Keith Lee won the NXT Championship on Wednesday from Adam Cole. The match was filmed the previous week, however, and news of the title change leaked. In an interview with Talk Sports, Lee said he was not bothered by the spoiler coming out but recognizes some people might prefer not to know what will happen ahead of time.
“At the end of the day the only way someone knows what happens is when it airs,” Lee said. He continued to talk about how the spoiler may have hurt the enjoyment for some fans, however.
“For those people that think that they’ve unloaded some big mystery or something is one thing, but the only thing that makes me sad in the scenario is how many of them are trying to ruin it for other people, because there is the potential for it.”
NXT has filmed multiple endings for matches previously to prevent spoilers from leaking out. There really was no certainty that the same thing had not happened this time.
“To me, it shows me how uncool some people can be, but at the end of the day, you don’t really know what’s happening until it happens and that’s just the truth of the matter,” Lee continued.
Lana stated on social media recently that both her parents have tested positive for COVID-19. Her mother was taken to the hospital as she was having trouble breathing. In a recent video update, Lana let fans know that her mother is doing much better. They have taken her off oxygen.
My mom tested positive for covid. She is in the ICU right now. She is asthmatic and is on oxygen. Thank you for all the thoughts & prayers ??
“My mom is doing much better. They have had her off of the oxygen in the hospital for over 24 hours now, so that’s incredible,” Lana said. “Thank you guys for all your prayers and positive thoughts. Her oxygen, the thing she has to breathe in, it’s like you don’t want it lower than 90 and its at 93 right now.”
“She’s out of the ICU, she’s in a hotel room and they are talking about releasing her today because she is doing much better. They said that she’s not out of the woods though yet. So, just keep her in your prayers and thoughts but she is doing much better.”
Lana also updated fans on her father’s condition.
“My dad is doing better. He’s on about day 15 now from his first symptom. He couldn’t get out of bed at all for a week. Last week, he could not get out of bed but he’s not asthmatic like my mother is.”
“Wear your masks, like for real and now that things are starting to open up in America, you have to be extra careful.”
“We have to come together and we have to be kind and be nice and continue to lift each other up and be nice.”
Taz announced Brian Cage as the new FTW Champion on Dynamite this week. This marks the first time anyone has held the title since Taz won the ECW World Championship on January 10th, 1999. AEW has announced Brian Cage’s first title defense.
Cage’s first title defence will take place on AEW Dark this week against Brian Pillman Jr.
AEW announced 6 matches for the show this week:
SIX matches are ready for #AEWDark next week with your main event set as the #FTW championship is on the line between champion 'The Machine' @MrGMSI_BCage & challenger @FlyinBrianJr.
FTW Championship Brian Cage (c) vs Brian Pillman Jr.
Serpentico & Luther vs Brady Pierce & Pineapple Pete
Robert Anthony vs Ricky Starks
Diamante & Rache Chanel vs Allie & Brandi Rhodes
Michael Nakazawa vs Marko Stunt
Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus (Jurrasic Express) vs Brandon Cutler & Peter Avalon
FTW Championship History
Taz introduced the rather unique title on May 28th, 1998. The show was titled “It Aint Seinfeld” and emanated from Queen’s, New York. He held the title for 219 days before dropping it to Sabu. This was a triple threat match from Philadelphia with Justin Credible as the 3rd man. Taz then won the title back at Living Dangerously 1999 in an “Extreme Death Match.”
The title then ceased to exist after Taz defeated Shane Douglas for the ECW World title in 1999.
Major League Wrestling is exploring the idea of holding an event on an island. The promotion is looking at holding an event in possibly either Puerto Rico or Hawaii in 2021. This all assumes MLW officials will be able to regain control of the company from Josef Samael’s Contra Unit by then, of course.
“We are cautiously optimistic about this project,” said an anonymous league official.
MLW has not been hosting events since the start of the pandemic. They appear hopeful that the situation will soon improve enough for them to do so, however.
“While the on-going COVID-19 pandemic continues, there is optimism that a vaccine is on the horizon and as such, the league is having meetings to push forward on expanding MLW into new territories,” reads an MLW.com update.
The Von Erich brothers are big stars in MLW and make their home in Hawaii with their father, Kevin Von Erich. Savio Vega is also a big star in Puerto Rico, making the two locations ideal for MLW to expand into.
Savio Vega is officially the Caribbean Heavyweight Champion but the title was stolen by Richard Holliday. We could perhaps get an official title match if an event is held in Puerto Rico next year.
“As for Puerto Rico, it was revealed on this week’s Pulp FUSION via Savio Vega that MLW’s CEO met with Puerto Rican government officials about hosting a Caribbean Heavyweight Championship title fight,” MLW.com’s report reads.
Raven had two stints in WWE. Once in a manager’s role as Johnny Polo in 93-94 and then again from 2000-03 as Raven. During his run in the company as a wrestler, Raven set the record for most Hardcore title wins with 27.
Raven signed with WWE in 2000 as it became clear ECW was struggling financially. He would eventually join “the Alliance” as part of the Invasion angle.
“It was just a matter of trust for a variety of reason,” JR said on the show.
“The thing about Raven, it was never a talent issue. He had talent. He was a good talker, smart guy, high IQ. Probably could have been a good road agent at some point later on. He could have contributed in a lot of ways.”
Conrad Thompson had previously mentioned that Raven’s reputation for substance abuse may have hampered in him in WWE. He also is said to have partied a bit too much with Shane McMahon during his first run with the company.
“It was never a talent issue with Scotty. He needed to distance himself from his previous indiscretions.”
“We used him on TV, he was a broadcaster, he probably could have been a great manager over time,” JR continued.
Raven briefly served as a broadcaster on Sunday Night Heat before returning to the ring. He competed at WrestleMania X-7 in a triple threat hardcore match against Kane and Rhino as well.
Edge tore his tricep during the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever. He is going to be out of action for awhile. In the mean time, he’s promoting his new film “Money Plane.” The film was released to video on-demand yesterday.
Edge plays a professional thief named Jack Reese in the film. One of his co-stars is Kelsey Grammar, who plays the role of Darius Emmanuel Grouch III. Edge recently spoke to SI.com about why he decided to take the role.
“I thought the script was fun. For an hour-and-twenty minutes, you can forget about everything else and just enjoy a throwback 90s, tongue-in-cheek action movie,” he said. “And you have Kelsey Grammer, Thomas Jane, and all of the people involved in it, and that’s when I said, ‘Great, I can’t wait to share scenes with them and pick their brains.’ And for me, there were personal ties. Kelsey Grammer was my mom’s favorite actor, bar none.”
Edge would continue to talk about how much his mother loved Kelsey Grammar.
“My mom passed away about a year-and-a-half before we filmed this, but her favorite actor was Kelsey Grammer. Even when she was going through her chemo, all she wanted to do was go home and watch Frasier. So that’s what we’d do. And then to get offered this fun script where Kelsey Grammer is playing the villain, are you kidding me? I’m not saying no to that.”
WCW Nitro increased from a 1-hour program to a 2-hour program after the conclusion of the 96 NBA Playoffs on TNT. It would later expand to 3-hours. Eric Bischoff recently discussed the decision to expand the program by an hour on an episode of his podcast.
“Who set that standard, who led the way? Who cleared the path for 120 minutes, some of the most exciting action that has ever been seen in the world? Not just here in the states but in the entire world of professional wrestling, that would be Nitro.”
Bischoff would continue to discuss how this decision has had a lasting impact in pro-wrestling.
“As you pointed out, WWF would follow suit, and then followed suit again with a 3-hour show,” he continued.
“If you write down all the ways WWF followed suit in terms of what we did at Nitro, you’ll understand why I say Nitro changed the wrestling landscape not only during the Monday Night Wars but to this very day,” Bischoff said on the show. “Our fingerprints, our choices, our decisions, our tactics, our strategies still live on today, not just in the form of the NWO merchandise, in terms of the format you are watching. You are watching live TV on Monday nights and Wednesday nights and Friday nights, when things are back to normal, because of Monday Night Nitro, just remember that.”
Triple H recently took part in an interview with Yahoo Sports. He discussed the #SpeakingOut movement that has taken place in wrestling over the last month. Triple H also spoke about WWE’s policies for when a wrestler is accused of such offenses.
“You don’t ever want to see somebody be in situations that you have heard about in the #SpeakingOut movement,” Triple H said.
He then reiterated WWE’s policy on offences similar to those that have been mentioned as part of the #SpeakingOut movement.
“We’ve stated that as far as this movement goes, individuals are responsible for their own actions,” Triple H said. “But we also have a zero-tolerance policy for domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual assault. If someone is arrested for that, they are immediately suspended. If they are convicted, they are immediately terminated. There’s no leeway or wiggle room. That is what it is.”
He continued to say that in lieu of an arrest or conviction, WWE could also take action against a member of its roster provided irrefutable evidence exists that an offense was committed.
“We also have the ability to fine, suspend or terminate for anything that has evidence of illegal misconduct or what we deem to be enough evidence to have the right to terminate.”
Sami Zayn has been raising money to purchase a mobile health clinic to provide medical relief in Syria. In total, Sami has raised over $57 thousand along with the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) Foundation for the project.
Zayn announced recently that the mobile health clinic has arrived in Syria. It is able to treat up to 126 patients a day.
“Launching the mobile clinic was delayed by a heart attack, border issues, and yes, a global pandemic, but it is here now! So far, it has treated an average of 126 patients/day. Donate at SamiForSyria.com to help cover operation costs. Thank you all for making this happen,” Zayn Tweeted.
Launching the mobile clinic was delayed by a heart attack, border issues, and yes, a global pandemic, but it is here now! So far, it has treated an average of 126 patients/day. Donate at https://t.co/t4RdChDwIW to help cover operation costs. Thank you all for making this happen. https://t.co/4GbKmlRDtq
“We need your help to continue operating the Sami for Syria Mobile Clinic, including paying for the fuel, warehouse rent, and other operational costs. Help Sami and SAMS bring urgently needed medical care to families and children impacted by the crisis in Syria,” reads the Sami4Syria website.
Zayn hasn’t wrestled for WWE since WrestleMania 36. He defeated Daniel Bryan on the show to retain the Intercontinental title. WWE later stripped him of the title as he began no longer participating in the tapings from the Performance Center.
For the past 3 weeks, NXT has had a higher total viewership than AEW on Wednesday nights. AEW has continued to hold the lead in the 18-49 demo that advertisers value above all else, however.
DVR numbers for both shows are not as readily available as traditional ratings but some numbers have recently been reported. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW has been averaging a 34% increase from DVR viewership over the last two months. NXT has been averaging a 31% increase in DVR viewership over the same time period. These numbers are for May and June as the most recent DVR numbers have not been reported yet.
The report continued to say that AEW’s show on 6/24 did record bad ratings for the company. It brought in 633,000 total viewers and a 0.22 rating (285,000 viewers) in the key demo. This went up against an NXT that did 786,000 viewers and 0.19 in the key demo.
“We don’t have overall but if those numbers held up it would be 1.06 million for NXT and 893,000 for AEW, which would be the lowest AEW number I’ve seen for a +7 figure,” wrote Dave Meltzer about the ratings for the 6/24 show.
The “+7” mentioned above is often referred to as “Live Plus 7” and includes all viewers who watched the show within 1 week of it airing including those who watched live.
Keith Lee is the new NXT Champion. He defeated Adam Cole in the main event of NXT’s Great American Bash night 2. The 35-year-old signed with WWE in 2018 but his road to the top of NXT wasn’t a smooth one. At first, Lee says he wasn’t sure who WWE wanted him to be. He eventually learned how to just be himself.
“The beginning was tough,” Lee said to SI.com. “I thought the company wanted something else from me. The entire time, they wanted me to be myself. The one person who really helped me work through all of that was [WWE trainer] Terry Taylor.”
Lee continued to say that when he began to doubt himself, Taylor helped him through it.
“I thought I was doing something wrong, but Terry Taylor was the one that kept reminding me who I was. When I was filled with doubt, he kept me together. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know what would have happened for me in this company.“
Lee is a 15-year pro having begun his career in 2005. He tried out for WWE 3 times before eventually signing in 2018. Lee’s WWE tryouts came in 2008, 2011, and again in 2013.
He also said during the interview, that he wants to be a representative for African Americans.
“I want to be the representation for African American people, to have someone that looks like them and represents them on the top stage and has top caliber matches,” Lee continued.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Rey Mysterio is working without a contract in WWE. He signed with the company in September of 2018 shortly after performing in the main event of All In that month. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Mysterio asked WWE for a raise recently and was told the company is not giving those 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. Mysterio is working under the terms set out in his previous contract.
Mysterio is currently in a high-profile storyline with Seth Rollins on WWE RAW. They did an angle where Rollins damaged Mysterio’s eye leading to an “Eye for an Eye” match at Extreme Rules. WWE.com has said the match can only end when one competitor has extracted the eyeball of the other.
It is also being reported that CGI will likely be apart of the match at Extreme Rules.
“The idea is to do a taped match and use some form of CGI effects to simulate an eye being pulled out as the finish,” Meltzer wrote.
Should Mysterio lose the match and his eye, it would likely serve as a way to write him off television.
A major factor which will could determine where Mysterio ends up might be how his son Dominik is used. Mysterio will likely want to sign with a company that would also bring in Dominik.
Tony Khan and AEW have suspended Big Swole for an undetermined amount of time. The suspension is as a result of Swole kidnapping Britt Baker on a recent episode of Dynamite. Khan later was adamant that wrestlers are not permitted to kidnap one another.
Swole was served with a letter on Dynamite informing her that she was suspended. She would show up inside Daily’s Place later in the show, however.
“As we just informed @SwoleWorld on #AEWDynamite via formal letter, Big Swole has been suspended from AEW for kidnapping Dr. Britt Baker. Wrestlers can’t kidnap each other. We asked Swole to go home to cool off. Swole’s an important member of our team, and we’ll see her back soon,” Tony Khan Tweeted.
As we just informed @SwoleWorld on #AEWDynamite via formal letter, Big Swole has been suspended from AEW for kidnapping Dr. Britt Baker. Wrestlers can’t kidnap each other. We asked Swole to go home to cool off. Swole’s an important member of our team, and we’ll see her back soon.
Tony Khan Clarifies AEW Policy Regarding Wrestler Kidnapping
Khan would also respond to some questions online about what is and is not a suspendible offence in AEW.
Lance Archer assaults people and then throws them at or around the ring. That’s different. This is wrestling. You have to draw the line somewhere, but assault isn’t it.
“Fair enough on the coffee, but take away the kidnapping, which we can’t condone, and then I thought the coffee was offset by the garbage (twice) + then using your credential and an #AEW facemask to get back into the building under false pretenses, so I’d say call it even on that,” Khan Tweeted.
Next week’s episode of AEW Dynamite will be branded “Fight for the Fallen.” The show will raise money for COVID-19 relief. The Khan family has already donated $1 million as part of the fundraising efforts.
Last year’s inaugural FTTF event raised money for victims of gun violence.
The main event will be see AEW World Champion Jon Moxley’s highly anticipated defense against “The Machine” Brian Cage. This bout was previously scheduled for Fyter Fest Week 2, however it was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. Moxley’s wife, WWE broadcaster Renee Young, tested positive for the virus last month.
AEW Champion Jon Moxley vs. FTW Champion Brian Cage
AEW has also booked a TNT title match for the show. Cody will defend the belt against Sonny Kiss.
After being on the losing end of an 8-man tag this week on Dynamite, FTR will look to get back in the win column at Fight for the Fallen. They will take on the Lucha Bros in tag action on the show.
Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks will team up in 6-man action at Fight for the Fallen. They will take on all 3 members of Jurassic Express.
AEW Fight for the Fallen Card
The full lineup for the show is below:
– AEW World Champion Jon Moxley vs. FTW Champion “The Machine” Brian Cage
– TNT Champion Cody vs Sonny Kiss
– The Elite (Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks) vs. Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus, Marko Stunt)
– FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) vs The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix)
Ring of Honor has announced that the next episode of its weekly television program will be a tribute to Hana Kimura. She wrestled 4 matches for the promotion including at the G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden in 2019.
“Next week on ROH TV is a very special tribute episode celebrating the career of Hana Kimura We look back at Hana’s ROH matches, Her G1 Supercard match at Madison Square Garden, The stars of ROH share their favorite memories of Hana & more!” ROH Tweeted.
Following a period of mourning, Hana Kimura’s family has been speaking out concerning Hana’s death. Her mother has stated to media that producers for the Terrance House reality show encouraged Hana to act aggressively on the show. Fuji TV has said they are currently investigating the matter.
2. This is the first time that Kyoko Kimura is responding to the mainstream media after Hana's death.
On May 15th, Hana celebrated her grandmother's birthday with her grandmother & mother…
Hana Kimura was only 22 years-old when she died on May 23rd, 2020. Her death has led numerous wrestling personalities to speak out against a toxic social media culture.
In response to Hana’s passing, the Japanese government is looking into stronger anti-cyberbullying laws.
“Online slander only serves to induce even more similar messages, and this is a serious violation of human rights,” Justice Minister Masako Mori said on the matter.
Matt Riddle has released a video denying allegations against him as part of the #SpeakingOut movement. The Smackdown Superstar admits he had an affair with his accuser but is denying all allegations of sexual misconduct.
“I’m going to make this quick. I have never in my entire life sexually assaulted a man, woman, or anybody,” Riddle begins the video.
He then addressed his accuser directly.
“Candy Cartwright, I never sexually assaulted you. The story about that van trip and the driver being asleep and me forcing you to do stuff and hop on whatever is a complete lie. It’s a fabricated story because you’re still mad. You know why you’re mad? Because yes, you’re right, we had an affair, you have plenty of evidence of that. You know what? I never denied it because it happened. Do I want to talk about it? Do I really want to share about it? No, it’s embarrassing because I feel like real piece of crap cheating on my wife and doing that and now having to talk about it publicly but I have to.”
Riddle continued to talk about how he began to feel depressed with all the lying and cheating on his partner.
“It’s not something cool, I didn’t want to brag about it. I tried to end it, i told my wife about you and us. I blocked you, I blocked your social media. You then started using messaging apps, you kept coming.”
Riddle then continued to talk about all the ways the person continued to message him. He said she has been showing up to hotels and harassing his friends as well.
“At the end of the day, I’m not perfect. We did have an affair and I’m not happy about that. But, I never sexually abused anybody, I never sexually assaulted anybody. And when I wanted to get out of this relationship, out of this situation, she said no and kept pursuing me and harassing me and stocking me. And when she didn’t get her way, she used the #SpeakingOut movement to try and ruin my career. Completely unacceptable.”
THIS IS US: we are the Riddles. Are we perfect…NO, but we are a FORCE that will always stick together and be strong. Words of recommendation…don’t try to mess with us. Do we expect everyone to like us, no, & if you don’t that’s okay, but don’t get in our way. @SuperKingofBrospic.twitter.com/HDyVL74IC9
NXT presents the second night of the Great American Bash tonight. Last week’s episode garnered more total viewers than AEW’s first night of Fyter Fest, though they came up short in the 18-49 demo that advertisers value so much. Triple H spoke to SI.com recently about the healthy competition between the two brands.
He was asked if counter-programming is part of healthy competition.
“It absolutely is part of healthy of competition. Anyone that thinks it isn’t, to a degree, is being naive to the situation,” Triple H said. “You saw that back in the day when Clash of Champions was counter-programming [to WWE’s WrestleMania IV in 1988]. At the same point, it can’t drive your booking decisions.”
Triple H was also asked about how counter-booking impacts NXT’s creative. According to Triple H, however, he focusses more on what is right for NXT as opposed to countering AEW.
“Almost all of these storylines were headed where they are now. There was a gap, timing-wise, between In Your House and what will become the SummerSlam TakeOver, and you need a halfway point and a build. This is that halfway point. So it doesn’t change our decision-making process. I don’t counter-book, I book what’s right for NXT.”
Triple H also spoke about last week’s main event between Io Shirai and Sasha Banks, Keith Lee, and what fans can expect tonight. The full interview can be found here.
2K has released a trailer for the upcoming “WWE 2K Battlegrounds” game. It is currently scheduled to be released on September 18th, 2020. The game features WWE Superstars in over-the-top battle scenarios.
“We’re thrilled to introduce you to WWE 2K Battlegrounds, a completely new WWE gaming experience that will feature arcade-style action and over-the-top Superstar designs, environments and moves,” a 2K press release for the game from April reads. “We’re focusing on social pick-up-and-play fun, but with plenty of depth for those who want to get way into it.”
2K announced earlier this year that there will be no WWE2K21. The last version of the game was riddled with problems and received poor reviews. In response to the criticism, 2K announced the game would take an extended absence before a new version is produced.
Following the game’s release, #FixWWE2k20 began to trend online. The game’s producers then released the following statement:
“We are listening closely to the feedback that’s been shared regarding WWE 2K20 and are aware of the concerns some players are reporting. We’re working hard to investigate these concerns and address them as necessary. We expect to have an initial patch ready in the next two weeks, with others to follow. Stay tuned to WWEGames social media channels for more information.”
2K would later commit to keeping the servers online for WWE 2K19 in response to the poor feedback to WWE 2K20.
Impact Wrestling this week continued its build to Slammiversary on July 18th, 2020. The show again teased that Impact’s roster will receive a fresh influx of talent at the PPV.
Impact Results 7/7:
Kylie Rae & Susie defeated Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary
The Deaners defeated Team XXL, TJP & Fallah Bah, & Reno Scum
Jordynne Grace defeated Kimber Lee
Willie Mack defeated Swinger-cide (Johnny Swinger as Suicide)
Sami Callihan defeated Josh Alexander
Here are 8 takeaways from Impact 7/7:
Return Of Former World Champions Teased
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K17SZJnQcEA
The most important segment on any episode of Impact Wrestling in recent weeks has occurred just before the show goes off the air. The return of Aces and Eights, Eric Young, and more have been hinted at during these post-credit segments.
This week, we saw an updated version of the Slammiversary promo that has been airing in recent weeks. During this update, the news anchor said that not only will a former World Champion be returning at Slammiverary but that person “Won’t be alone.”
Images flashed during this segment included clips of Bully Ray, James Storm, a Bulgarian flag, a Japanese flag, EC3, Chris Sabin, Eric Young, and Kurt Angle.
After the news anchor said that the returning world champion won’t be alone, several clips of other wrestlers were shown. These included Hurricane Helms, Amazing Red, Gail Kim, Luke Gallows, the Beautiful People, Lio Rush, Karl Anderson, Mike Bennett and Maria Kannellis and more.
The segment concluded with 3 hands grabbing 3 drinks. So, a lot of things being teased, in other words.
The World’s Most Dangerous Tag Team Headed To Slammiversary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oHr_BozGhw
Sami Callihan defeated Josh Alexander
This week’s main event previewed the tag title match at Slammiversary. Former enemies turned partners, Sami Callihan and Ken Shamrock, will challenge the North at Slammiversary. Callihan picked up the win this week with a piledriver after Shamrock came out to fend off the interference from Ethan Page on the outside.
Shamrock and Callihan appear to be functioning okay so far but what will happen at Slammiversary?
Last week on Impact Wrestling, Tommy Dreamer cut a scathing promo on Moose. Dreamer called Moose a waste of talent. This week, Dreamer issued an apology of sorts as was requested by Moose.
Dreamer read a prepared statement courtesy of his attorney, “Tricky Dicky Heyman.” The apology was somewhat insincere and also seemed to imply that Moose thinks the Earth is flat. Moose came out to confront Tommy and also stated that there is no proof that the Earth is round. Dreamer then informed Moose that the imaginary TNA Championship committee has made him the #1 Contender for the title Moose is in possession of. The match will be contested under “Old School” rules.
Taya Valkyrie Taps Out To Kylie Rae
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DEwjTXdTrI
Kylie Rae & Susie defeated Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary
Kylie Rae is headed to the #1 Contenders Gauntlet match at Slammiversary with a little moment. She made the Taya Valkyrie tap out with the “Smile to the Finish” in this week’s opener. The finish of the match came shortly after Su Yung and Kylie Rae sent Rosemary spilling to the outside. John E Bravo, who has a budding romance with the Demon’s Assasin, then turned his attention away from the match and onto Rosemary. Taya was then left alone in the ring and got locked in Kylie’s “Smile To The Finish” STF finisher and tapped.
Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace Impresses In Win Over Kimber Lee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJtYl-6A5Iw
Jordynne Grace defeated Kimber Lee
Kimber Lee had a chance here to earn a victory over the champion just 12 days out from the #1 Contenders gauntlet match at Slammiversary. Grace was looking to build momentum as she gears up to defend her title against Deonna Purrazzo at the PPV.
After hitting a Swanton and only getting a 2-count, Lee grew frustrated. She attempted to hit Grace with a pair brass knuckles but Grace countered, hit the Grace Driver, and got the win.
After the match, Deonna Purrazzo appeared on the big screen. Purrazzo is all about strategy, however, and didn’t go to the ring to confront Grace. Rather, Purrazzo is waiting until Slammiversary. Purrazzo also hinted that she is not the only one that sees Impact is ripe for the picking.
Johnny Swinger Performs as Suicide, It Doesn’t Go Well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxzGKkMDVmg
Willie Mack defeated Swinger-cide (Johnny Swinger as Suicide)
Johnny Swinger opted to put on the Suicide costume this week. He failed to be able to perform many of the moves the masked wrestlers is usually known for. Mack picked up a somewhat easy victory with a Stunner. Mack will defend his X-Division title against Swinger’s run-in buddy Chris Bey at Slammiversary.
Madison Rayne Returning To The Ring At Slammiversary
.@MadisonRayne welcomes one of the most iconic Knockouts of all-time to Locker Room Talk….HERSELF!
Madison Ryane interviewed herself this week on Locker Room talk. She announced that she’ll be in the #1 Contenders gauntlet match at Slammiversary. Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz came out and were making fun of Rayne for interviewing herself which then brought out Havok and Nevaeh. The two teams have been building a rivalry in recent weeks and began brawling to end the segment.
The Deaners Win 4-Way Tag Match As Two Teams Leave Ring Area
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrJiLSkfYEM
The Deaners defeated Team XXL, TJP & Fallah Bah, & Reno Scum
Cody Deaner and Cousin Jake, The Deaners, managed to pick up a victory this week when Cousin Jake pinned Larry D of Team XXXL. Their win was aided by the fact that Reno Scum and TJP & Fallah Bah brawled to the backstage area in the middle of the match. This left just the Deaners and Team XXXL in the ring.
Cameras followed Reno Scum and Fallah Bah & TJP as they brawled backstage. Reno Scum was in their element in the back and took control of the brawl. The segment closed with TJP & Fallah Bah having been taken out and Reno Scum standing tall.
Last night on RAW, Rey Mysterio chose the stipulation for his match with Seth Rollins at “the Horror Show at Extreme Rules.” Mysterio earned the right to do so after he and Kevin Owens defeated Buddy Murphy and Rollins in tag action. Mysterio chose an “Eye for an Eye Match” which has led many to wonder what the actual rules are for such a match.
According to WWE.com, an “Eye for an Eye Match” can only end after one competitor has extracted the eyeball of the other.
“Mysterio teamed with Kevin Owens to defeat Rollins & Murphy for the right to choose the gory stipulation where a winner can only determined by extracting the opponent’s eye,” reads a listing for the match on WWE.com.
“Can Mysterio achieve the ruthless justice he craves, or will Rollins finish the barbaric attack that set this match in motion? Don’t miss The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, streaming on the award-winning WWE Network, Sunday, July 19, at 7 ET/4 PT!”
Rey Mysterio vs Seth Rollins – Eye For An Eye Match – Extreme Rules
The updated lineup for “The Horror Show at Extreme Rules” is as follows:
Eye For An Eye Match Rey Mysterio vs Seth Rollins
WWE Championship Drew McIntyre (c) vs Dolph Ziggler
RAW Women’s Championship Asuka (c) vs Sasha Banks
Smackdown Women’s Championship Bayley (c) vs Nikki Cross
Wyatt Swamp Fight (Non-Title) Bray Wyatt vs Braun Strowman
United States Championship MVP (c) vs Apollo Crews
Chris Hemsworth says he is going to have to put on more size than ever when he plays the role of Hulk Hogan. Hemsworth has been tapped to play the title role of the film which will be directed by Todd Phillips. He recently spoke to Comicbook.com about how he actually will have to put on more size to play Hogan than he did to play Thor.
“This movie is going to be a really fun project,” he said. “As you can imagine, the preparation for the role will be insanely physical. I will have to put on more size than I ever have before, even more than I put on for Thor. There is the accent as well as the physicality and the attitude.”
Hemsworth also noted that he will have to research the world of pro-wrestling for the world. It sounds as though he’s looking forward to that.
“I will also have to do a deep dive into the rabbit hole of the wrestling world, which I’m really looking forward to doing,” Hemsworth added.
Chris Hemsworth On Playing Hulk Hogan
Hemsworth noted to ScreenRant in April that he hasn’t seen a script yet for the film. Despite this, he still expressed excitement over the project.
“Look, I haven’t read a script yet. I know it’s being written now and worked on. I know very little about that. It’s sort of in the process now,” Hemsworth said. “I’m just fascinated by that world, and I think they’re pretty keen to show a side of the world that people haven’t seen before. I’m as intrigued as you are.”
Rebecca Quinn is better known to wrestling fans as Becky Lynch. She recently spoke to SI.com about the origins of her ring name.
“When I was coming up with my name in WWE, I came up with a bunch of mad Irish names that I thought were cool,” Lynch said. Her character originally played up more of her Irish heritage in NXT. She later transitioned to a steam-punk inspired gimmick before adopting “the Man” persona.
“They wanted a name associated with my own name, like Rebecca,” said Lynch. “So I became Becky, and two of the names that came back to me were Becky Lynch and something like Madeleine. I was like, ‘I didn’t even submit that, I don’t know how it got in there.’ It made me think of that TV show Madeleine. Anyway, I said no to that, and the other name that came back was Robin Daly. I actually did like that, but I thought it would be better to have a part of my own name in there, so Becky Lynch it was.”
Lynch announced in May that her and Seth Rollins are expecting their first child. She has been gone from WWE since.
Sasha Banks recently commented online that she believes her team with Bayley is better than Harlem Heat was. Booker T then addressed Sasha’s comments on his YouTube channel and show.
“She didn’t say that, tell me she didn’t just say that,” Booker started. “My thing is this, I put her over! I put Bayley over too, right? Sometimes that’s very hard to do but I managed to do it because I’m the bigger man.”
— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) July 5, 2020
Booker continued to address Sasha’s claim that her team with Bayley is better than Harlem Heat was.
“Sasha, Bayley, great tag-team but as far as those two being anywhere near as great as the Hall of Fame tag-team, 10x world tag team champions – set the record – along with the greatest manager in the history of the game, Sister Sherri Martel,” Booker continued. He then broke out a picture of him and his brother Stevie Ray in a match from Germany.
“That’s real right there. As far as Sasha Banks & Bayley goes, as far as those two in tag-team wrestling goes and what Harlem Heat brought to the game and still sprinkling out there all over the world right now. People still singing the name on a yearly basis as far as Harlem Heat goes.”
“As far as Sasha and Bayley go, I’m going to leave it at that.”
Former WOH champion Kelly Klein recently levied some allegations against Ring of Honor online. In particular, Klein took issue with ROH’s “investigation” into the acitivity of members of the promotion’s roster. She posted a series of Tweets recently which also referenced allegations against Jay Lethal.
“MULTIPLE women brought complaints & evidence of sexual misconduct/harassment by Jay Lethal. ROH ignored/covered it up. They only take action when convenient,” Klein Tweeted. “They are hoping to use another “investigation” to wait everyone out until we ‘forget.'”
They are hoping to use another “investigation” to wait everyone out until we “forget.”
Thank you, @ringofhonor for all of the truly wonderful things you do and have done.
Now please address the bad behavior. Do better. Right now you continue to CHOOSE not to.#SpeakingOut
In fact, qualities that make it hard to accept that a “favorite” could do something horrible are the things they use to gain access to victims & escape accountability.
They don’t usually wear a sign or broadcast their bad intentions.
After being mentioned by Klein in the above Tweets, Jay Lethal issued a statement on Twitter.
“It has always been my choice to use silence to keep my dignity, refrain from publicly attacking people I’m not fond of, and relying on who I have been as a person to speak for itself. I’ve also never wanted to use MY platform to boost or give attention to any negativity. I do however know and realize that some people will sadly take my silence to mean something else. “
The #speakingout movement has given me hope that the industry that I’ve chosen to give my life to will become a better place. I’ve wanted to stand in support of all those brave enough to share their painful stories. Unfortunately, I was afraid to due to the lies that are being said about me. I have never and would never sexually harass, sexually assault, rape or force myself on anyone. I would never use my status to deny anyone opportunities. Even now, it pains me to know that defending myself might somehow tarnish an important movement and cast doubt on real, troubling experiences.”
When Bret Hart re-signed with WWE in 1996, it seemed as though he would spend the rest of his career with the company. Vince McMahon would famously ask to be let out of the deal the following year, however. What this ultimately led to was the infamous Montreal Screwjob and Bret’s departure to WCW.
Jim Ross recently spent some time on his “Grillin Jr” podcast talking about Bret Hart’s career in 1996. During the discussion, he spoke about the 20-year deal Bret signed with Vince in 1996.
“It was a very creative offer,” JR said. “Nothing like that offer had ever been made prior to and I’m not so sure anything has been made since of that nature. You don’t offer a pro-wrestler a 20-year contract, it’s not feasible.”
“As far as Bret getting a deal, getting that deal, first of all, not very many people knew what the deal was, only a few of us. But I had no issues with it because if Vince believed that was financially going to be feasible to do, then he would know that better anybody else.”
“Those in the inner circle there at that time were happy that we were keeping Bret. You don’t want to lose Bret. I don’t think the Patriots wanted to lose Tom Brady.”
JR then addressed if he thought Vince McMahon felt pressure to re-sign Bret.
“Yeah, of course. He would not have broken the mold and created a new financial package and presentation,” JR said. “If WCW wasn’t in the picture and offering massive money it wouldn’t have motivated Vince to try to get in that game. So yeah, I’m sure he was uncomfortable with that situation.”
