Tommaso Ciampa and Randy Orton had an interesting Twitter exchange in the fallout of last night’s NXT In Your House event. Orton took to Twitter and gave what could be interpreted as a sarcastic complement to last night’s show.
“Heard #WWENXT#TakeoverInYourHouse was great! Slappin my leg for you guys. Sincerely #legslap,” Orton Tweeted.
A wrestler slapping their leg to make a striking move sound good is sometimes looked down upon amongst some wrestlers.
Former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa offered a reply to Orton’s comments.
“My daughter has been having trouble sleeping. Luckily I found a remedy. Randy Orton matches. Better than NyQuil. Sincerely #AnEntireLockerRoomWhoBustedTheirAsses,” Ciampa Tweeted in reply.
Orton fired back with another dig at Ciampa and the NXT brand:
Looks like I hurt the feelings of the self appointed lockeroom leader of a wrestling school. Let me know what time #legslap class starts so I can take my game to the next level. https://t.co/c2ECCKL44f
Randy Orton will take on Edge at Backlash on Sunday. The match is being billed as “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.” According to comments Edge recently made to ESPN, he was surprised by the way the match is being billed.
“I just laughed because I didn’t think it was serious,” Edge said. “Then I realized fairly quickly it was. Then my reaction was, is this wise, because anytime you say something the greatest ever beforehand, you’re setting yourself up for failure. And I don’t ever want to think that way. I need to think the opposite of that, I can’t control the court of public opinion. I need to do and be proud of the work that I put in.”
Keith Lee defeated Johnny Gargano last night at NXT In Your House. Following the show, Triple H was asked about the possibility of Keith Lee one day winning a World Championship during the post-event media call.
“Look, it certainly wouldn’t shock me, right? I mean Keith has every tool,” Triple H said.
Triple H continued to praise Lee on the call.
“Such a great guy. Hard-working, humble, just wants to deliver,” he described Lee. “Great human being, locker room leader, everything you could want. An ultimate pro, right? He’s just the kind of guy you want to work hard for and you want to deliver for him.”
Finally, Triple H confirmed that he too is enthusiastic about the idea of Keith Lee being a future World Champion.
“Again, I love working with him,” he continued. “You say ‘Keith Lee, world champion’ and if you ask me what my opinion is I say ‘Hell yeah!'”
Keith Lee signed with WWE in 2018. He was awarded the NXT Breakout Star of the Year award in 2019. Lee defeated Roderick Strong for the NXT North American Championship on January 22nd, 2020. He is the 6th person to hold the title in its 2-year history.
Edge vs Randy Orton at Backlash this weekend is being billed as “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.” This has led lots of wrestling fans to wonder what exactly WWE has planned for Backlash. Edge was recently interviewed by ESPN and said that when he first heard his match with Orton being billed that way, he didn’t think it was serious.
“I just laughed because I didn’t think it was serious,” Edge said. “Then I realized fairly quickly it was. Then my reaction was, is this wise, because anytime you say something the greatest ever beforehand, you’re setting yourself up for failure. And I don’t ever want to think that way. I need to think the opposite of that, I can’t control the court of public opinion. I need to do and be proud of the work that I put in.”
“All I can do is take it as if this is all just a bonus and in a weird way, a compliment. Or it’s a giant rib. I don’t know.”
Edge continued to say that he would have preferred the match not be billed in such a way.
“Would I have preferred they not billed it as that? Absolutely. But I also know there are times where heels get dug in the sand and there’s no changing it.”
Edge and Orton met at WrestleMania in a Last Man Standing match that went all over the WWE Performance Center. For Backlash, however, Orton challenged Edge to a traditional wrestling match.
Kurt Angle recently served as the referee for Matt Riddle’s match against Timothy Thatcher on NXT. Following Thatcher’s victory over Riddle, Kurt Angle then announced on Smackdown that Riddle would soon debut for the blue brand on Friday nights. In a recent interview with Talk Sport, Riddle recently revealed a booking idea he had for a storyline involving himself and Kurt Angle.
It had recently been revealed that WWE offered Angle the role of managing Riddle but the Original Bro feels the big money would have been with him turning on Angle.
“You know what crossed my mind originally [with Kurt Angle]? There’s the management thing, but then like in my head – and maybe this is just greedy me – in my head, when I see Kurt Angle, even if I like him and I’m friendly with him, I know the money is in beating up Kurt Angle,” Riddle said.
Riddle felt that the storyline could have been him turning on Angle after Angle costed him his match against Thatcher.
“I was really hoping he was going to cost me the cage match and then the Bro was going to snap and beat up Kurt Angle! Some deadlift Germans to an Olympic gold medallist from the Stallion? You telling me everybody at home wouldn’t be like ‘no he didn’t just dump him on his head!’ – because that’s what I do! It would have been crazy.”
Riddle also talked about how he could get revenge on King Corbin for retiring Angle and that could be a storyline he works on Smackdown.
Following last night’s NXT: In Your House event, Triple H spoke with media. During the discussion, he talked about Io Shirai’s NXT Women’s Championship victory and the fact that she pinned Rhea Ripley and not the then-champion, Charlotte Flair.
“That finish was done tonight the way it was done for a very specific reason,” Triple H said. “Some people will read into that and go ‘oh, Charlotte can’t even get beat.’ I don’t buy into that, first of all. To me, the whole rhetoric of Charlotte Flair and her dad and her name and all that stuff is garbage. She works as hard as anybody I’ve ever seen. She’s a great performer, deserves everything she’s ever gotten and has.”
“This was done for a very specific reason for storytelling purposes,” he continued to say. “Hopefully, if we get to tell the story the way we want to over the coming months, I think 3 or 4 months from now you’ll go ‘I know exactly why they did the finish that they did.'”
Earlier on the call, Triple H was asked if Charlotte will continue on the NXT brand.
“We shall see,” Triple H responded when asked if Charlotte was done with NXT. “Charlotte’s always been a RAW talent, that is where she signed and her home. She had the NXT Championship. In essence, she’s been working all 3 brands lately, which has been awesome. We’ll see, I’m not 100% sure.”
Triple H On Io Shirai
Triple H also spent some time talking about the new NXT Women’s Champion, Io Shirai on the call.
“Io coming here from Japan, I always considered Io to be one of those game-changing talents, much like I did Asuka when she came here,” Triple H said. “There’s been bits and pieces of moments and injuries and setbacks and things. It’s amazing to see here where she is right now. She’s one of the greatest in-ring performers in the women’s division anywhere. I’m really excited for her. This is a new era for the NXT Women’s division with Io Shirai in that position.”
Elias was removed from the Intercontinental Championship tournament on Smackdown recently. 2 weeks ago, he was shown being taken to a “local medical facility” after being hit by a car. As it turns out, the angle will explain Elias’ absence from the show. He is dealing with an injury that will keep him out of action for months.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, Elis has suffered a torn pectoral muscle and will be out of action for some time. The typical recovery time for a torn pec is 4 months but there is currently no timetable available for his return.
Elias made his WWE main roster debut shortly after WrestleMania in 2017. He had been on NXT since 2014. The only title he has won in his WWE career thus far is the 24/7 Championship which he has held on 4 occasions.
This year at WrestleMania, he defeated King Corbin on night 1 of the 2-night show. He again defeated Corbin in the 1st round of the Intercontinental Championship tournament before an injury led to him being no longer able to continue. AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan will face each other in the finals of the tournament this week on Smackdown.
Zack Ryder was recently a guest on “Keepin it 100” with Konnan and Disco Inferno. Ryder talked about how he got over with some fans on YouTube, social media, and being “the Internet Champion” in WWE. He was asked if he thought Vince McMahon resented him for getting over outside of the company.
“I wasn’t the first guy to have a YouTube show, I wasn’t the first guy to have social media. I think I was the first guy to use it to accelerate my career,” Ryder said. “There was clearly nothing going on for me. Yes, I was in WWE, I was on RAW but I was doing nothing.”
Ryder then talked about how despite getting over with some fans, he never knocked on Vince’s door and asked why he was being used the way he was.
“I could have easily knocked on his door and said ‘hey, Vince, what’s going on here?'” Ryder said.
“I at the time was a couple of things, I was naive, I wasn’t mature enough, I wasn’t man enough to knock on his door and ask, so we’ll never know.”
Ryder continued to say he’s not bitter. He also reiterated that he could have asked Vince why he was being used the way he was.
“I blame myself for that. I never want to regret things or hold grudges or blame other people because then you are just bitter and I just don’t want to live that life,” he continued.
Arn Anderson worked in WCW when Vince Russo was brought in during the promotion’s final years. Russo signed with WCW on October 3rd, 1999. The final episode of Nitro would take place 18 months later on March 26th, 2001. On an episode of “The Arn Show,” Double-A talked about what it was like working with Russo.
“He’s one of the guys that I worked for instead of with,” Anderson said regarding Russo. “When he came in a lot of guys started going home, the regular guys, the big stars, because there was a creative difference in what they had in mind and what he had in mind.”
Anderson continued to say he just tried to do what he was told at this time.
“All I did as an agent at the time was exactly what he wanted. Him and Ed Ferrara because they were writing the show and from my perspective, they had absolute autonomy. What they said went.”
“Was Vince Russo in some areas very creative? Absolutely.”
Double-A would continue to say that he believed strongly that the product needed to make sense. He perhaps insinuated that WCW storylines at the time did not do that.
“It shouldn’t dumb the product down, it shouldn’t be so outlandish that nobody is going to buy it. It can be as creative as you want it to be but, at least, at the end of the day when it’s all said and done, have it make sense.”
“To answer the question, I worked for him, what he said he wanted I did my best to give him and that was the extent of our relationship to my memory,” Anderson concluded.
Booker T recently spent some time on his radio show and YouTube channel talking about Impact Wrestling. He said that now could be the time for Impact to get back in the game as the promotion has teased bringing in recently released WWE stars to their Slammiversary PPV on July 18th.
“I am wondering if this is a time now for Impact Wrestling to – bang – explode again and get back in the game,” Booker said.
Booker and his co-host discussed the video Impact aired last Tuesday night for Slammiversary. Clips of EC3, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson, the Bennett/Kanellis’ and more were shown in the video. The clip also shows a flag of Belarus, Rusev’s home country.
“You gotta think Anthem, Anthem has been doing a lot of big major moves, lot of money moves. I’m sure they’re saying ‘hey man, this is the time to get back in the game.'”
“There’s guys out there like Rusev right now. We got guys out there like Heath Slater, Erik Rowan, Kassius Ohno, there’s a lot of big guys out there that we can pick up that can put a lot of behinds in the seats.”
“It’s the perfect time for TNA (Impact) to pull the trigger and get back in the game,” he continued.
They continued to discuss the rumours of WWE reaching out to bring back some of the released stars as well.
Booker’s comments can be heard in the player below:
The Maryland Athletic Commission has fined more wrestlers for bleeding and dangerous conduct during a match. Previously, the commission fined AEW $10,000 as a result of the Kenny Omega vs Jon Moxley “Light’s Out Match” from the Full Gear PPV.
Now, ROH’s Mark Haskins and Bully Ray have been fined for bleeding and dangerous conduct as well. ROH has agreed to pay $4,000 as a result of actions taken during Bully and Haskins’ street fight at Final Battle. The event was held at the UMBC Events Center in Baltimore.
The Maryland commission’s rules prohibit “unsportsmanlike or physically dangerous conduct” and “deliberately lacerating oneself or one’s opponent” in wrestling matches.
In an email to the Baltimore Sun, the commission’s executive director, Patrick Pannella, explained the commission’s ruling.
“The Commission considers the actions it has taken in the consent orders, and the requirements within, to be a deterrent to any future violations of a similar nature by this organization or these individuals.”
The consent order agreed to by both ROH and the commission details what specifically led to the fine.
“During the match, Mr. LoMonaco (Bully Ray) lifted Mr. Haskins and threw him onto the table which held the plywood-barbed wire apparatus,” the consent order reads. “The impact of Mr. Haskins against the plywood barbed-wire apparatus and table caused the table to break in half, and Mr. Haskins suffered lacerations due to coming into contact with the barbed wire.”
Jaxson Ryker (Chad Lail) is currently receiving backlash both backstage and publicly from many in the wrestling world. This is due to his comments regarding Donald Trump and the civil unrest following the police-killing of George Floyd. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Ryker will likely not be released from the company but the locker room is very upset with him.
“According to one person high up in the company, the belief is that Lail can’t be fired for expressing freedom of speech, but that the locker room is fuming at him,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Ryker’s social media accounts have recently been made private. Before they were, however, previous comments began coming to light. A 2019 Facebook post from Ryker referred to Black Lives Matter as “garbage.”
“Pretty touchy subject but all this black lives matter garbage baffles me. I challenge anyone of any color or race to go watch 12 years a slave, the movie and realize how good you all actually have it. Learn heritage. Christ, Gandhi, Budda; they all Taught love and caring for others. This is getting out of hand. I Pray for this nation daily.”
The other members of the Forgotten Sons have commented on this situation as well. They are distancing themselves from Ryker. Steve Cutler made it clear he is his own person with his own thoughts and beliefs and Blake says he stands for justice for George Floyd.
Although I am part of a tag team while I wrestle, I am my own person with my own thoughts and beliefs. It pains me to see what’s going on in the world. I fought for the freedom of our country and ALL of the people who live here.
Already the Mayor of Longwood, Florida, Matt Morgan is throwing his hat in another political race. The former wrestler filed his paperwork at the elections office last week and is officially running for the Seminole County Commission District 1 seat. He was elected Mayor of Longwood in 2019.
“I want to be this county’s 7-foot 300-pound backbone,” Morgan said to News 13 Orlando. “And give them back the power and the decision-making process in Seminole County.”
“Not the jury, judge and executioner, I say that with all respect, I get along with Bob,” Morgan continued to say about the current seat-holder Bob Dillari.
Matt Morgan wrestled with WWE from 2002-05. He was then with TNA from 2007 to 2013 and returned briefly to the company in 2015 and 2017. Morgan spoke to Spectrum News about his decision to run.
“I go where I feel that the residents of, whether its Seminole county or Longwood before that, call,” Morgan said. “Right now I feel I can be a bigger service to a bigger amount of people. Again, it goes back to my entire thesis behind being a public servant. If you are a true public servant you don’t make a career out of this. It’s about legit serving the public and being the people’s conduit and I am a living breathing 7-foot 300-pound conduit for Seminole County residents. That’s what I’m looking to do here.”
Triple H is quick to point out that Matt Hardy didn’t invent cinematic matches but he does recognize the impact he has had on them. He also noted the importance of Jeremy Borash’s contributions to the growing genre of pro-wrestling during a recent interview with Metro UK.
“It’s a funny thing, that people say all of a sudden there’s this moment with the cinematic thing that happened,” Triple H said. “But people were doing that 20 years ago.”
HHH would continue to use Mankind vs the Rock’s Halftime Heat match and Booker T vs Steve Austin in a grocery store as examples.
Matches filmed like movies have been taking place for decades, but recent years have seen science fiction and fantasy-inspired elements creep into such segments. This was the case with both Matt Hardy’s Broken Universe in TNA and with Lucha Underground and its head writer, the recently-released Chris DeJoseph.
Jeremy Borash’s work behind-the-scenes with the Broken Universe in Impact before he was hired by WWE was praised by Triple H during the interview.
“Jeremy’s an incredible talent with an eye for storytelling and an eye for image and everything like that. Man, I can’t tell you how much I enjoy working with him.”
Finally, Triple H certainly wants to correct people who say Hardy and Borash invented the genre but he is also willing to admit the two took cinematic matches to another level.
“That’s not to negate the Matt Hardy, Jeremy Borash thing that you mentioned,” he said to the Metro reporter. “That took it to another level. There’s all steps to this – but to say it all started there, to me, I’d say it’s not accurate.”
With Matt Riddle having been announced as the newest addition to the Smackdown roster, it appears RAW will be bringing in a former NXT star as well. According to comments made by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dominik Dijakovic is headed to the RAW brand.
“Dijakovic is going to be on RAW,” said Dave Meltzer. “I don’t know starting when but pretty darn soon.”
The 33-year-old’s last match on NXT was a loss to Johnny Gargano on the episode from May 6th, 2020. He was trained by Chaotic Wrestling and made his debut in 2013. He was offered a contract by WWE in January 2017 but a contract dispute with Ring of Honor delayed his reporting to the WWE Performance Center until that summer.
Dijakovic made his NXT debut on May 10th, 2018 in a loss to Ricochet. In January of 2019, he wrestled in the Worlds Collide Tournament. He made it to the quarter-finals before being eliminated by Tyler Bate. In October he was given an NXT North American title shot against Roderick Strong in a triple threat match along with Keith Lee. Strong retained the title.
Dijakovic was on Tommaso Ciampa’s winning team from the men’s War Games match in November as well.
It was reported yesterday that WWE has banned the use of Buckle Bombs (power bombing someone into a turnbuckle). In an update to this story, Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that the botched move from Nia Jax to Kairi Sane in a match on RAW from April is what led to the move being banned.
“Remember the show a couple of weeks ago where Nia Jax wrestled Kairi Sane and she threw her in there and we were all worried?” Meltzer asked his co-host. “I think she was going for the middle one and I think she hit the bottom one but whatever, it didn’t look good. That was the one that caused it.”
It was also stated that there were those in the company uneasy with the move after Sting’s injury from 2015. Sting suffered an injury after taking a Buckle Bomb from Seth Rollins at Night of Champions 2015. It was the final match of Sting’s career.
“Because of what happened to Sting, I was almost surprised it didn’t happen then,” Meltzer continued. “There were people who were wanting it banned before that. It was one of those things where there were people against it and then when that thing happened it was kind of like that was the straw that broke the camel’s back and Vince banned it.”
He would continue to say, however, that he has not heard of powerbombs onto the ring apron or barricades being banned.
A biography focusing on the life of Vince McMahon is in the works. Author Abraham Riesman noted on Instagram that he is hoping to publish the book in 2022. Riesman is the author of a similar book, a biography on comic book legend, Stan Lee.
Simon and Schuster’s Atrium Publishing group will be publishing the book.
Riesman made his announced on Instagram, “I come bearing good news: I’m writing another book! This one’s a biography of Vince McMahon, the emperor of professional wrestling. It’s for @simonandschuster’s @atriabooks imprint. Release date TBD, but I’d guess 2022. Many thanks to my amazing agent, @rossharris1, and my tremendous editor, @amardeol. Wish me luck!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAxyTOdj9RJ/
Books About Vince McMahon
An unofficial Vince McMahon biography was written by Michael Essany and is available Amazon here.
Much of McMahon’s life is covered in the novel “Sex, Lies, and Headlocks” as well.
“Sex, Lies, andHeadlocks is the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at the backstabbing, scandals, and high-stakes gambles that have made wrestling an enduring television phenomenon. The man behind it all is Vince McMahon, a ruthless and entertaining visionary whose professional antics make some of the flamboyant characters in the ring look tame by comparison,” reads a description of the book.
WWE Superstar Mustafa Ali issued an interesting statement on Twitter recently. Ali is a former Chicago area police officer and recently made a comment in reference to George Floyd’s death at the hands of police. According to his comments, Ali became a police officer in order to help change policing from within.
“I’m a former police officer. I joined the force because I believed the only real way to bring change to policing is from within. I remember being told “empathy will get you killed.” No, lack of empathy allows you to kill. We have to change policing from within. #GeorgeFloyd,” reads Mustafa Ali’s Tweet.
I’m a former police officer. I joined the force because I believed the only real way to bring change to policing is from within. I remember being told “empathy will get you killed.” No, lack of empathy allows you to kill. We have to change policing from within. #GeorgeFloyd
And like always, there’s going to be some comment about “you were part of the problem.” No. I saw the problem and did something to combat it. Countless times, I showed up and put a stop to any sort of harassment/excessive force. You can’t change anything sitting behind a screen.
The point of all this is simple; society and specifically our African American brothers and sisters have a justifiable distrust with the police. It’s the responsibility of the police to fix that issue but they won’t. Thus, it is on us,as a society to force that change from within
“As a current police officer, I totally agree. I will continue to support you. Thank you for everything,” reads one response to Ali’s Tweet.
“I’m a black man and just got my Criminal Justice degree. I’m working to join the force. After this event I was thrown into flux. I nearly gave it up because I “didn’t want to be part of the problem.” You’ve changed that for me Ali. Thank you, I really needed this,” reads another.
Independent wrestler Desmond Monroe noted on Twitter that he has received messages from people stating he’ll lose bookings as a result of his comments about police/race relations. Ali responded to him and offered to cover his booking for Freelance Wrestling.
I’m sorry to hear you’re dealing with that, man. When everything’s back up and running and you feel you speaking up has hurt your bookings, let me know. I’m sure @FreelanceWres would love to have you in. Booking fee covered by me.
WWE has added a new move to its list of banned-maneuvers.
According to a report from PW Insider, WWE Superstars are now not permitted to use turnbuckle bombs in their matches. These are moves where a performer is lifted up and thrown into the corner landing on the turnbuckle.
Sting’s career-ending injury took place when he took a turnbuckle powerbomb from Seth Rollins. Last month, Kairi Sane took a nasty-looking spill into the corner when a similar move was given by Nia Jax but resulted in Sane landing short of the turnbuckle.
WWE has banned several moves in the past. Some return while others do not. Piledrivers have been banned for some time, though some wrestlers have used the move sparingly including the Canadian Destroyer version in WWE. Rey Mysterio and Andrade used the move on Smackdown last year in a match.
Seth Rollins’ Curb Stomp was also banned for several months by WWE. Rollins has since been permitted to use the move again.
The parent company of New Japan Pro Wrestling and Stardom, Bushiroad, will be implementing salary reductions for several of their executives. NJPW has not run a live event since February 26th, 2020.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, directors from Bushiroad will be taking pay cuts ranging from 15% to 95% depending on the person. These pay cuts will be in place from May 27th until September 2020. As of this writing, Bushiroad has not released any wrestlers from NJPW or Stardom.
In addition to pro-wrestling, Bushiroad also produces trading card games and smartphone apps.
Harold Meij On NJPW’s Return To Live Events
Harold Meij addressed NJPW’s roadmap to the return of live events recently in a YouTube video.
“New Japan is an industry leader both in Japan and worldwide,” Meij said. “With that position comes a great responsibility. As the global society holds a magnifying glass up to us, it behooves New Japan to act to the highest possible ethical standards.”
He continued to say that the promotion’s first step would be to run empty-arena show.
“This step will be taken when and only when the state of emergency restrictions are lifted, the number of new coronavirus infections declines and when matches can take place in a properly disinfected and safe setting.”
CM Punk was pretty amused at some aspects of an angle that played out on WWE programming last night. Smackdown this week opened up with a scene that implied Jeff Hardy had driven under the influence, hit Elias with his car and then took off. CM Punk then took to Twitter and pointed out what he found amusing about the segment.
LOLOLOL AT THE COP SNIFFING THE FULL BEER BOTTLE THAT DIDNT GET SPILLED THEN SAYING “JEFF HARDY” LIKE HES CALLING BINGO NUMBERS. IM DYYYYYYYING
Punk also answered a question about his thoughts regarding returning to wrestling:
Currently divided. The country is on fire and it legit made me laugh out loud for a second so, entertained? Mission accomplished? I’m happy I don’t take it so seriously anymore.
The angle led to both Elias and Jeff Hardy being removed from the Intercontinental tournament. AJ Styles was granted a bye to the finals. Sheamus then won a battle royal to determine who would face Daniel Bryan later in the night with Bryan winning the match between the two after Hardy returned and distracted Sheamus.
Matt Hardy Praises Tony Khan and AEW
Also last night, Matt Hardy took to Twitter to note he is happy working at AEW with company President Tony Khan.
Just to reiterate..
I’m happy to be working at @AEWrestling for @TonyKhan on Wednesdays.
Tony Khan also responded to Matt Hardy’s comments:
“You’re one of the greatest pros I’ve worked with across sports, what a privilege it is to spend Wednesdays with you. Thank you for everything you do for AEW, our fans & staff & your fellow wrestlers weekly, as you not only lead by example but are so generous with your time & mind,” Khan Tweeted.
On last night’s edition of WWE Smackdown, Michael Cole noted that all of the PC trainees and NXT talent who were acting as fans had been tested. Cole did not specifically state what they had been tested for, however. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is not testing for COVID-19 but rather continuing with temperature and symptom checks instead.
“Although it was hinted on the air that they were testing all talent for COVID-19, there was no testing done at all again at the tapings this past week past temperature readings and asking people if they didn’t feel well,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
The report would continue to say that many people found this surprising as the UFC has been conducting COVID-19 tests for all athletes. Similarly, AEW has also been testing all of its talents at tapings as well.
PC trainees and talent from NXT began acting as fans in the stands at shows that aired this week.
In an interview with Variety back in March, Stephanie McMahon elaborated on WWE’s testing procedures.
“There’s extensive testing and screening when you first come in the facility regardless of whether you’re a talent, a crew member, or anyone else,” McMahon said. “Working with our doctors, you have your temperature taken. If you have a temperature over 100.4 degrees, you are automatically asked to leave.”
Daria Rae Berenato, better known to wrestling fans as Sonya Deville, is reportedly looking to get acting roles in the near future. Deville has a history in film and has even produced her own movie. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Deville may even be up for the role of “Batwoman.”
“Deville, who is repped by Anderson Group Public Relations, is attempted to be pushed for acting roles,” wrote Dave Meltzer. The report continued to say Deville is rumored to be in the running for the Batwoman role.
Batwoman is a series on the CW Television Network that received generally favorable reviews for its first season. Lead actress Ruby Rose decided to leave the role of Batwoman, however, as she found it to be too time-consuming. Now, the series must replace her for it to continue, and apparently, Deville is in the mix for the role.
Deville was formerly the host of UFC Afterbuzz before she signed with WWE. Her IMDB credits also include the TV series’ Tattoo Nightmares, Black Days, and Comedy Joy Ride.
Deville was also a producer on the 2013 film “The Honour.” She portrayed the role of JuJu in the film as well.
“Christian Conservative Sarah discovers her daughter Judith is gay and in love with a Muslim Neighbor. Sarah will do anything to save the immoral soul of her daughter,” reads a description of the film.
The season 2 finale of Vice’s Dark Side of the Ring drew a record-high rating for the show and network. The episode drew 626,000 viewers with 390,000 from adults aged 18-49. Season 2 averaged 423,000 viewers per episode and 242,000 in adults aged 18-49. It is now officially the highest-rated original program for ViceTV in the network’s history.
Producer for the show Evan Husney spoke to SI.com about the show’s future. During the discussion, he noted that Vice wants to produce a 3rd season in the series.
“A third season is something everybody involved wants to do,” Husney said. “Vice wants to make a Season 3, we would love to see it happen, and we’re in those stages of conversation.”
Unfortunately, Husney pointed out that the ongoing pandemic has left production in the television industry in an uncertain period.
“Right now, there are just a lot of question marks about the future of production, and even the future of the world. Our show deals with a lot of travel, and we’d love to go international to places like Japan in Season 3, but there is a lot of uncertainty in terms of that.”
NXT announcer Nigel McGuinness has been furloughed by WWE. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, this was done as part of the recent cuts the company made last month.
“The reason Nigel McGuinness hasn’t been around is that he was one of the people furloughed during all the cuts,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
McGuinness signed with the promotion as a commentator in 2016. He made his commentary debut with the company in January 2017 for the WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament. He’s also worked at commentary for Main Event and 205 Live.
Last year, the WWE Network released a documentary on McGuinness’s career titled Chasing the Magic: The Nigel McGuinness Story.
As a wrestler, Nigel McGuinness is a former ROH World and Pure champion. He defeated Samoa Joe for the Pure title in 2005 and held it for 350 days before dropping it to Bryan Danielson. McGuinness won the ROH World title from Takeshi Morishima in 2007. He held that title for 545 days before dropping it to Jerry Lynn in 2009. Also in 2009, Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked Nigel McGuinness as the 6th top wrestler in their annual PWI Top-500 rankings.
Samoa Joe returned to the RAW commentary team last month. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Joe is considered to be Jerry Lawler’s permanent replacement in the role.
“(Joe) is also now considered the permanent replacement for Lawler as an announcer,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Samoa Joe is still not medically cleared to return to a wrestling ring. Joe was injured during a commercial shoot back in February. He was reported to have suffered a concussion. Shortly after that, he received a 30-day suspension for a failure of the company’s wellness program.
It is not clear what Joe’s role will be when he is medically cleared to return to competition. There is speculation that he could continue as an announcer but also participate in angles and matches.
As for Jerry Lawler’s role on the RAW commentary team, there was concern about bringing Lawler in for the shows during the pandemic due to his age and history of heart problems. Lawler is 70 years of age and suffered a cardiac arrest on the September 10th, 2012 episode of RAW from Montreal.
Joe’s last match for the promotion was on February 10th, 2020. On that night’s episode of RAW, Joe teamed with the Viking Raiders and Kevin Owens. Joe’s team lost to Seth Rollins, Buddy Murphy and the AOP.
