There also may have been some hints dropped as of late that Cody’s character might be turning full heel somewhere down the road.

Cody responded to a recent comment by Disco Inferno on Twitter asking if he is a heel.

“Is Cody Rhodes a heel? This is like the old school angle where you have a list of worthy contenders and they are just a bunch of indy workers that don’t even work for the company,” Disco Tweeted.

Cody responded with the following:

“I’m neither. I’m a competitor & a reigning champion. Tired old tropes are even more insulting to the viewer considering I’ve been on their TV since I was 20. It ain’t black and white, it hasn’t been in forever. Circumstances of the match dictate who we cheer for, beautiful thing.”

The conversation then turned to good guys and bad guys in Marvel movies/comics.

Cody Rhodes TNT Title Reign

• Warhorse Announced As Next Challenger To Cody’s AEW TNT Championship

Cody has defended the title 6x since winning it at Double or Nothing in May. He’s defeated Jungle Boy, Marq Quen, Ricky Starks, Jake Hager, Sonny Kiss, and now Eddie Kingston. He is scheduled to face Warhorse next week.

AEW has announced Warhorse has answered Cody’s Open Challenge and will face him for the TNT Championship next week.

Cody’s coach Arn Anderson has been teasing Warhorse as an opponent for Cody over the past few weeks. The champ has already defended the TNT title 6 times since winning it at Double or Nothing. He’s defeated Jungle Boy, Marq Quen, Ricky Starks, Jake Hager, Sonny Kiss, and Eddie Kingston thus far.

Warhorse (@JPWARHORSE on Twitter) looks excited about the news:

Becoming WARHORSE

Earlier this year, Kenny Johnson produced the following short documentary on Warhorse:

In the documentary, Warhorse describes the creation of his character:

“I was reading this book by KISS and essentially, they talked about how they did everything different. They wanted to be the band they never got to see, and they love comic books and horror movies and all these things, so I thought ‘Okay, I love heavy metal. I love 80’s style wrestling, I love the big over-the-top personalities.’ And if you listen to most of the old-school vets, they’ll tell you that a character will get you farther than anything else.”

• AEW Dynamite Scores Decisive Win Over NXT In Viewership & Demo

AEW Dynamite Preview

Cody vs. Warhorse rounds out a stacked lineup for next week’s AEW Dynamite:

Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson gave some people the thrill of a lifetime recently during a taste-testing of his Teremana brand tequila.

The Rock hid backstage as a focus group tasted his tequila and then surprised the group after they had offered their positive reviews of his product. The event was produced by PEOPLE TV and filmed before the start of the pandemic.

“There is a focus group here and they are taste testing my new tequila,” Rock says in the video. “This is the very first time that I’ve participated in any kind of taste-testing, certainly surprising people, so this is going to be a lot of fun. I hope they like it.”

The focus group responded positively to the Rock’s tequila brand. Some members of the group even felt the tequila was “a little dangerous” due to how smooth it tastes.

Footage of The Rock surprising the focus group participants can be viewed below:

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Rock described his Teremana tequila brand in an Instagram post from October:

“TERA is meant to represent “Terre” which means of the earth and MANA is our powerful Polynesian spirit that guides us. 
Spirit of the earth.
Our goal is to create a tequila that is the best of quality and taste, but done the right way – by hand. “

Edge tore his triceps during the filming of the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever at Backlash. The injury will keep him out of action for some time but according to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, plans are already in place for his match at next year’s WrestleMania.

The report states that while things could change, the current plan is for Edge and Randy Orton to meet in an “I Quit” match at WrestleMania 37. WWE originally wanted to do this match at SummerSlam. Edge’s injury caused a change in plans, however.

“The plan is for Edge vs. Orton in an I Quit match as one of the key matches for next WrestleMania,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “It was already scheduled for SummerSlam before the Backlash “Best in the World” match took place, but Edge’s injury made that impossible.”

As always, these plans could change in the time between now and next year’s WrestleMania.

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Edge is also said to have taken on a creative role backstage in WWE as of late. It was reported on the Wrestling Observer, that he and Daniel Bryan are on the writing teams of their respective shows.

“Edge on Raw and Daniel Bryan on Smackdown both have significant creative influence,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “The term I was given is they were part of the writing teams of the respective shows right now.”

Daniel Bryan hasn’t wrestled in WWE since late May. He dropped the finals of the Intercontinental title tournament to AJ Styles on Smackdown.

Edge’s most recent for the company was labeled ‘The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever’ and took place at Backlash. He is currently out of action recovering from a tricep tear.

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According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, both wrestlers currently have significant creative influence backstage in the company. They are both said to be part of the writing teams for their respective shows.

“Edge on Raw and Daniel Bryan on Smackdown both have significant creative influence,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “The term I was given is they were part of the writing teams of the respective shows right now.”

WWE has undergone several changes to its creative team recently. The company announced after Paul Heyman’s departure from the creative team that they were consolidating its writing teams. Bruce Prichard serves as head of creative both WWE’s main roster shows.

WWE’s official statement on the matter read, “In an effort to streamline our creative writing process for television, we have consolidated both teams from Raw and SmackDown into one group, led by Bruce Prichard. Paul Heyman will concentrate on his role as an in-ring performer.”

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It was recently reported that WWE had plans for a new Nation of Domination stable. This is said to have been the reason why Ron Simmons (aka Faarooq) was on RAW this week. In an update to this story, The Wrestling Observer is reporting that there are people in WWE against the idea.

“We don’t know if they are going to do that or if it was dropped,” wrote Dave Meltzer about the angle. “We do know people who thought from a real life timing situation that redoing the Nation right now would be incredibly tone deaf, so a lot did want it nixed.”

Plans for the angle were to include both Ron Simmons and Mark Henry. Both former Nation members were to be on RAW this week to help kick-start the angle.

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Simmons appeared backstage on RAW and spoke with MVP’s stable, the Hurt Business. The faction added Shelton Benjamin to its ranks on the show. Henry did not appear on the show. Benjamin also won the 24/7 title from R-Truth on RAW.

“There was an idea, I don’t know if it was dropped,” said Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer radio earlier this week. “Originally it was going to be on the show for a revamping of the Nation of Domination and Ron Simmons was going to be apart of that angle But they dropped that angle for this show.” 

Impact Wrestling has said that Michael Elgin will no longer appear on their programming. This announcement was made in the wake of allegations against Elgin as part of the #SpeakingOut movement. Elgin recently put out a series of Tweets and videos regarding his situation.

“It’s hard and I’ve tried to go about all this the right way and I don’t want to attack people because what has happened in society, not just wrestling, is very just. People who use power or their position to take advantage of others, I’ve never agreed with,” Elgin said in the video.

“Wrestling should be a sanctuary for male, female, Black, white, Asian, straight, gay, trans, it should be a safe place.”

Elgin then mentioned he has sent Impact information about the allegations against him. He has also spoken with an attorney.

“So with that, I sent Impact all my info of what accusations were made and I have sent it to an attorney. If things don’t get sorted, I don’t want to post these online.”

Elgin then released the following Tweets regarding the allegations made against him earlier today:

Elgin’s videos are below:

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Elgin is a former IWGP Intercontinental Champion, NEVER Openweight Champion, and ROH Champion.

Adam Cole stormed out of an interview on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday. In what is likely a worked angle, Cole appeared to take offense to McAfee’s line of questioning.

McAfee said that Cole was only the champion for as long as he was because of the help he received from the Undisputed Era. McAfee also made comments about Cole being “kind of small” leading to Cole hurling insults at him and storming off the set.

“F**k you Pat,” Cole said as he stormed out of his seat. “Seriously, I’m sick of your s**t. I come the whole way here, take time away from my family to come and do your stupid f***ing show and you’re going to continue to disrespect me.”

Cole then pushed a stagehand who approached him before leaving.

McAfee would later post a series of DMs he had with Cole:

Cole’s reign with the NXT Championship was the longest in the title’s lineage. He defeated Johnny Gargano at TakeOver XXV. Cole dropped the belt to Keith Lee earlier this month at the Great American Bash.

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