Jim Ross says that AEW had plans to begin non-televised live events before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
JR was a guest on Wrestling Observer Live when he was asked about the possibility of AEW running ‘house show’ tours. Host Bryan Alvarez noted that there are positives and negatives to holding live events.
“What are your thoughts on should they be doing more house shows for everybody’s learning abilities?” Alvarez asked JR.
“Absolutely and I think that’s the plan,” Jim Ross responded. “There were some live events pencilled into the schedule before the virus. You can’t get better working one night a week, nobody, I don’t care who you are. There are some minor exceptions, like I don’t know that Chris Jericho needs to work 4 or 5 days a week to be great.”
“A lot of guys need to continue to work and they need to work under the supervision of the coaches in AEW so they can continue to re-learn some of the fundamentals, primarily slowing down, using more psychology and selling,” JR continued.
“Getting house shows are important for us to develop talent especially and for revenue going forward but who the hell knows when that’s going to be? It ain’t no time soon apparently.”
You can watch JR’s appearance on Wrestling Observer Live here:
Tony Khan on AEW Running House Shows
Last June, AEW President Tony Khan said if AEW does do house shows, they won’t be having their roster doing 5-6 of them a week.
“If you do see us do house shows, they are going to be top shows with the top people, which means we’re not going to be doing five or six a week of them,” Khan said.
“So when we get into weekly TV, I’d like to get into a good rhythm of where we’re doing, let’s say, between 100-120 shows a year, it’s pretty busy but it doesn’t mean every performer is going to be on every show. It means you’re going to get a combination of our top performers every night.”
The trash talk between Chris Jericho and Mike Tyson continued after this week’s AEW Dynamite went off the air.
Jericho called out Mike Tyson on Dynamite, saying that he’s got unfinished business with the boxing legend stemming from an incident on Monday night Raw a decade ago. Tyson and his entourage then confronted Jericho and a massive pull-apart took place to close out the show.
After Dynamite went off the air, AEW cameras caught up with Tyson backstage. “Iron” Mike had a very clear message for Chris Jericho.
“Hey, I’m telling you this is not over, I’m coming back and Jericho is going to get his a** kicked,” Tyson said.
Cameras also caught up with Chris Jericho. Le Champion was so upset at what occurred that he was hitting things backstage with his baseball bat, Floyd.
“You want to see what happens?!” Jericho said. “I’ll make you pay, Tyson, I’ll make you pay!”
Jericho and Tyson actually teamed up together on RAW 10-years ago. This was the incident that Jericho was referring to on Dynamite. Jericho and Tyson were taking on D-X when Tyson turned on Jericho and knocked him out.
Official buys for AEW Double or Nothing are not currently available but several signs are pointing to the possibility that it could have done better than any other PPV in company history. This is coming off of the UFC’s last PPV trending to have done big numbers as well.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, estimates of PPV purchases for the show sit at 115,000 to 120,000 buys, which would rank it just over last year’s Double or Nothing. The report notes that streaming numbers for B/R Live in the United States and FITE internationally are up 10-15% from previous shows. If a similar trend is seen from cable purchases, that would put this year’s Double or Nothing ahead of last year’s, which was the most purchased show in company history. Last year’s event was the first-ever AEW PPV and was headlined by Chris Jericho vs Kenny Omega.
During his segment on Dynamite, Cody referenced the PPV having exceeded expectations as well.
Cable purchases of AEW’s last PPV, Revolution on February 29th, are not yet available for comparison, however. The event was headlined by Jon Moxley challenging Chris Jericho for the AEW World Championship.
The opening match on Dynamite this week featured Joey Janela teaming with Private Party against Matt Hardy and the Young Bucks. At the end of the match, it appeared as though Marq Quen was injured and needed assistance getting to the back. Hardy ended up helping his opponent from the match to the back and leaving the Young Bucks alone in the ring.
Quen was not actually injured in the match, however, the worked injury was just a way to get Hardy out of the ring so Butcher and the Blade could attack. This then led to FTR’s Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler making their AEW debuts.
Matt Hardy Praises Private Party
Hardy took to Twitter to praise the members of Private Party. He noted that Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen remind him of a young Hardy Boyz team.
“Glad you’re injury wasn’t too severe, Marq Quen. The bond that you & your partner Isiah Kassidy share reminds me of a young me & Jeff Hardy. Very happy that you 2 have this great opportunity at AEW,” Hardy Tweeted.
Wednesday night was not the first time Matt Hardy has been in the ring with the members of Private Party. Just 1-year into the pro-careers of Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen, Private Party and the Hardy Boyz wrestled a couple of times for House of Glory. On August 9th, 2016, the Hardyz defeated Private Party for the HOG tag team titles. Each team was then involved in fatal 4-way for the belts later that year. Santana & Ortiz won the titles in that match.
Chelsea Green is no longer part of the Robert Stone brand. Green teamed with Charlotte Flair against Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley in victorious fashion last night. After the match, Green fired Robert Stone in a clip shot exclusively for social media.
“Every since signing with the Robert Stone brand, it’s worked, we’ve worked. After tonight, Chelsea Green is the hottest she’s ever been. That’s why, you’re fired,” Green said to Stone.
At first, Stone seemed to feel Green was joking but it dawned on him at the end of the video that she was being quite serious.
Actually I’m kidding. I don’t wanna fire you. Were you kidding??? Let’s talk. Did you block my number ????
Video of Chelsea Green firing Stone can be viewed below:
A recent segment on NXT also involved Aliyah attempting to convince Robert Stone she would be a good fit with his brand.
Chelsea Green Gone From The Robert Stone Brand
Green debuted in NXT on the January 29th episode. She surprisingly dropped the match to Kayden Carter but would avenge the loss on the February 19th edition of NXT.
Green then qualified for a #1 Contenders ladder match by defeating Shotzi Blackheart on the March 4th show. On April 29th, Green defeated Xia Li to bring her single’s record on the brand to 3-1. Her victory alongside Charlotte Flair last night was her 4th victory in NXT thus far.
Brie Bella has said that she is worried about her marriage to Daniel Bryan. In a promo clip for tonight’s episode of Total Bellas, Brie tells her sister Nikki that she is worried that her and Bryan are growing apart.
“He and I both … We don’t have a lot of time together as a couple,” Brie said. “At times we feel like single parents, when he comes back in town, I leave. We’re kind of growing apart, we’re not growing together.”
Brie continued to talk about how the couple has started to want different things. Bryan and Brie were married in 2014 after 2 years of dating.
The couple has planned a romantic getaway to Sedona, Arizona to work on their relationship.
“In the last eight years, Bryan and I have just wanted different things than what we’ve both wanted together in the beginning. I think we really need to come up with some compromises, and I know that if I want my marriage to work, I have to go into Sedona so honest. I can’t come back to Phoenix with any regrets.”
Bryan is scheduled to face Jeff Hardy this week on Smackdown. The match is a semi-final tournament match to determine a new Intercontinental Champion.
WWE taped next week’s episode of RAW at the Performance Center yesterday. During the show, Kairi Sane was injured while performing in a match with Nia Jax. According to a report from Wrestling Observer Radio, Kairi Sane was bloodied up after hitting the ring steps during the match.
“Everyone who I’ve talked to has said no one’s blaming Nia Jax, this was not Nia Jax’s fault even though other things have been,” said Dave Meltzer.
“Basically Kairi Sane got whipped into the ring steps. One person said that she may have stumbled but she was trying to take it on her side. She did take it on her side, her head did hit the steps,” he continued.
“Her head hit the steps, she was bloodied up, she was knocked silly.”
It is not yet known if Kairi has a concussion or not, however. The match was stopped and it is not clear if the match will air on television or if it will be edited before airing.
Kairi’s last match to air on WWE programming was a victory over Ruby Riott. The match aired on the May 5th episode of Main Event.
Chris Jericho’s Rock N Rager at Sea is still scheduled to set sail in 2021. Jericho gave a big update yesterday on the cruise that is currently scheduled to happen on February 1st to 5th, 2021.
The cruise is now advertising 4 days of wrestling matches, 3 Fozzy concerts, an event titled “Family Feud with Chris Jericho,” autograph sessions, live podcasts and more. Jim Duggan, Ted Dibiase, Bully Ray, and more are already confirmed for the event.
Those who have sailed on the cruise before can prebook now. First-time cruise-goers can sign up for presale here.
Last year’s cruise featured the taping of an episode of AEW Dynamite branded “Bash at the Beach.” The promotion stated after last year’s event that they would air Dynamite live from the cruise in 2021.
“We recognize we’re in the midst of uncertain times right now – times that call for extra flexibility, special value, and an absolute assurance that your health and safety are being closely looked after,” reads ChrisJerichoCruise.com.
Several new protocols will be coming to the cruise industry following the resumption of their businesses. The cruise line Jericho uses for the Rock N Rager at Sea has already stated they will no longer be greeting guests with high-fives.
“We expect new protocols to continue changing and the planning for your event will continue evolving right alongside them. One measure we’ll implement right away is saying goodbye to our beloved welcome high-fives. However, you can still count on a friendly Sixthman face upon your arrival to greet you and welcome you to the party!”
More information about health protocols for the cruise can be found here.
Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite from Daily’s Place Amphitheater featured prominent branding for HBO Max, the new streaming service from WarnerMedia.
HBO Max launched this week and includes programming from TNT and other WarnerMedia properties. HBO Max logos appeared all over the ringside area on AEW Dynamite, including the ring apron, turnbuckles, ring posts, announcers’ booth and more.
There has been some speculation that AEW programming, either Dark or show, could end up on the streaming service as well.
Kevin Reilly is the chief content officer for HBO Max and also the President of TNT, TBS, and truTV. He spoke with Variety following the extension of AEW’s deal with TNT. During the discussion, Reilly spoke highly of AEW and noted that AEW Dark could be moved off of YouTube and onto a WarnerMedia property.
“We just figured, ‘Let’s bring it onto the network and make it a place where you truly plant up and coming talent,’” Reilly said regarding Dark. “I think we’ll start doing more packages there and filming some behind-the-scenes stuff, not for the matches that night but with other talent to plant stories and grow things that could eventually become another show in and of itself.”
AEW President Tony Khan also wished WarnerMedia luck on the launch of HBO Max yesterday. He wrote on Twitter, “Thank you all who watched Double or Nothing & made it a huge success 2 years in a row! We’ve officially been in business for 1 year now & we owe it all to great fans supporting us + Kevin Reilly & our partners at WarnerMedia! Good luck on the big #HBOMax launch today, my friends!”
Get your free trial for HBO Max at HBOMax.com. A trailer for the new streaming service can be viewed below. WarnerMedia’s vast catalogue of films and TV shows are included.
After being called out by Chris Jericho last night on Dynamite, Mike Tyson walked to the ring flanked by numerous MMA fighters. Tyson’s entourage included several notable former champions and one recently retired double-champion.
When Tyson’s crew came out, Henry Cejudo was one of the first visible big names to appear on the screen. Cejudo is coming off of defending the UFC Bantamweight Championship at UFC 249 against Dominick Cruz. The 33-year-old announced he was retiring after the fight, though there are some who feel this is just a negotiating strategy. Cejudo is an Olympic gold-medalist and a 2-division champion in the UFC, having held both the flyweight and bantamweight belts.
Also in Tyson’s crew was Vitor Belfort. The 43-year-old is a former UFC light heavyweight champion. He also won the UFC heavyweight tournament at UFC 12.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAt5ZfmByVL/
“Suger” Rashad Evans was also in Tyson’s crew on Dynamite last night. Evans is also a former UFC light heavyweight champion. Additionally, Evans won the Ultimate Fighter season 2 and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2019.
Actor Mickey Gooch was also part of Tyson’s entourage.
Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler debuted on AEW Dynamite last night.
Following the night’s opening match, the Young Bucks were attacked by the Butcher and the Blade. Harwood and Wheeler then drove into the stadium and acted as if they were going to attack the Bucks before then beating down the Butcher and the Blade.
The Young Bucks then extended a handshake offer to FTR but Harwood and Wheeler turned their backs on them and left.
FTR’s AEW debut can be seen in the player below:
Shortly after their segment last night, Harwood & Wheeler (as well as ShopAEW) posted to Twitter and revealed what “FTR” actually stands for: “F*ck The Rest.”
Harwood and Wheeler received a Cease and Desist letter from a tag-team named the Revolt. In response, FTR’s attorneys noted that their team name is FTR and what that stands for can change based on storylines.
“Our clients do not intend and have never intended to call themselves FEAR THE REVOLT,” Harwood and Wheeler’s attorney responded to the letter. “They have at all times and in every way made it clear that their tag team name would be FTR, and that FTR can and would mean different things depending on their storyline and creative. They are not responsible for and cannot be held responsible for dirt sheets and others incorrectly attributing to them a name other than the name they have chosen, FTR.”
AEW has released new top-5 rankings for its men’s women’s and tag team divisions. MJF is now the #1 ranked men’s single’s competitor in the company.
AEW Men’s Single’s Rankings
AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (12-0) TNT Champion: Cody (10-1)
MJF (6-0) (previously unranked)
Lance Archer (5-1)
Brodie Lee (5-1)
Kenny Omega (4-0)
Darby Allin (6-3)
As Cody is now the TNT Champion he leaves the single’s rankings and is replaced by his rival, MJF. #1 Maxwell Jacob Friedman returns to the rankings following having been removed as he dealt with various injuries. MJF defeated Jungle Boy at Double or Nothing and Marko Stunt on last week’s Dynamite. Cody defeated #2 Lance Archer in the finals of the tournament at Double or Nothing.
The rest of the division’s rankings remain unchanged.
Brian Cage may not appear in the rankings but he has earned a title shot against Jon Moxley. Cage debuted at Double or Nothing and won the Casino Ladder match. Moxley and Cage will headline Fyter Fest 2020.
#3 Brodie Lee picked up his first loss in AEW at Double or Nothing when he lost his title shot against Jon Moxley.
#4 Kenny Omega wrestled in the Stadium Stampede match won by the Elite. #5 Darby Allin was in the Casino Ladder match but failed to win.
AEW Women’s Division
Champion: Hikaru Shida (10-1)
Nyla Rose (5-2) (previously champion)
Kris Statlander (4-4)
Britt Baker (4-4)
Yuka Sakazaki (1-1)
Penelope Ford (3-3) (previous unranked)
There is a new AEW Women’s World Champion. Hikaru Shida defeated Nyla Rose at Double or Nothing to win the title. #1 Nyla Rose drops to the #1 contender spot as a result.
#2 Kris Statlander picked up a victory over #5 Penelope Ford at Double or Nothing.
#3 Britt Baker was injured in a tag match on Dynamite last week. She is scheduled to address her injury on tonight’s show.
#4 Yuka Sakazaki hasn’t wrestled since the AEW Dark that was filmed at Revolution on February 29th.
#5 Penelope Ford debuts in the rankings for the first time. She lost to #2 Kris Statlander at Double or Nothing but defeated KiLynn King on Dark. Ford also defeated former champion Riho on Dark back in March in what was quite the upset at the time.
AEW Tag Team Division
Champions: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (6-0)
Best Friends (9-3)
The Natural Nightmares (4-0) (previously unranked)
Private Party (4-2)
The Dark Order (5-0) (-2)
The Young Bucks (2-2) (-1)
#2 QT Marshall and Dustin Rhodes made a huge leap this week in the rankings. The Natural Nightmares defeated Alex Reynolds and John Silver from the Dark Order on Dark this week for their 4th straight victory. Allie was shown eating QT Marshall’s apple ominously in the crowd during the match in what could be the beginning of an angle.
#1 the Best Friends have likely earned a title shot after securing their top-ranking in a match against #3 Private Party on the Kickoff show this week.
#4 The Dark Order fell 2 spots this week, likely due to inactivity. With travel restrictions between the US and Canada for athletes being eased soon, we could see Evil Uno and Grayson back shortly, however.
#5 The Young Bucks fell one spot, likely due more to the Natural Nightmares moving up so highly in the rankings more than anything else. They were on the winning end of the Stadium Stampede match at Double or Nothing.
The Jurassic Express fell out of the tag rankings this week.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson thinks his 18-year-old daughter Simone has major potential in the world of professional wrestling.
Simone Johnson signed with WWE back in February. She has been training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. She could be seen in the crowd (behind plexiglass) during Monday’s WWE Raw.
The Rock recently sat down with Access and spoke about his daughter following in his footsteps. The Rock says he’s proud of his daughter, who has big shoes to fill as a fourth generation wrestler.
“Simone has been training to become a WWE,” The Rock began. “It’s so cool. I’m so proud of her because that world, that is a difficult world not only to be in but it’s a difficult world to make it in.”
Simone Johnson talks about fulfilling her WWE dreams
The road to greatness in WWE is never easy. For Simone Johnson, she has a rich family legacy to live up to. The Rock also feels it’s more difficult being a woman in the business, despite progress made in recent years.
“It’s also doubly-difficult when you’re a woman,” he said. “She goes in there and she not only has big shoes to fill and is well-aware of our family name but also has this desire to create her own path, which is the best part about it. Also, she goes in humble, hungry, and is a student every day and just wants to learn. I’m very proud of her.”
When asked about Simone’s in-ring ability, the Rock didn’t hold back.
“She’s badass,” Rock said about her in-ring ability. “Yes, she kicks ass.”
Impact Wrestling presented the semi-finals of its #1 Contenders tournament this week. They also announced that Deonna Purrazzo is on her way to the promotion after having been released by WWE last month.
Impact Tag Team Championships The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) (c) defeated Cody Deaner & Wheels
#1 Contenders Tournament (Semi-Finals) Trey defeated Michael Elgin
Trey Upsets Michael Elgin To Advance To Tournament Finals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rbS01UBzoc
Heading into this week’s main event, few were giving Trey a chance in his match with perennial title-contender Michael Elgin. Trey surprised many with his ability to hang with Elgin during the match but ultimately it looked as though Elgin was going to take the match. Just as Elgin seemed like he had Trey right where he wanted him, Sami Callihan’s ICU music and video began to play. Elgin defeated Callihan in the 1st round of the tournament.
Although Callihan never came out, the distraction was all Trey needed to land a pinning combination on Elgin and score the upset victory.
Deonna Purrazzo is coming to Impact Wrestling. Before the night’s main event, a vignette featuring Purrazzo aired. In the video, Purrazzo explains what being a “Virtuoso” means. The 25-year-old had been with WWE for the last 2 years before being released last month.
The North Visit The Deaner Family Compound
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yegKYSPk0o
Josh Alexander and Ethan Page traveled to the Deaner compound for a tag title match this week. Page, Alexander, and Deaner have been unable to travel to recent Impact tapings due to US-Canada travel restrictions.
Deaner selected a rather large man by the name of Wheels to be his teammate in this cinematic-style match. The match quickly spilled all over the compound. Alexander and Deaner ended up on top of a trailer and Alexander hit a piledriver to take Deaner out of the match for a while. The North then double-teamed Wheels and eventually attacked the referee for a perceived slow count. While this was going on, the various Deaner family members rescued Cody from atop the trailer.
Deaner returned to the match in hot-tag fashion. He looked to have Cody down for a 3-count after a DDT but the referee was still down. Then the North’s personal ring-announcer from recent matches hit a low-blow on Wheels and fast-counted him to give the North the win.
The segment ended with the North running away from the compound with the belts as the various Deanner family members chased them.
Ace Austin Advances To Tournament Finals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McqUZhfdDLU
Former X-Division Ace Austin is now just one win away from being the new #1 contender to the Impact World Championship. He scored an arguable upset victory over Hernandez in the semi-finals of the tournament to kick off the show this week.
The story of the match was that Austin was able to counter the big-power moves that Hernandez would go for. The end of the match came when Austin clipped Hernandez’s knee, hit the Fold, and scored a 3-count.
Nevaeh Rescues Havok From Kimber Lee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cu_JAo4jgo
Previously on Impact, Kimber Lee defeated Havok after using a pair of brass knuckles. A rematch was scheduled for this week and Kimber Lee again went to use the brass knucks, having hid them in the ring apron. As she did so, however, Nevaeh made the save for Havok. It was the first time Nevaeh has actually gotten involved in the action since she’s been shown ominously watching Havok’s matches.
Nevaeh hit Kimber Lee before she could use the brass knuckles and the referee called for the bell. Havok and Nevaeh then beatdown Kimber Lee and celebrated together to end the segment.
Johnny Swinger Helps Chris Bey Defeated Cousin Jake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6d_r7whdX4
Johnny Swinger accompanied Chris Bey to the ring for his match against Cousin Jake this week. Bey and Swinger have been aligned in recent weeks and a program involving them and Willie Mack appears to be building.
Swinger helped Bey score the victory this week. Jake was forced to turn his attention to Swinger on the apron and the distraction would cost him the match. After Jake knocked Swinger off the apron, Bey hit a fame-asser followed by the Final Finesse for the win.
Swinger and Bey looked to attack Jake after the match but Willie Mack made the save.
While the Undertaker’s wrestling days might be coming to an end, the Deadman says he’ll never retire from the industry completely.
During a recent interview with Postmedia in Canada, the 55-year-old icon says he will always be involved in wrestling, even when he’s no longer fit for active competition.
“I’ll never, ever retire completely,” Undertaker said. “I may not get in the ring and wrestle anymore, but I’ll always somehow be involved I’m sure within the industry. For 30 years, I’ve been a mainstay in the ring.”
The Undertaker helped create another WrestleMania moment at this year’s event. The positive reception to his Boneyard Match with AJ Styles has many fans wondering if “cinematic” matches might extend the Undertaker’s career. Others have said it offers Taker a chance to close his career on a high-note. Taker compared the possible end of his career to how John Elway and Brett Favre ended theirs.
“There’s the John Elway ending and there’s the Brett Favre ending,” Taker said. “John Elway wins the Super Bowl and retires. Brett Favre leaves the Packers and he goes to the Jets, then he goes to the Vikings and he just never gets there again. Then his last game is kind of sad. I’m trying really hard not to have that ending and coming to grips with the fact that I may not get the Elway ending.”
“That’s what this whole process has been. I’m trying to weave a real intricate web here and I’ve got to make some really tough decisions very soon.”
The full interview with the Undertaker can be read here.
Kenny Omega recently defended AEW’s Women’s division from a detractor online. A user on Twitter stated that Deonna Purrazzo’s signing with Impact Wrestling was a missed opportunity for AEW and Omega responded.
“Truly happy for Deonna but I’m incredibly proud of our division and its athletes. You should try watching some of our matches. Start with the recent title match from a few days ago and then honestly tell me we need help,” Omega Tweeted.
Truly happy for Deonna but I’m incredibly proud of our division and its athletes. You should try watching some of our matches. Start with the recent title match from a few days ago and then honestly tell me we need help.
Hikaru Shida became the 3rd wrestler to hold the AEW Women’s championship at Double or Nothing. She defeated Nyla Rose to win the title after spending weeks as the #1 ranked contender in the division. Rose spent 101 days as champion. Her only title-defense was at Revolution on February 29th when she defeated Kris Statlander.
Inaugural champion Riho held the title for 133 days after defeating Nyla Rose for the vacant belt on the 1st episode of Dynamite. She successfully defended the belt against Britt Baker, Emi Sakura, Kris Statlander, and against Rose, Shida, and Baker in a fatal 4-way match during her reign.
Also at Double or Nothing, former title-challenger Kris Statlander defeated Penelope Ford. Britt Baker was originally scheduled to face Statlander but suffered an injury on last week’s Dynamite. Baker is scheduled to address her injury and timetable for return on tonight’s show.
Ronda Rousey hasn’t performed in a WWE ring since the main event of WrestleMania 35. Rousey has been acting, performing on reality shows, and even voicing a character for a Mortal Kombat video game since she’s been gone.
Triple H recently spoke to TMZ about Rousey potentially coming back to WWE. The Game said she is welcome back at any time and also stated that Rousey is one of the greatest performers WWE has ever had.
“Of course, we want her. Of course, we do! One of the greatest performers for us ever,” Triple H said to TMZ about Ronda.
Triple H would continue to speculate about what Rousey’s plans could be and also to comment on Rousey calling pro-wrestling “fake” on Steve-O’s podcast.
“I think Ronda’s in a place in her personal life where she’s figuring some things out,” Triple H continued. “But, the thing with Ronda is you never know what she is saying. Is she attacking the business really or is she attacking the business because she knows that’s what will light up the fans that love the business?”
Rousey made a surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble in 2018. She would team up with Kurt Angle and face Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania that year. Rousey would then win the RAW Women’s Championship at SummerSlam 2018. Rousey would hold the title all the way until WrestleMania 36 when she dropped it to Becky Lynch.
“We still have a great relationship on everything [with Ronda] and when she is ready, absolutely [we’ll have her back].”
Triple H’s comments about Rousey can be heard in the player below:
Enzo Amore was with WWE from 2012 until 2018. He made his main roster debut in 2016 along with his tag partner, Big Cass. During that time, Arn Anderson was working backstage in WWE. Recently on the Arn Show, Double-A gave his thoughts on Enzo.
“Enzo was a guy that put a long time in down at NXT with his partner, Big Cass, and they had a pretty schtick going down there,” Anderson began. “Once they came up to the main roster, though, you go into a whole different learning phase, or you’re supposed to. If you’re going to be hanging around, you’re going to go through a whole new ‘let’s start over, here’s the way we do things on RAW, here’s the way we do things on Smackdown.'”
Big Cass and Enzo Amore arrived on the main roster with a great deal of fan fare. WWE fans knew who they were and knew to chant along with their catch phrases. Unfortunately, according to Arn Anderson, Enzo in particular might have had some issues with maturity that hindered their success.
“You can’t be too hardheaded about that because there are people trying to help you. If you don’t listen to those people and you fail, it’s on you. If you do listen to those people and do everything you can possibly do to pull off what they are telling you to pull off, then you got a shot at it. I just think Enzo might have been a little too headstrong about how he felt things should go.”
Arn Anderson’s comments about Enzo can be heard in the player below:
During his time away from pro wrestling, Enzo Amore has crossed over to the world of hip-hop music. He performs under the name real1. You can listen to his latest song, COVID19 ANTHEM, below:
Jeff Jarrett and Impact Wrestling are going back to court. A Tennessee judge has set a date for the trial to begin after court-ordered mediation failed to result in a settlement between the two parties.
Jarrett filed suit against Anthem media claiming the company used the GFW Amped shows without proper permission. The recording of the Amped shows was then deleted by Anthem Media. The conflict between the two sides began following Jarrett’s departure from the company in 2017.
Jarrett re-joined Impact in early 2017 and a merger of sorts began between the promotion and Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling project. On September 5th of that year, Jarrett was announced as taking an indefinite leave of absence from the company. He would not return to the promotion.
Last month, a judge ordered the two sides into mediation.
“trial date is realistic notwithstanding COVID-19, and the parties shall anticipate going forward on that date,” the court ruled regarding the upcoming trial date.
Jarrett has been working as a full-time member of the WWE creative team since March of 2019. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018. Jarrett was inducted into the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2015.
Stardom has issued further statement on the recent passing of 22-year-old Hana Kimura.
“We would like to take this opportunity to apologize for your concern and sorrow due to the sudden passing of Stardom’s Hana Kimura on May 23.
According to the police report, there is no case of foul play.
Regarding more details on the cause of death, we will refrain from publishing anything according to the wishes of the bereaving family. We do not plan to announce the details here in any press conferences or news releases. We kindly ask for your continued support.
In addition, please refrain from trying to interview the family and athletes belonging to Stardom in consideration of the current situation.
Moreover, please refrain from visiting the bereaving family, athlete’s homes, offices, the dojo, etc.
Regarding the funeral of Hana Kimura, we will not be announcing the date and time nor the place according to the wishes of the bereaving family. We would appreciate the consideration of the media and fans.
The bereaving family expresses their deep gratitude to the fans who supported Hana Kimura, and although the date and time of the event is currently undecided due to the Coronavirus situation, a memorial service for Hana Kimura will be held.
We are taking everything into consideration, and deciding on plans for videos and photos that can be shared with her fans.
Details will be announced as soon as they are decided.
We are very sorrowful on Hana’s passing, and only wish for her to rest in eternal peace.
Japan’s Communications Minister Sanae Takaichi said earlier today that the country’s laws against cyber bullying will be “revised to annul the right to privacy for deemed perpetrators of online slander and harassment.”
The proposed revisions will make it easier for victims of online abuse to find out who is behind their harassment. Current laws allow them to do so only after a long and expensive legal process.
“Online slander only serves to induce even more similar messages, and this is a serious violation of human rights,” Justice Minister Masako Mori said.
More information about the proposed changes to Japan’s cyberbullying laws can be found here.
Ring of Honor has announced that Flip Gordon has re-signed with the promotion.
Gordon signed with in the spring of 2017, just 2 years into his pro-career. He won the promotion’s “Breakout Star of the Year” award in 2018, as well as the “Sea of Honor” tournament on the Chris Jericho cruise that year.
Flip Gordon was also featured regularly on ‘Being the Elite’ before the Young Bucks left ROH and NJPW to begin performing with AEW. His close relationship with the rest of The Elite led many to believe he was AEW bound once his ROH contract expired.
Gordon took to Twitter to announce his re-signing with ROH:
ROH was forced to cancel its live events when the global pandemic hit. According to comments made by Marty Scurll on the ROH Strong podcast, the pandemic hit just as he was about to take the promotion in a direction he had crafted himself.
“No one was more heartbroken then myself,” Scurll said about the decision for ROH to cancel its events. “Even though I’ve sort of been hands-on with the show since January, I felt like these were really my first shows that I had full control of.”
“I put so many hours of time and thought into these shows,” he continued.
Scurll also said in the same interview that an AEW-ROH relationship is likely to occur.
“Both parties are definitely willing to work with each other. It’s just a matter of timing, I guess,” he said. “I’m not saying anything will happen, I’m just saying I wouldn’t rule it out. There’s no reason why we wouldn’t. It’s just that the timing needs to be correct and it needs to be a fitting situation for us to work together. I personally would like to see it happen at some point.”
On the May 11th edition of WWE RAW, Becky Lynch announced that she is pregnant. Lynch also relinquished the WWE RAW Women’s Championship to Asuka. Lynch recently took part in an interview with SI.com and revealed some of the reasons she is happy to have passed the title on to Asuka.
“Passing that championship onto Asuka meant a lot,” said Lynch. “She really, really deserves it. And another element that people missed, because it’s not really advertised, is that she’s a working mom.”
“She’s proven that you can do it all,” Lynch continued. “You can be a badass and go off and have a family, you can come in and still kick more ass, have a YouTube show and be entertaining as all hell. The fact that she was the person to take that title from me meant a lot to me.”
Asuka’s first title defense of the RAW Women’s title is set for Backlash on June 14th. She’ll face the winner of a #1 Contenders triple threat match between Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, and Natalya tonight.
Lynch also stated during the interview that while she will be away from WWE for a while, she’ll never be truly gone from the company.
“The WWE is my family, my actual family,” said Lynch. “I will always stay involved.”
JTG and Shad Gaspard first started teaming together in 2006 on Ohio Valley Wrestling shows. Between 2 runs on the main roster of WWE and wrestling on the independents beginning in 2014, Cryme Tyme never stopped being a team. Following Shad Gaspard’s tragic death, JTG posted a message to his longtime partner and friend.
“I want to say thank you to all the friends, fans and family who reached out to me and Shads family during this difficult time. The outpour of love and support has definitely helped me get through this. I have my moments where I’m in disbelief and feeling a tremendous amount of hurt but as soon as I start to reminisce about Shad and our relationship I begin to smile,” JTG says in the above post.
JTG also posted a link to a GoFundMe account to support Shad’s family.
“Shad, Thank you for always being there for me. You were more than my tag team partner, more than a friend you were the big brother I always wanted growing up. The world will remember you for what you are. A HERO.”
WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter offered up some congratulations to Jon Moxley on social media recently. Slaughter was responding to a thread on Twitter when he also made reference to legal troubles between him and WWE.
“Congrats” on ur life after leaving the Flagship @WWE VERY happy for U, especially since I was the 1st to go up against “The Emperor” & fight for MY FREEDOM. Luckily U got to by pass the lawsuits & courtroom appearances. Wishing U continued sucesss,” Slaughter Tweeted.
@JonMoxley “Congrats” on ur life after leaving the Flagship @WWE VERY happy for U, especially since I was the 1st to go up against “The Emperor” & fight for MY FREEDOM??Luckily U got to by pass the lawsuits & courtroom appearances?Wishing U continued sucesss
Slaughter and Vince McMahon had a falling out of sorts in the mid-80s. There are many reported reasons as to why Slaughter left the company in 1984. One that is detailed in the book “Chokehold: Pro Wrestling’s Real Mayhem Outside the Ring” states that Slaughter and WWF ended up in conflict when Slaughter disputed the amount he was being paid for royalties on merchandise.
Slaughter then trademarked the “Sgt. Slaughter” name, left WWF (or by some accounts was fired) and went back to the AWA. He filed suit against McMahon for merchandise royalties and the two parties settled out of court. There are also reports that Slaughter and WWF were at odds over a deal Slaughter would make with G.I Joe.
Slaughter would eventually return to WWF in 1990 and begin the “Iraqi Sympathizer” angle. He would win the title from the Ultimate Warrior at the 1991 Royal Rumble before dropping it at WrestleMania VII to Hulk Hogan.
Mike Tyson presented the TNT Championship to inaugural champion Cody Rhodes last night at AEW Double or Nothing. AEW has announced that Tyson will also appear this week – Wednesday night on AEW Dynamite on TNT.
Mike Tyson in AEW
Tyson would get involved in the action during last night’s TNT title tournament finals. He prevented Jake “the Snake” Roberts from bringing out his snake or causing any further interference. Now, Tyson is scheduled to be at Dynamite on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see if Roberts and Archer have anything to say to Tyson on the show.
Fresh off his appearance at AEW’s Double or Nothing Pay Per View, Iron @MikeTyson will make his #AEWDynamite debut LIVE THIS WED, May 27th at 8/7c on TNT!
Tyson has stated he plans to announce when he’ll make his return to boxing this week. The 53-year-old has said his team is in talks with multiple fighters about a comeback bout.
“Listen we’ve got so many guys that want to do this man. We’re in calls, we’re doing business with guys right now. You’re not going to believe the names when the names come out. Sometime this week we’ll have the contract done,” Tyson said on the Young Money Radio Show with Lil Wayne.
Tyson has also said that he doesn’t plan on keeping any money he makes from the fight either. He told L’il Wayne that he’s never felt this good in his life.
“I’m going to take this money and help these homeless and we’re going to help these addicted brothers. Because I’ve been homeless and I’ve been addicted so I know the struggle. Not many people have survived like I did.”
