Arn Anderson’s in-ring career ended in 1997 due to significant neck and upper back injuries. He actually participated in two wrestling matches in the year 2000, however. Both matches took place on Thunder.

Anderson was defeated by David Flair on the May 9th, 2000 episode of Thunder. He then teamed with Ric Flair and defeated Crowbar and David Flair on the next week’s episode. Anderson wasn’t cleared to compete and had limited physical involvement in the matches.

On a recent episode of the Arn Show, Double-A spoke about working the matches.

“I told them ‘guys, I should warn you, I haven’t been cleared and I won’t get cleared because I already tried to get cleared once before,'” Anderson said on the show.

“Whoever it was I just said ‘I’ll do whatever I can to help David,'” Anderson continued.

He then spoke about a rather reckless moment that happened in one of the matches.

“Here’s the crazy thing. They had a gimmick, they had a vase or something but they hit me right on the scar with it. Now, I know that was to get sympathy but it seemed kind of reckless afterwards, you know? Why would you hit me anywhere lower than that?”

He continued to mention that he was fine after the spot.

Arn Anderson On David Flair

Double-A and Conrad Thompson continued to talk about David Flair. They concluded that David should have been trained beforehand but that WCW was simply throwing everything against the wall at this point.

“This was a time when there was a mad scramble on and I got a feeling that David was caught up in that mad scramble,” Anderson continued.

• Arn Anderson Remembers Dusty Rhodes

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

One of the many Superstars WWE released in April is reportedly going to be on tonight’s episode of RAW. According to a report from PW Insider, Heath Slater will be on tonight’s show. Slater is still technically under contract with WWE.

The names WWE released in April are all to be paid for 90-days following their release. Slater is believed to be under WWE contract then until July 15th, 2020. Slater is rumored to be one of the many names headed to Impact Wrestling for their Slammiversary show on July 18th, 2020.

Is Heath Slater Going To Impact Wrestling?

• Heath Slater On When His WWE Non-Compete Clause Expires

On a recent episode of Impact Wrestling, the promotion teased that Slater and Rhino could be reuniting their team under their umbrella. Rohit Raju told Rhino backstage during a segment that he should be treating him like a tag-team partner and Rhino responded that he has a partner already and his partner “has kids.”

“I know that by July 18, I’m gonna have to start making some moves and get my name out there again. I can do whatever I want then. I’m hanging in there until then and just working on myself – mentally and physically and all that good stuff,” said on the WINCLY podcast.

One of the highlights of WCW PPVs used to be that Dusty Rhodes would provide commentary. In a time before podcasts, a WCW PPV used to be a great way to hear someone like Dusty Rhodes talk about wrestling for 3 hours.

Eric Bischoff recently discussed Dusty Rhodes’ commentary work on an episode of the 83 Weeks podcast. Bischoff and Conrad Thompson were discussing the Great American Bash from 1996 during the episode.

“I laughed my ass off during this show listening to (Dusty’s) commentary,” Bischoff said. “He was so entertaining but he was entertaining in a way that added to the quality of what was going on.”

“To hear Dusty Rhodes in his commentary, it made me miss Dusty even more,” Bischoff continued. “I said to myself that old saying ‘you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.’ Dusty Rhodes here in this PPV is the personification of that saying.”

Bischoff continued to praise Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay as well.

“Nobody has been consistently as good as Tony Schiavone as long as he has that I can think of.”

• Eric Bischoff Reacts to WWE’s Big Creative Shakeup, Has Advice For Paul Heyman

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

Sarah Logan and husband Raymond Rowe (aka Erik of the Viking Raiders) are expecting their first child. The couple announced that Sarah is pregnant on their YouTube channel “The Wild and Free TV.”

The couple released a video from 5 weeks ago where a pregnancy test came back as positive.

“I got fired from WWE and it felt like our lives got turned upside down. It felt scary and I didn’t know what I was going to do and this happened. This beautiful thing happened,” Sarah says in the video.

“Sarah and Raymond Rowe just received the absolute best news of their lives!! Sarah is PREGNANT!!!! Find out if she’s still lifting and hunting, and what this means for her MMA journey. Hear Raymond’s thoughts on being a father for the first time, and how that’s going to work with his WWE travel schedule . We can’t wait to take everyone through this amazing life experience,” a description of the video reads.

Sarah Logan & Ray Rowe Married In Viking Ceremony

• Sarah Logan & Ray Rowe Married In Viking Ceremony (Photos)

In late 2018, Sarah and Ray Rowe were married in a Viking ceremony. Several members of the WWE roster attended the ceremony and posted pictures from it.

Dusty Rhodes passed away on June 11th, 2015. On a recent episode of “The Arn Show,” his old rival Arn Anderson spent some time reflecting on Dusty’s life and career.

“Working with him just taught you about what was important in this business,” Anderson said about Dusty. “It was connecting with the audience positively and negatively. That was the most important thing you could be. A moderate worker with just a fair body but if you could connect with the audience, you were going to draw money. That was the most important thing. You could learn that from Dusty.”

Anderson continued to talk about what he learned from Dusty.

“Selling. Selling was so high up on the list,” Anderson continued. “Just all those things that we kind of skip around now.”

“I would just learn from Dusty,” he continued. “Nobody was better on that stick, talking them into the building than him. They all hurt as far as the losses because wrestlers go away before they should in a lot of cases and that’s one that will always be special and just one of those when you get the news, you get kicked right in the stomach and I don’t know if you ever get over it.”

• Otis Comments On Being Compared To Dusty Rhodes

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

Big E recently addressed the #SpeakingOut movement during an interview with The Sports Bubble. According to the member of New Day, he was not surprised about the allegations that surfaced from the movement.

“Sadly enough I wasn’t surprised,” Big E said about the allegations that came out as part of #SpeakingOut. “You hear some whispers.”

“There wasn’t anything specific that I was aware of but it really saddened and disgusted me to see how prevalent this was,” he continued.

Big E then mentioned he is friends with one of the creators of the movement.

“A friend of mine actually was the one who started this all. Victoria, she was brave enough to tell her story about David Starr. This all came out and then she embolden a lot of women and even men to come out and talk about some of the things they’ve experienced, the way they were victimized in this industry.”

Big E then continued to say that too often men are willing to shrug their shoulders at such accusations or not believe the accuser.

“Our industry can no longer tolerate what’s gone on. We can no longer tolerate rape, we can no longer tolerate sexual harassment, we can no longer shrug our shoulders at the way women have been victimized in our industry.”

Big E continued to talk about hoping the industry can be cleaned up. He also said he hopes those who committed offenses are gone from the business.

• Big E Talks About Positive COVID-19 Tests, Wrestlers Not Working TV Tapings

Big E’s comments can be heard in the player below:

Tony Khan is said to have been interested in building a wrestling promotion with CM Punk long before he began working with the Elite. It never materialized, however, and neither did a deal to bring Punk to AEW once the promotion had been created.

On a recent episode of his podcast, Konnan addressed the reason CM Punk didn’t join AEW.

“I do remember when I was negotiating with AEW and they were telling me about him, they were telling me that he was asking for like (an) astronomical amount of money,” Konnan said on the show. “They really wanted to work with him but…”

“I’m sure if they wanted to do something with him and Jericho or him and Cody, I’m sure they could,” Konnan continued. “Like I said, from what they told me, he was just asking for way too much. And this is a company that is willing to spend, so who knows what he was asking for?”

Did the UFC and WWE Backstage Hurt CM Punk’s Potential Drawing Power in Wrestling?

Disco Inferno and others on the podcast felt that Punk’s drawing power has decreased recently. They noted that he did not draw big ratings for WWE Backstage. They also noted that his drawing power in wrestling was hurt by his 2 fights in the UFC. Konnan disagreed with this sentiment, however.

“I don’t think that he’s damaged irreparably,” Konnan said. “I think if he was in a real good storyline and the type of promos he can cut, people would get behind it but I don’t think that joining AEW right now is going to mean anything. Timing is a lot of everything.”

• CM Punk Calls Out AJ Styles For Previous Insensitive Language

Kenny Omega is currently 1/2 of the AEW Tag Team Champions along with Hangman Page. He recently spoke to the entertainment website the Natural Aristocrat about a variety of subjects including the pressure he feels after having had matches rated 6-stars and over.

“Yeah, I mean it’s a double-edged sword really because when you set that standard, that precedent that you can have a six-star match… For some people, there’s an expectation that ‘Oh, if I see Kenny Omega, this is what I expect and hope to see!’” Omega said during the interview.

Omega then commented that what is a 6-star match to one person isn’t necessarily a 6-star match to someone else. He wants to diversify the type of matches he can have to appeal to the widest range of audience possible.

“What I’m trying to do is just diversify my resume, I never want to have to give what in one person’s mind is a 6-star match. That 6-star match to him isn’t necessarily what I think is a 6-star match. It isn’t necessarily what my neighbor that was beside me thinks is a 6-star match. It’s not what little Jimmy who lives across the world and generally likes watching Sailor Moon, maybe he doesn’t consider that a 6-star match,” Omega continued.

Omega and Hangman Page have been AEW tag champs since winning the belts from SCU aboard the Jericho cruise in January. They have defended the titles successfully 6x already. They’ve defeated SCU, the Lucha Bros, the Young Bucks, Kip Sabian & Jimmy Havoc, the Natural Nightmares, and the Best Friends. This Wednesday on Dynamite, they are scheduled to face Private Party.

The full interview with Kenny Omega can be read here.

• Kenny Omega Defends AEW Women’s Division From Detractor

AEW has announced the matches for Dark this week and Brian Pillman Jr. is on the card. He is scheduled to face Shawn Spears who will have Tully Blanchard in his corner. Spears recently began using a loaded glove in his matches as well, so Pillman may need to be wary of this.

Pillman is signed to MLW but the two promotions appear to have a working relationship that allows talent to work for both companies. Maxwell Jacob Friedman wrestled for both promotions for months prior to going to AEW full-time in early 2020. In fact, Pillman’s Hart Foundation and MJF’s Dynasty stable had quite the rivalry in MLW.

This will not be Pillman’s first match for the promotion, however. The 26-year-old was an entrant in the 21-person Casino Battle Royale at Double or Nothing in 2019.

AEW Dark Lineup

Here is the lineup for Tuesday’s episode of AEW Dark:

• Big Swole vs Rache Chanel
• Orange Cassidy vs Will Jobbs
• Frankie Kazarian vs Luther
• Michael Nakazawa vs Shawn Dean
• Brian Pillman Jr. vs Shawn Spears w/Tully Blanchard
• Scorpio Sky vs Serpentine
• Lucha Bros & Butcher and the Blade vs Joe Alonzo, Brady Pierce, Tony Donati & Faboo Andre
• Brandon Cutler & Peter Avalon vs The Dark Order

• Lance Storm, Brian Pillman Jr. & Others Debate Old School vs New School Wrestling

Bully Ray is no longer with Ring of Honor. The news first came out yesterday that Bully’s contract with the promotion had not been renewed. It was first reported by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The report also stated that ROH is not offering new deals at the moment. Some in ROH disputed the report that ROH was not offering new deals, however.

ROH commentator, Ian Riccaboni, noted on Twitter that this was not the case. He released a lengthy series of Tweets regarding this.

“People out here saying ROH isn’t offering contracts. How do you think the most frugal man in wrestling, me, could afford a MOC LJN Macho Man? I’m not saying bang down the door for a contract because ROH can’t sign *everyone* but I’m tired of this rumor being out there,” Riccaboni Tweeted.

The 90-day no-compete clauses from the WWE wrestlers released on April 15th is likely up on July 14th or 15th, 2020. Riccaboni’s series of Tweets made reference to 7/18, which is the date of Impact Wrestling’s Slammiversary PPV.

Update On Bully Ray’s Departure From ROH

PW Insider has since reported that Bully’s contract with the promotion expired on April 1st. He had been planned to end his time with the company at the Supercard of Honor show WrestleMania weekend until the pandemic hit. The report states that ROH and Bully have a good relationship but each came to the “realization that he had done all he could do there.”

• Bully Ray’s Contract Not Renewed By ROH

Former legendary deathmatch wrestler Necro Butcher announced on Facebook recently that he has been diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The 46-year-old retired in 2016 but returned in 2019. He made his return at GCW’s Joey Janela Spring Break 3 in April of 2019. Butcher did a few shows in Japan last December as well.

 “Finally got that elusive diagnosis, stage 3 Hodgkins, it was taking forever, multiple biopsies and procedures, I might be that happiest guy ever to hear he has cancer,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

He is scheduled to receive between 6-8 cycles of chemotherapy as treatment. Butcher is the father of 6 children.

Necro Butcher in Wrestling

Butcher was voted “Best Brawler” by the readers of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter in 2008 and in 2009. He has held titles for numerous promotions including CZW, where is a former Ultraviolent Underground Champion, tag champion, and won the tournament of Death in 2005. In JCW, the promotion run by the Insane Clown Posse, Butcher is a former heavyweight and tag-team champion along with Mad Man Pondo.

• New Details On WWE’s Plans For Swamp Fight At Extreme Rules

We wish the legendary deathmatch wrestler the best as he undergoes treatment. Necro Butcher vs Low-Ki from IWA-MidSouth can be seen in the player below:

When Cody Rhodes left WWE in 2016, he began simply being called “Cody.” This was due to WWE owning the trademark to his name. In April, Cody attempted to trademark the name after WWE let it expire. To some, it seemed as though WWE was finally taking the higher road and allowing the 35-year-old use of the Rhodes name his family has become so associated with. Evidently, that was not the case. WWE re-filed for the trademark in May and stated that the impacts of the pandemic are what caused their delay in renewing.

Cody commented on WWE’s trademarking of his name recently on Twitter. According to Cody, he holds no grudge against the company for doing so.

“It’s not as sultry/scandalous as reported. It’s just business. They’ve seen the same data we have, and they know they can make big money off the brand(even though it’s not in their house). Trying to license me is flattering, but it doesn’t stop this train from moving. No grudge,” Cody Tweeted.

Cody On The Great American Bash

Cody also commented recently on WWE using the “Great American Bash” name in NXT.

“The marketing of the event reminds me a lot of what Disney currently does. If you go to Disney World, they still sell Haunted Mansion shirts and they’re all done retro-style. They market nostalgia.”

• Cody Rhodes Hopes Great American Bash Is “Something Special”

Bully Ray’s contract with Ring of Honor has reportedly expired. He was not offered a new deal with the promotion owing to the fact the company is not offering new deals at the moment. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, ROH is high on Bully despite not renewing his contract.

“Bully Ray’s contract expired and he wasn’t given an offer for a new deal because ROH isn’t offering people new deals right now,” wrote Dave Meltzer. Bully signed with ROH in 2017.

“Nobody whose deals are up are getting new offers right now,” Meltzer continued.  

At one point, Bully Ray was heading up the Women of Honor division. According to a report from Squared Circle Sirens, however, he was replaced in the role by Jonathan Gresham earlier this year.

Bully Ray Returning To Impact Speculation

• Don Callis Teases Big Name From ECW Headed To Impact

Bully’s free agency comes at a time when Impact Wrestling is heavily teasing his former faction, Aces and Eights, could be returning to the promotion. While the leader of the faction, Bully had arguably his highest-profile single’s run as TNA World Champion in 2013.

Don Callis also heavily teased a former big-name from ECW who wasn’t originally thought to be available is on their way to the promotion.

“So, Jimmy, you might want to bring your autograph book because I just got the scoop. Someone who we didn’t even think was available might be coming, I’m just saying,” Callis said on a recent Impact post-show stream. “I’ll say this, I learned a lot from him, Jimmy, I learned a lot from him from 99 to 2001, do your homework, everyone. All you internet people out there, you figure out, who am I talking about? Who’s undergone some changes recently?”

Shayna Baszler spent 549 days as NXT Women’s Champion split across two title reigns. She was the first to win the title a second time and holds the record for most combined days as champion. Baszler then debuted on the main roster and was pitted against Becky Lynch at WrestleMania.

The future looked bright for Baszler on the main roster but as of this writing, she hasn’t wrestled for WWE since May 12th. Her last match was a victory over Natalya in a submissions match on RAW.

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the reason Baszler is no longer on television is that Vince doesn’t get her character.

“Vince also soured on Baszler completely because he never conceptually grasped the style that an MMA fighter should use in pro wrestling and she doesn’t check his buttons when it comes to women in wrestling,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

The report also stated that Baszler had been scheduled to win the women’s Money In The Bank match before Vince scrapped the idea. He then decided to remove Baszler from television altogether. This was done before Paul Heyman was removed from his role on the creative team.

The 34-year-old Baszler debuted for WWE in the 2017 Mae Young Classic. In addition to her pro-wrestling career, Baszler has a 15-11 MMA record.

• Shayna Baszler: “People In This Business Worry Too Much About Making People Laugh Backstage”

The next stage in the careers of Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows appears to be set. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, not only have Anderson & Gallows reached a deal with Impact, but they’ve also reached a deal in principle with NJPW.

Both Anderson and Gallows are still technically under contract with WWE until July 15th. This means neither their deal with NJPW or Impact is official as of yet.

“In fact, they’ve already cut the New Japan deal with Gedo and Nobuyuki Sugabayashi, although it likely doesn’t go into effect until New Japan’s hiring freeze ends,” Dave Meltzer wrote. It’s not clear at this moment when NJPW will lift their hiring freeze.

Anderson and Gallows’ agreement with Impact, while not yet official, has been reported by various outlets already as a “done deal.” Impact is said to have offered the team good money and are willing to work around their NJPW dates.

On the most recent edition of Impact, Scott D’Amore was heard on the phone talking to a couple of “Good Brothers.” There have also been teases in recent weeks of the return of the Aces and Eights stable, of which Gallows was a member.

Anderson spent 8 years with NJPW from 2008 to 2016. He has won the promotion’s tag league tournament on 3 occasions with 3 different partners. In 2009 he won the G1 tag league with Giant Bernard, in 2012 he won the World Tag League with Hirooki Goto and in 2013, he won it with Gallows. Anderson and Gallows are 3x IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions as well.

• Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows To Impact Said To Be A Done Deal

Renee Young went public with her positive COVID-19 test recently. Last week, it had been reported that Young was at one point bed-ridden with the virus but was steadily improving. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Young is doing much better.

“As of midweek, (Renee Young) still felt funny and her chest felt heavy but overall felt a lot better,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

Also according to the report, WWE was not happy that Young opted to go public with her diagnosis.

“It is known that they were not happy at all that Young posted what she did,” Meltzer continued.

Adam Pearce, Kayla Braxton, and Jamie Noble all went public with their positive COVID-19 tests as well.

Due to Young’s positive COVID-19 test, her husband, AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, missed the AEW tapings for Fyter Fest. As a result, his match with Brian Cage has been pushed back to July 15th. This fact was brought up during a segment from Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite by Taz. During a promo to hype up Cage vs Moxley, Taz said that AEW doesn’t run a “sloppy shop” which many took as a shot at WWE’s COVID-19 policies.

• Backstage Reaction To Taz’s Promo On Dynamite

Kairi Sane has not wrestled since taking a nasty bump into the steel steps during a match taped on May 26th, 2020. Sane was thrown into the steps by Nia Jax during the bout, which aired on the June 1st episode of RAW. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Sane is headed back to Japan and there had been plans in place to do a career-ending angle with her before she left.

“Sane, 31, is returning to Japan to be with her husband. This has been in the works for a while and the company has known about it since May if not earlier,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

The report continues to say that had Sane not been injured in the match against Nia, the idea was to do a career-ending injury angle. This could have possibly involved Charlotte Flair, Shayna Baszler, or another wrestler injuring Sane before then facing Asuka at SummerSlam.

A report was also released by Fightful recently, stating that Sane’s situation with WWE is complicated. At one point, she had been talked about for an ambassador role with NXT Japan. Plans to start a developmental territory in the country have since been scrapped due to the ongoing pandemic, however.

“While there’s been no talk about it of late, there had been talk that once her contract with WWE was up that she would wrestle one more year in Japan and then retire,” Meltzer continued.

• Kairi Sane’s WWE Future is Reportedly ‘Complicated,’ NXT Japan Update

AJ Styles vs Drew Gulak for the Intercontinental Championship was supposed to take place on Smackdown last week. Following multiple positive COVID-19 tests at the WWE Performance Center, however, some segments advertised for last week’s Smackdown did not take place including Styles vs Gulak.

Gulak worked commentary for 205 Live last week but did not wrestle. AJ Styles was not on the show at all. Sheamus was also supposed to give a toast to Jeff Hardy on last week’s program but that was also postponed until tomorrow’s show.

WWE has just announced that the Styles vs Gulak Intercontinental title match will take place tomorrow night. The Sheamus and Jeff Hardy segment will also take place tomorrow.

Additionally, another segment featuring Michael Cole interviewing Matt Riddle has also been advertised for tomorrow night.

WWE is reportedly taping both tomorrow night’s episode of Smackdown and next week’s episode today at the Performance Center.

• Update On WWE’s Taping Schedule This Week

Styles won the Intercontinental Championship recently after Sami Zayn was stripped of the title. He is the 86th wrestler to hold the title. His is the 175th reign in the title’s lineage. As of this writing, Styles has held the title for 22 days. It’s been only 18 days since his winning of the title aired on television, however.

Ember Moon’s last match for WWE took place in September. She dropped a bout to Lacey Evans on RAW. She suffered an Achilles injury during a segment involving the 24/7 title shortly after when the title was briefly held by Carmella. Moon recently spoke to Comicbook.com about the injury and how severe it actually is.

 “A lot of people don’t know this – they think I just have a very generic Achilles rupture, but I don’t,” Moons said. “What actually happened is that [my Achilles tendon] got split in half and then it also got torn off the bone. So I actually ruptured my Achilles in two places and the surgeon thinks that I may have been wrestling on it for probably about two months already torn to some extent and I just didn’t feel the pain because I have kind of a high pain tolerance.”

Moon continued to say that there is no timetable to return after she has experienced complications in her recovery.

“I will say that where I originally had a return date, now I don’t again, because of complications with strength building.”

Moon would also say that doctors believe she needs to have a second surgery. She is against the idea, however.

“I’m sitting here and I’m fighting a second surgery. I’m fighting against the second surgery. That’s how bad it is,” she said. “When I went on Backstage and I said, ‘I don’t know if I’m ever going to wrestle again,’ I meant what I said and I stand by that.”

• Ember Moon Says She May Have A Career-Ending Injury

Edge tore his tricep in just his second match back after 9.5 years away from the ring. The injury occurred during the filming of “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” against Randy Orton.

Edge detailed how the injury occurred recently on Reality of Wrestling with Booker T.

“We’re going through the match and contrary to reports, we did it once straight through,” Edge said. “48 minutes or whatever it was. In coming back, I wanted to recalibrate my style a little bit and really make it more of a Bret Hart kind of feel to my matches.”

Edge continued to talk about how he got a cue about 35 minutes into the match and he felt good.

“I did a springboard into the 2nd RKO and I went ‘ew, okay I got the cold sweats and I feel like I’m going to throw up’ that’s usually a sign. That’s where it popped.”

Edge then talked about how he finished up the match despite the injury. He got to the back after and knew he was injured. The surgeon who operated on Edge said that he likely went into the match with a partial tear.

Edge continued to say that he wants to finish his career on his terms.

“I do because I want to finish it on my terms, I’m really stubborn on that. I really want to, with this, try and show that selling still sells because I feel like that’s been lost.”

• Edge Talks About Creative Control Since WWE Return

Edge’s full comments can be heard in the player below:

Tetsuya Naito will defend both his IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships on July 12th, 2020. He will face the winner of the currently ongoing New Japan Cup in the main event of Dominion from Osaka Jo-Hall. A limited number of fans will be permitted to attend the event. Fans will be socially distanced and wearing masks.

Naito recently spoke to NJPW1972.com about the promotion having to go on hiatus from February to June due to the global pandemic. He also spoke about wanting to get back in front of live audiences again.

“I really would have liked to come back to a full building, but circumstances are what they are, there’s nothing I can do about that. It does hurt. Last year, when I thought I might be done with my eye injury, I started talking about the importance of ‘now’. You can only see the Tetsuya Naito of right now, right now. So I really want as many people as possible to see me, and it hurts that we can’t do that,” Naito said.

Naito also commented on NJPW’s response to the pandemic.

“I hope we can get to those jam-packed arenas to close the show with my roll calls as soon as possible. And it is kind of cool that we are the biggest. All the way around, in terms of doing this, and in terms of how well we’re handling it all, pro-wrestling is taking the lead, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling is taking the lead. We can be proud of that.”

No other matches have been announced for the event thus far. Other matches will likely be confirmed as the New Japan Cup grows closer to its finish.

• Results: NJPW New Japan Cup 2020 Day 7

The full interview with Naito can be read here.

AEW World Champion Jon Moxley’s match against Brian Cage has been postponed until Wednesday, July 15th. The bout was initially scheduled to headline Fyter Fest, a special event spanning 2 weeks of AEW Dynamite.

This is due to Moxley having been potentially exposed to COVID-19 through his spouse, Renee Young. She recently tested positive for the virus, as did several others who had been at the WWE Performance Center. Jon Moxley has taken several COVID-19 tests since then. Those tests were negative. However, he made the call to self-quarantine in an effort to protect the AEW locker room.

Moxley vs. Cage will instead take place on the 7/15 episode of Dynamite. This show is now being promoted as Fight for the Fallen. As part of the FFTF theme, AEW will be raising funds for COVID-19 relief efforts.

• AEW Fyter Fest (Night 1) Results & Takeaways

This week on AEW Dynamite, Taz and his client Brian Cage came to the ring to promote the rescheduled match. During his promo, Taz mentioned that Moxley has already tested negative for the virus twice. Taz continued to say that if Moxley had shown up to Daily’s Place, he would have been tested again because “we don’t run a sloppy shop.”

As Taz said that line, Brian Cage made the “finger gun” motion, perhaps insinuating the comments were a “shoot.”

Reaction to Taz’s Shoot Promo

According to comments made by Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Radio, the line really upset some in the wrestling industry.

“Boy, were there people upset with that line,” Meltzer said.

“That’s ridiculous. Doing jack s**t until you had an outbreak and now you’re upset that people point that out?” added Alvarez.

“Yes, there were people very upset with that line,” Meltzer responded.

“If you explain to a doctor what they did, the term would be ‘morally reprehensible’ because that’s the term that I was given,” Meltzer continued regarding WWE’s previous COVID-19 policies.

Sammy Guevara is currently suspended without pay from AEW due to comments he made about Sasha Banks. Guevara commented on a podcast 4 years ago that he wanted to “rape” Sasha. It was an ill-advised joke that drew the ire of many.

Banks and Guevara spoke about the situation and Guevara apologized. During a recent interview with SI.com, Banks commented further on why she responded in the way she did.

“For me, being a role model and a leader is what I have to give back to the universe,” said Banks. “It’s not easy to be so exposed and so open and so raw, but I’m here to show people that I’m a real person, too. I am just lucky and fortunate enough to be living my dream in front of millions of people. If that connects with people, if that resonates, all I can do is be myself and hopefully show people that no matter what they go through–whether it’s good, bad, or hard–we’re all in this together.”

Sasha Banks Responds To Sammy Guevara’s Comments

Banks previously released the following statement regarding the situation.

• Sasha Banks Releases Statement On Sammy Guevara’s Comments

“Earlier I spoke with Sammy, he apologized and we had an open discussion. Words like the comments he made, jokingly or not, have absolutely no place in our society! I don’t condone or tolerate this kind of behaviour. What one thinks is just a side comment can have a massive impact on someone else’s life, and can send the wrong message.

We have to hold ourselves accountable for our actions and the words we say, and I hope this situation shows him that. I hope from this point on, ignorer for growth and change within our community to take place, we all can continue to have these conversations. No person, man, woman, or child should ever be subjected to a feeling of fear, or any unsafe environment. We all have to do better not just for ourselves, but for generations to come.

Sincerely,
Mercedes Varnado”

For his part, Guevara has release several statements apologizing to fans and Banks.

“Whenever I do come back, I will be better. I’m going to do sensitivity training and I’m going to be a better version of myself,” Guevara said.

• Sammy Guevara Releases A Video Apology

“Killer” Tim Brooks passed away yesterday at the age of 72. He had entered hospice care back in February due to declining health.

His family released the following statement on Facebook to announce the news:

“It is with a heavy heart that we the Brooks family announce that our father, loving husband, brother and friend has made his depart from this earth to the heavens. From the Brooks family we want to say thank you for all the prayers, love and support through these terrible times. Dad was the toughest man I have ever met he fought cancer like I have seen no other.”

“With all the accomplishments he has made through his 73 years on this earth from being a army veteran of the Vietnam war to holding just about every championship belt through professional wrestling and a hall-of-famer. Most of all he was a God-fearing man a wonderful husband to his wife of 13 years Julie, the best father and grandfather to us kids. He will be missed dearly by so many. We will keep everybody updated on arrangements as they’re made thanks again for the love and support.
#killertimbrooks #lovinghusband #lovingdad

Sincerely Brooks family”

“Killer” Tim Brooks Has Passed Away

Brooks was honored earlier this year for his contributions to wrestling by the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in Witchita Falls, Texas. He was a big star in the 70s and 80s with promotions such as WCCW, WWC, and various NWA territories. Additionally, he’s a former North American Champion with Stampede Wrestling, the promotion’s top title. Brooks is also a former NWA National Heavyweight Champion.

AEW paid tribute to Brooks online:

• Dolph Ziggler Would Love Another Chance To Wrestle Edge

Footage of Brooks can be viewed below.

• Cody Rhodes Hopes Great American Bash Is “Something Special”

AEW released its official top-5 rankings ahead of tonight’s first night of Fyter Fest.

AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (13-0)
TNT Champion: Cody (13-1)

1. MJF (7-0)
2. Brian Cage (5-0)
3. Lance Archer (8-1)
4. Brodie Lee (5-1)
5. Chris Jericho (2-1)

There was no change in the men’s single’s rankings this week. The top wrestlers in the men’s single’s rankings are starting to show a noticeable trend. Moxley, MJF, and Brian Cage are all undefeated in 2020. Cody, Archer, Brodie Lee, and Chris Jericho only have one loss each. Archer, Lee, and Jericho’s one loss each all came from Moxley. Cody’s loss came to the still undefeated MJF.

World Champion Jon Moxley, TNT Champion Cody, #1 MJF, and #5 Chris Jericho all had the week off.

#2 Brian Cage defeated Jon Cruz on Dynamite. #3 Lance Archer defeated Pineapple Pete on Dark.

#4 Brodie Lee teamed with Colt Cabana and defeated Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss on Dynamite. Lee and Cabana will be joined by Stu Grayson to take on SCU next week at Fyter Fest.

Moxley will defend against #2 Brian Cage at Fyter Fest (unless the match gets postponed due to Moxley’s situation) on the 2nd night of Fyter Fest.

#5 Chris Jericho is scheduled to face Orange Cassidy on the 2nd night of Fyter Fest.

TNT Champion Cody is scheduled to defend against the unranked Jake Hager tonight.

AEW Women’s Division

Champion: Hikaru Shida (12-1)

1. Nyla Rose (6-2)
2. Penelope Ford (4-3)
3. Big Swole (4-3)
4. Kris Statlander (4-4) (injured)
5. Britt Baker (4-4) (injured)

There was no change in the women’s rankings this week.

Champion Hikaru Shida picked up a rather quick victory over Red Velvet on Dynamite. She’ll defend against #2 Penelope Ford on tonight’s Fyter Fest card.

#2 Nyla Rose is scheduled to face an opponent TBA on the 2nd night of Fyter Fest. She is also said to have an announcement to make.

AEW Tag Team Division

Champions: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (8-0)

1. Best Friends (10-3)
2. The Dark Order (6-0)
3. Young Bucks (4-2)
4. The Natural Nightmares (5-1)
5. Private Party (4-2)

There was no change in the tag-team rankings this week either. FTR defeated SCU but still remain outside the top-5.

#3 the Young Bucks picked up a victory over Peter Avalon & Brandon Cutler on Dark. They will team with FTR to take on the Butcher and the Blade and Lucha Bros next week at Fyter Fest.

Tonight at Fyter Fest, Champions Kenny Omega and Hangman Page will look to defend against the #1 ranked Best Friends.

#5 Private Party are scheduled to face Proud and Powerful tonight at Fyter Fest.

• AEW Rankings Report (6/24): Brian Cage Debuts In Rankings