A thread online originally started by MLW’s Brian Pillman Jr. is gaining traction on Twitter. Pillman tweeted out that he enjoys modern wrestling more than old school and this caused several wrestlers and personalities from the wrestling industry to comment.
Hot take: Modern day wrestling is actually better in a lot of ways than the old stuff. We often look back at the past with rose colored goggles but if you actually watch a lot of things at the top level are smoother, faster and more exciting than they were 30 years ago.
“I think the wrestling today is geared towards a more savvy fanbase. It may be harder to digest than your good ol classic babyface/heel match from the 80s but at the highest level there does exist complex storytelling and psychology,” Pillman continued to Tweet.
“That’s because 30 years ago the things that mattered were getting over and drawing money,” Lance Storm Tweeted. “Not saying one is better or worse, just the goals have changed. People cared about angles and who won, Not the smoothness of cool spots.”
Dr. Tom Prichard then stated what he feels is missing in today’s pro-wrestling.
Smoother, faster, more exciting…Better? Matter of opinion I guess. Not rose colored goggles as much as knowing the difference between "feeling" and "playing a part." Huge element missing with many today. Luv ya Brian, but you'll never know the "feeling" & that's what's MISSING https://t.co/2esrAV0U8U
“That’s the things people miss. Go back and watch Freebirds vs Von Erichs in World Class. Instead of trying to see if the “work” holds up, look at how the crowd reaction holds up,” Lance Storm Tweeted in response to Prichard.
You are right. My goal will be to bridge the 2 philosophies together!
Pillman’s original Tweet which kicked off the thread below:
Hot take: Modern day wrestling is actually better in a lot of ways than the old stuff. We often look back at the past with rose colored goggles but if you actually watch a lot of things at the top level are smoother, faster and more exciting than they were 30 years ago.
Shad Gaspard is currently missing after getting caught in a strong rip tide yesterday at Marina Del Rey beach. Lifeguards were attempting to get people out of the water due to the conditions and Gaspard is reported to have directed them to help his 10-year-old son before helping him. Gaspard’s son was rescued and unharmed but Gaspard was taken underwater by a large wave.
According to CBSN in Los Angeles, Rescuers called off the search for Gaspard in the water at 7:30 PM yesterday and are hoping he will be found on land. TMZ later confirmed that the 39-year-old in CBSN’s report is Shad Gaspard.
The CBS Los Angeles report can be viewed in the player below:
Shad Gaspard In Wrestling
Gaspard debuted in the WWE developmental system as “Da Beast” in OVW in 2003. He then debuted on the main roster as 1/2 of Cryme Tyme along with JTG in 2006.
Gaspard was also an actor. He portrayed the role of former World Champion boxer Jack Johnson in a stage adaptation of Pugilist in 2013. He also played the role of Muhammad Ali in the TV film “The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time.”
After being eliminated from the Intercontinental Championship tournament by Daniel Bryan on Smackdown last week, Drew Gulak parted ways with WWE. A few different reports surfaced online in the wake of Gulak’s departure from the company. It was first reported that Gulak had been released and then later that his contract had run-out and he had not been re-signed. According to Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live, however, an offer WWE put on the table to Gulak to re-sign was pulled after he asked for more money.
“What happened was he was negotiating a new contract and the contract expired after Smackdown and he had wanted a raise,” Alvarez said. Alvarez then noted that before the pandemic, WWE had been granting raises to people who re-signed.
“So, Drew Gulak asked for a raise,” Alvarez continued. “They said ‘no’ and then they pulled the contract offer. So, if you want to argue that he wasn’t actually released, you’re welcome to because his contract did expire but they let him go because he wanted more money.”
It is also being reported that Gulak’s contract negotiations with WWE are not dead and that he could still return to the company.
Gulak came into WWE in 2016 following the Cruiserweight Classic. He is a former Cruiserweight Champion having held the title from June to October in 2019.
The comments by Bryan Alvarez can be viewed in the player below:
One of the original members of Bullet Club, Tama Tonga, recently posted a Tweet directed at Cody Rhodes and Kenny Omega. During the Bullet Club civil war angle in NJPW, Tama was one of the most outspoken critics of “the Elite.” According to Tonga, he still has unfinished business with both Kenny Omega and Cody Rhodes.
Tonga’s Tweet comes just as an interview with him from NJPW1972.com was published today. During that interview, Tonga reflected on the 7-year history of Bullet Club.
“We were four foreigners, in a Japanese company in Japan,” Tonga said about the early days of the faction. “We spoke English which gave us a common ground anyway, and we were all outsiders. Nobody knew what we were going through better than we did, so it was natural that we would talk to one another and natural that we would be friendly with one another.”
Tama Tonga On Bullet Club comparisons to the NWO
Tonga also responded to comparisons between Bullet Club and the NWO.
“I know what we did reminds a lot of people about the nWo, and I respect everything that came before me, but really, I don’t give a s**t about what they did. I give a s**t about what I do, building this thing with its own identity,” Tonga continued.
Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, formerly Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder, received a cease and desist letter recently regarding the name “the Revolt.” It has been widely speculated due to trademark filings that Harwood and Wheeler would be using the Revolt as their new team name. Another team that has used the Revolt as their tag-team name has sent Harwood and Wheeler a cease and desist letter, however.
According to a report from PW Insider, Caleb Konley and Zane Riley sent a 10-page document to Harwood and Wheeler’s attorney. Konley and Riley have been using the tag name “the Revolt” on the independent circuit.
“The Revolt are well-known in the independent professional wrestling circuit and are the current PWX World Tag Team Champions,” reads the cease and desist letter. “Mr. Burnett and Mr. Riley sell a range of Revolt-branded merchandise including t-shirts, hats, and DVDs, as shown in Exhibit B. The Revolt has been their passion for years and they have literally put their blood and sweat into building The Revolt brand and connecting with their fans.”
According to Harwood and Wheeler’s attorneys, however, they never planned to refer to themselves as “The Revolt” or “Fear the Revolt” but rather just “FTR.”
fear the revolt fear the revolt fear the revolt fear the revolt fear the revolt fear the revolt fear the revolt fear the revolt fear the revolt fear the revolt fear the revolt fear the revolt fear the revolt. pic.twitter.com/nVaZJKpb5m
— Daniel “Cash” Wheeler (@CashWheelerFTR) May 17, 2020
Fear the Revolt
“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.”
The letter from Harwood and Wheeler’s attorney, Michael Dockins, continued to say that his clients offered to pay for Riley and Konley to trademark the Revolt and work an angle on the independent scene with them. This offer appears to now be off the table, however.
When you have the law, pound the law. When you have the facts, pound the facts. When you have neither? Pound the table. Eh @DaxHarwood and @CashWheelerFTR ?
— "Gimmick Attorney®" Mike Dockins (@gimmickattorney) May 17, 2020
Arn Anderson is currently Cody Rhodes’ manager in AEW. Double-A has a long history with the Rhodes family including working backstage in WWE while both Cody and his older brother Dustin were on the active roster. In 2014, Cody debuted the “Stardust” gimmick with WWE. Anderson recently commented on the gimmick during an episode of “the Arn Show.”
“I didn’t dislike it from the fact that the costuming and Cody looked good in that character. I know that every time I dealt with Cody from day one he would give you the best he could,” Anderson said. “And I know that there should be some good things happening for him in the business because his attitude was good, his ability was good, straight away.”
“They put this character on him, I didn’t know how strongly he was against it until later,” Arn continued. “I thought he did a good job with it and he looked good in the costuming and the whole deal but there was no plan past that.”
Arn then said what he couldn’t figure out was that the new gimmick wasn’t meant to elevate Cody up the card.
“When they change you and change your character and you just stay at a level-push, you don’t go anywhere with that then what was the reason to change you?” Arn asked. “If there were no positive plans to elevate you and that is what I couldn’t figure out.”
Jim Cornette throws out a lot of insults and derogatory comments on his podcast. Many go under the radar but some do not. Recently comments Cornette made about Dana Brooke got back to her and she responded.
“Her entire face looks like it was remodeled after somebody set fire to it and put it out with an ax,” Cornette commented. “What the f**k has happened? Did she do that on purpose or was she in a horrible accident? What the f**k?”
@TheJimCornette how about you stop hiding behind a keyboard and come say it to my face!! Cause I doubt you would when you see me in person MARKKKKKKK – how about .. STOP SPREADING HATE & spread positivity! https://t.co/fgTRTeteFT
“How about you stop hiding behind a keyboard and come say it to my face!! Cause I doubt you would when you see me in person MARKKKKKKK – how about .. STOP SPREADING HATE & spread positivity!” Brooke Tweeted.
Some previous targets of Cornette’s commented in the Twitter thread as well. Austin Aries issued the following response:
Dana Brooke competed in the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match last weekend. She qualified for the match by defeating Naomi on Smackdown. Brooke and Carmella also recently teamed together to challenge the women’s tag team champions Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss on Smackdown unsuccessfully.
After competing as a gymnast during her teen years, Brooke turned to bodybuilding and fitness competitions after an ankle injury. In 2013, she was signed to WWE and reported to NXT. Brooke has yet to win a championship in WWE but in 2017 was awarded the Female Image Award in the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding competition.
Mark Henry took part in an interview with TMZ Sports recently and addressed recent comments made by Lio Rush. Rush was released from WWE last month and has since taken shots at Henry for comments Henry made about him last year.
Henry took issue with Lio Rush not being honest with him about having backstage heat while he was on the main roster in 2019. Henry talked about this on Busted Open Radio. Then recently Rush took a few shots at Henry in regards to this.
Henry noted to TMZ that he has helped bring in many wrestlers of color to the WWE Performance Center.
“If you go down to the performance center at NXT, probably 25 I think, people of color in the facility, probably about 80 plus percent of them I helped get them there,” Mark Henry said to TMZ. “I mean, it’s completely opposite.”
“And, you can’t question my blackness. Like nobody can question my blackness, pull my black card. No, not allowed. Nobody,” Henry continued.
He then made reference to having Ivy League lawyers and considering legal action for slander.
“For him to go there was absolutely was the worst thing he could have possibly done. It’s one of those things if I take legal action for slander then… I’m not sure yet.”
“My lawyer went to Harvard. I don’t know what kinda lawyers he’s dealing with, but I got those Ivy League people around me, and they’re pissed!”
Henry’s comments can be heard in the player below:
Lio Rush Responds
Rush has since responded to Mark Henry’s comments to TMZ.
Rusev was amongst the many names released from WWE last month. He has since started his own streaming channel on Twitch. It was on Twitch recently that Rusev made some comments about former AEW World Champion Chris Jericho. Rusev noted that while they were both in WWE, Jericho was a leader in the locker room.
“I love Chris. Chris is a great dude,” Rusev said about Le Champion. “Having him backstage when I was with the WWE… He was great. He’s a great leader, man. He cares so much. He was probably the biggest leader of the whole locker room, to be honest.”
Lana recently posted a video where she appears in-character and addressed Rusev’s release. Since in storyline the two are divorced, she didn’t have much positive to say about her real-life husband but did imply he would be fine outside WWE.
“I can assure all of you guys – not that I’m talking to Rusev every day or something like that – but I can assure you that the man that I found in 2013 in NXT, discovered him, the man that climbed up the ladder in WWE is made up of a lot,” Lana said in the video.
Otis won the most unique men’s Money in the Bank match in history last Sunday. As AJ Styles and King Corbin fought over the briefcase atop the ladder, it fell from both their hands and into Otis’. The win not only means a future title shot for him but a potential move up the card to main event status.
Otis recently took part in an interview with Between the Ropes, and spoke about WWE’s use of cinematic matches since fans have been prevented from attending live events.
“I think everything happens for a reason. That’s a very strong quote that I live by,” Otis said. “That Boneyard match, I mean, I just felt like I was watching a cool thriller action movie, like big thumbs up to everybody that worked on that. The Firefly match, our Money the Bank match.”
Otis continued to talk about how the pandemic helped open the door for WWE to run with these creative match types.
“If this pandemic didn’t, unfortunately, pan out, I don’t know if you would have thought of that Boneyard match or thought of that awesome Firefly Funhouse match. I think we could definitely be in the norm here though.”
Otis on Working With Mandy Rose
Otis faced Dolph Ziggler in single’s competition at WrestleMania 36. Not only did he win the match but he also celebrated after with his new storyline girlfriend Mandy Rose. Otis also commented on what its like working with Rose during the interview.
“Everybody asks how’s Mandy behind the curtain. She’s awesome, man. Some may be surprised being but being that beautiful and being that humble at the same time, it’s awesome, man. The hardest part of the storyline is making sure she doesn’t laugh or I don’t laugh at certain things in the backstage segments but it’s fun.”
Ryback was with WWE from 2006 until 2016. Ziggler has been with the company since 2004. Their paths crossed several times in the ring but according to recent comments he made, Ziggler was not a fan of working with the Big Guy. During a recent Twitter back-and-forth, Ziggler noted that he would do whatever it took to avoid getting in the ring with Ryback.
“I did whatever I could to get out of a Ryback match, only getting hit once. It was the safe thing to do & not breach my contract. Plus they said being in the ring with you, counted as community service. ps: feel free to google the word ‘safe,’” Ziggler Tweeted.
Ryback started the thread when he tagged Ziggler in the following Tweet:
“Woooo the “random diva” even complimented your massive forearms! well the one, anyway,” Ziggler responded.
“Had to have been the one that knocked you out when you “forgot” to duck. Still baffles me to this day a guy with your neck width crumbled so easily, but shooters all have their weaknesses,” Ryback then Tweeted.
I did whatever I could to get out of a Ryback match, only getting hit once. It was the safe thing to do & not breach my contract. Plus they said being in the ring with you, counted as community service. ps: feel free to google the word “safe”
Ryback recently noted on his podcast that he believes we are seeing the fall of Vince McMahon.
“I honestly think we’re seeing the fall of Vince McMahon” Ryback stated. “He is truly being tested now, and I think he’s going to go down in flames. He’s going to go down swinging. Regardless, I could see him…he’s the type that will lose everything in the battle. And it’s the fact that there, it’s so public this, it’s right in your face what’s going on. And it’s almost like well ‘what do you guys gonna do about it?’ Okay, that’s worked in the past. The coronavirus is the one variable that he can’t control, and all it’s gonna take is one superstar dying, or their family member dying.”
Matt Hardy has teamed with Kenny Omega for the last two weeks on AEW Dynamite. This week the team defeated Santana and Ortiz but the week before, they lost to Le Sex Gods (Sammy Guevara & Chris Jericho) in a street fight.
The Inner Circle has since challenged the Elite (and likely Hardy as well) to a Stadium Stampede match at Double or Nothing. Hardy is also scheduled to take on Sammy Guevara on next week’s episode of Dynamite.
Hardy took to his official YouTube page recently to cut a promo on his upcoming opponent.
“You would think after you poked the bear as many times as you’ve poked the bear you would have learned your lesson,” Hardy said to Guevara in the video.
Hardy would continue to talk about Sammy’s involvement in the destruction of Vanguard-1.
“Then you pushed him way too far because you Sammy were involved in the destruction of Vanguard-1 and that incident, regardless of what you felt about it, it made everyone feel something.”
Hardy’s promo is in his classic Matt Hardy persona. He refers to his Broken persona as a separate person.
“You know what Damascus felt? He felt fury and rage and anger because regardless of what anyone thought about it, Damascus the Broken One, he loved Vanguard-1 like a man loves a dog that he’s had his entire life.”
“This Wednesday you have accepted Damascus’ offer to step in the ring and go one-on-one Sammy? He’s coming for blood, he’s coming to break you into little pieces the same way you broke Vanguard-1 into pieces, Sammy.”
Santana and Ortiz debuted with AEW last year after having had a lengthy run with Impact Wrestling as LAX. Now known as Proud & Powerful they are members of Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle faction. Recently on Konnan’s “Keepin it 100” podcast, Santana and Ortiz commented on what things are like behind the scenes with the Inner Circle and how the “Bubbly Bunch” segments come together.
“We’re just all in a group text and Jericho and all of us shot ideas and we figured it out,” Ortiz said about how the Bubbly Bunch segments were created. “Jericho literally sent us ‘alright, this is what you’re doing this week.’ He pretty much sent out a script for us. I’d have to do so many scenes, Santana would shoot so many scenes.”
They would continue to say that group texting is helping them come together as a team.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Santana said. “We all put these ideas together and everybody’s been into it and it’s been fun and it’s been getting good feedback.”
“And its been helping our relationship with all of us,” Ortiz added. “Because we’re on the group chat adding ridiculousness.”
Disco Inferno then pointed out that when the NWO started in WCW, they were a clique backstage. Disco asked Santana and Ortiz if the same thing was happening in AEW with the Inner Circle.
“Everybody chills together,” Ortiz answered, noting it’s not very cliquish backstage in AEW.
The WWE Superstar formerly known as Rowan (or previously as Erick Rowan) will be going by a new name outside of WWE. Rowan’s new moniker was revealed recently on his new ProWrestlingTees store.
Rowan’s new name will be “Erick Redbeard” as seen on the merchandise below.
Rowan was one of many WWE Superstars released from the company last month.
Erick Rowan/Redbeard In WWE
The 38-year-old from Minnesota signed with WWE in February of 2011. He reported to Florida Championship Wrestling shortly after. Before signing, Rowan was trained by Eddie Sharkey and later spent some time living and training in the Pro Wrestling NOAH dojo in Japan.
In 2012, he was placed in the new Wyatt Family stable along with Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt. His tag-team with Luke Harper won championship gold in WWE twice. They held the NXT Tag Team Championships as members of the Wyatt Family. Later, Harper and Rowen won the Smackdown tag team titles as the Bludgeon Brothers. Rowan would also once hold tag-team gold on Smackdown along with Daniel Bryan.
In 2013, the Wyatt Family was voted the Best Gimmick of the year by subscribers to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Renee Young has worn a lot of hats in WWE. She’s been on the RAW broadcast team, served as a backstage interviewer, and was a host of the popular yet ultimately canceled “Talking Smack.” In a recent interview, Young revealed that she would love to be a manager in WWE. She even specifically mentioned Elias as someone she is interested in possibly managing.
“I would love to do that, I’ve always kind of wanted to dabble in it,” Young said. “One person who I thought for a second, I was like, ‘Oh, should we pitch a thing?’ was Elias. I thought it would be really fun to manage Elias as, like, his band manager or something.”
Young also revealed during the interview that she would like to see a certain cinematic match come back. As the conversation turned to cinematic matches at WrestleMania, Young mentioned the Hollywood Backlot Brawl as her favorite WrestleMania match.
“One match that I keep insisting that we put on is the Hollywood Backlot Brawl because that is my favorite WrestleMania match. So, I’m still going to the powers that be hoping that we can get a little Roddy Piper and Goldust in our lives.”
The world lost Owen Hart on May 23rd, 1999. He fell to his death in front of thousands of onlookers from the Kemper Arena ceiling during the Over the Edge PPV in Kansas City. He was only 34-years-old at the time of his death. Owen left behind a wife, 2 children, and countless friends, family, and fans.
Owen’s tragic fall will be the topic of Dark Side of the Ring’s season 2 finale. His widow Martha appeared on Talk is Jericho recently to discuss Owen, the documentary, and more. During the conversation, Martha revealed the legal battles that have taken place between her and WWE.
“It was really tough. I have to say it was a knock-down-drag-out fight/battle against them,” Martha said during the discussion. “A lot of people might not realize this but they actually sued me for breach of Owen’s contract.”
“They had in their contract that you could only sue them in Connecticut but I wasn’t suing them about Owen’s contract, it was something totally different. But through that process of the lawsuit, they were trying anything and everything to muddy the waters or just intimidate me.”
“This was a company, they have deep pockets, and they can pay lawyers forever to just keep this case going and going.”
Martha continued to mention details of the lawsuit filed against her.
“Vince sued me because he wanted the case moved to Connecticut because in Missouri you are allowed punitive damages but in Connecticut you’re not. So he was so worried that ‘oh my god, there’s so much negligence here that the punitive damages are just going to be through the roof.’ So he sued me which was really tough because I had to actually hire lawyers in Connecticut to fight that lawsuit while I was battling the wrongful death lawsuit in Kansas City.”
Martha continued to talk about coming to the realization that the wrongful death lawsuit would only ever end up being about money. This motivated her to create the Owen Hart Foundation.
The Owen Hart Foundation
The Owen Hart foundation helps fund many charitable causes including a scholarship fund and a homeowners fund for low-income families and individuals. Martha would continue to talk about how the work of the foundation mirrors the kind of person Owen Hart was.
“Owen was a practical man of profound integrity, a wonderful husband and devoted father. He would be extremely proud of the good work carried out by the Foundation and would be honoured to be remembered for what he loved best, which was his sincere kindness to all people,” reads the website of the Owen Hart Foundation.
A clip from Talk is Jericho featuring Martha Hart’s comments can be heard in the player below:
Nick Aldis noted in a recent interview with Post Wrestling that he has always been a fan of Rusev’s. He also said that if the NWA were able to bring Rusev into the promotion, even for just a short run, it would be big.
“If we could get (Rusev) at the NWA, even for a short period run, it would be huge,” Aldis said.
Earlier in the interview, Aldis went into greater detail regarding his appreciation for Rusev’s work.
“You won’t find a bigger Rusev fan than me,” Aldis said. “I remember pretty much from the beginning, I would be like, ‘God, Rusev is money.’ I would text him [David Lagana] all the time, ‘God, Rusev is money,’ and he’d be like, ‘I know,’ and I remember when he first showed up on TV and they were doing kind of the Ivan Drago kind of stuff with him and Lana was very much playing that role. I was like, ‘This is money. This is perfect.’”
Rusev was one of many WWE wrestlers released from the company last month. He originally signed with the company in the fall of 2010.
“If I were AEW and I had the resources to pay for it, I think he would probably be [at the] top of my list. I think he would probably end back up at WWE, but I’m not sure how confident I’ll be that he’ll be on the open market for very long,” Aldis continued.
Recently on Impact Wrestling, Michael Elgin has been chasing the Impact World Championship. He’s involved in a #1 contenders tournament which kicked off this week. According to Elgin, however, he’s not happy with where the pro-wrestling industry is at the moment.
Elgin took to Twitter to explain his issues with wrestling today.
“I legit don’t like wrestling anymore. Everyone is so soft. Everyone let’s outsiders or “fans” dictate how we should be. I’m just staying off here, so called wrestlers have turned to nothing but a mockery of how people and wrestling should be. I don’t like hating my profession,” Elgin Tweeted.
I like old school mentality mostly. But I’m not shitting on current stuff. I see many people try and downplay the contributions of guys like the bucks or Kenny. I think those 3 are 3 of the best I’ve ever wrestled. They have a real passion and offer a lot to wrestling. But too https://t.co/fg7xMWn5e3
— “Ronin” Michael Elgin (@AaronFrobel86) May 14, 2020
Elgin would clarify, however, that his Tweets are in-character.
I don’t think you were disrespectful at all. But yes. The things I’ve been trying to do are 100% character driven. https://t.co/lIDy8eLLzG
— “Ronin” Michael Elgin (@AaronFrobel86) May 14, 2020
Michael Elgin In Impact Wrestling
Elgin is one of the top heels in Impact Wrestling at the moment. He was scheduled to face Eddie Edwards and Tessa Blanchard for the world title at Rebellion before the pandemic hit. Neither Edwards or Blanchard was able to attend the recent tapings in Tennessee. As a result, Elgin was placed in a #1 contenders tournament. Moose has since declared himself the TNA World Champion as well. Elgin is scheduled to face Sami Callihan in the 1st round of the #1 Contenders tournament next week.
Mick Foley believes that Britt Baker is the greatest wrestling dentist ever. While that in and of itself might not be particularly high praise, Foley put out a video which details how impressed he is with Baker’s performance in AEW as of late.
Foley evidently feels that not only is Britt Baker the greatest wrestling dentist of all-time, she is the “Bret Hart” of wrestling dentists.
“Hello, this is Mick Foley with an important declaration to make. It is after great thought and mental tribulation that I have come to the conclusion and would like to share my opinion that Dr. Britt Baker is the greatest wrestling dentist of all time. I say this with all due respect to Isaac Yankem and the entire town of Decatur, Illinois.”
Foley continued and explained why he believes Baker has achieved such a status.
“But given her moveset, her persona and her use of the mandible claw, I believe that Britt Baker is not only the greatest wrestling dentist of all time but she is, in fact, the Bret Hart of wrestling dentists. She is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. And I hope that Dr. Baker will take that declaration into consideration when at a certain date and time, she perfects the Foley smile. Have a nice day!”
Former Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush was released from WWE last month. At the time of his release, Rush had returned to the NXT brand where he was competing in the cruiserweight division. This followed a series of backstage reports regarding conflict between him and management on the main roster in the first half of 2019. During this period, Mark Henry criticized Rush on Busted Open Radio and publicly revealed a conversation the two had backstage.
Today, Rush put out a series of Tweets critical of Henry’s comments about him last year.
“Woke up remembering the time Mark Henry said I lied to him to his face & then continued to bury me on his podcast while telling me i need to learn how to spend my money better. S**t was crazy. Sorry man, i didn’t mean to have a wife and two kids on top of other responsibilities,” Rush Tweeted.
In May of 2019, Henry noted on Busted Open Radio that he tried to talk with Rush backstage about the problems he was experiencing on the main roster.
“I pulled him aside the last time I saw him and told him ‘I’m hearing stuff in the locker room. What’s wrong?’ He said nothing’s wrong. It was a blatant lie to my face. I let him know that if he has a question, right now is the time to do that,” Henry said.
Rush would later state that his issues with the company were financial.
“My issue is the fact that I haven’t been on meet & greets with Bobby, haven’t been getting paid for merchandise for us that has my catchphrases on them. (I) have been sent to live shows and TVs and forced to pay for my own rental for 5 days as well as hotel while not making enough money to do so. Walking around broke in the biggest sports entertainment industry that there is while having two kids and a wife to support,” Rush said to Fightful last year.
Lio Rush has an album available for download. His music is available at MusicByLio.com.
Sami Zayn is now a former Intercontinental Champion after WWE stripped him of the title earlier today. WWE has since stated that a tournament will commence with the winner being declared the new champion.
Sami Zayn is not happy about this decision. He took to Twitter to make his feelings on the subject known.
“I disagree with this decision and no matter what anyone says, I am still undefeated and therefore still the Intercontinental Champion,” Zayn Tweeted in reply to WWE’s announcement.
I disagree with this decision and no matter what anyone says, I am still undefeated and therefore still the Intercontinental Champion. -SZ https://t.co/SUFsBFeRDB
Also today, the WWE on Fox Twitter account asked fans who the next Intercontinental title holder should be. Zayn offered up a response to the question.
Sami Zayn and Intercontinental Championship Statistics
WWE’s Intercontinental Championship dates back to 1979. Pat Patterson was the inaugural champion after winning a tournament (that didn’t actually happen) in Brazil. Zayn won the title in a 3-on-1 handicap match from Braun Strowman with help from Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro. It was the 174th title reign in the belt’s lineage. 85 different wrestlers have won the title at least once.
Chris Jericho holds the record for most reigns with the title, having held it on 9 occasions. Pedro Morales holds the record for most combined days with the belt, having held it for 619 days. The Miz is second in both categories. He’s held the belt 8 times for a total of 597 days.
Matt Riddle is currently 1/2 of the NXT tag team champions. He won the titles with “Stallion Pete” Pete Dunne but due to travel restrictions, he has taken on a temporary partnership with “Stallion Timothy” Timothy Thatcher. Riddle has been in NXT since 2018 and now is a focal point of the show as it airs Wednesday nights on USA. Someday, however, it is possible, or even likely, that Riddle gets moved to either RAW or Smackdown.
During a recent interview with Pro Wrestling Sheet, Riddle was asked if he wants to move into a big program on RAW or Smackdown.
“I don’t want to push anybody into things or rush anything. But at the same time, I love NXT, I love the product we do, I love the intensity, I love the intimacy, especially when we do have fans at Full Sail. The Takeovers are amazing,” Riddle said. He would continue to say, however, that it is his goal to be a top guy in WWE.
“But yeah, I think everybody knows the main goal is to eventually get to the top, be at the main event of WrestleMania, win the Royal Rumble. Do it all and be the top guy. I fought MMA and I felt like I could have gotten a lot further and I didn’t. Now that I’m in pro wresting, if I have any opportunity, I’m going to seize it and take it. If there’s an opportunity or a spot open, I’m going to take it. I’m going to take the opportunity and run with it as hard and far as I can.”
Riddle was then asked if he would be interested in taking part in the brand-to-brand invitation. It seemed as though Riddle wasn’t too aware of the new initiative but stated he was interested nonetheless.
“Yeah, that’s a great idea. I hope I get a call soon and they let me wrestle up there a little bit.”
Riddle has a big match tonight on NXT. He will team up with “Stallion Timothy” to go up against Imperium’s Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel with the NXT Tag Team titles on the line. It will be Thatcher and Riddle’s second title defense since Pete Dunne has been unable to travel to the US. Their first title defense saw them beat the team of Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish on the April 15th episode.
Ahead of tonight’s episode of Dynamite, AEW has released new rankings for May 13th, 2020.
AEW Men’s Single’s Rankings
Champion: Jon Moxley (10-0)
Cody (9-1)
Lance Archer (5-0)
Kenny Omega (4-0)
Brodie Lee (4-0)
Darby Allin (5-3)
There was no movement in the men’s single’s rankings this week.
Champion Jon Moxley defeated Frankie Kazarian in a non-title match on Dynamite last week. #4 Brodie Lee had the week off but he’ll challenge Moxley for the title at Double or Nothing. Lee will also take on Christopher Daniels tonight.
#1 Cody defeated Joey Janela and #2 Lance Archer picked up a win over QT Marshall. Archer and Cody are gearing up for the finals of the TNT title tournament which will take place May 23rd at Double or Nothing.
#5 Darby Allin didn’t wrestle last week either. Allin is coming off of losing to Cody in the semi-finals of the TNT tournament.
#3 Kenny Omega teamed with Matt Hardy in a losing effort to Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara in the night’s main event. Omega and Hardy will team up again tonight to take on Santan and Ortiz.
AEW Women’s Division
Champion: Nyla Rose (5-1)
Hikaru Shida (7-1)
Kris Statlander (3-3)
Britt Baker (4-3) (+1)
Yuka Sakazaki (1-1) (-1)
Riho (3-3)
#3 Britt Baker moved up one spot this week causing Yuka Sakazaki to drop to the #4 spot. Baker defeated Skyler Moore on Dark last night to bring her 2020 record up to 4-3. Sakazaki holds a victory over Baker but hasn’t competed for AEW since February.
#2 Kris Statlander picked up a win over Dani Jordyn last night on Dark. She improves her record to 3-3 in 2020.
The women’s division has a big match scheduled for tonight that could throw the division on hits head, however. A 4-way match will pit #1 Hikaru Shida vs. Penelope Ford vs. #3 Britt Baker vs. #2 Kris Statlander on tonight’s show. The winner of the match is likely in line to face champion, Nyla Rose, next.
AEW Tag Team Division
Champions: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (6-0)
The Dark Order (5-0)
Best Friends (6-3)
The Young Bucks (2-2)
Jurassic Express (2-0) (previously unranked)
Private Party (3-1) (previously unranked)
Former AEW tag team champions SCU have dropped out of the top-5 for the first time. They have had some matches at the BTE Compound as of late but have been involved in single’s matches in AEW. Kazarian dropped a match to Jon Moxley last week and Christopher Daniels is facing Brodie Lee tonight. Meanwhile, we’ve seen vignettes featuring Scorpio Sky on Dynamite recently.
The Lucha Bros dropped out of the rankings as well. Pentagon is unable to travel to the shows as he is in Mexico while Fenix is in the United States and was just announced for the Casino Ladder Match.
#5 Private Party picked up a win over Lee Johnson and Musa on Dark to improve to 3-1 on the year. #4 Jurassic Express defeated Mike Reed & Ryan Rembrandt to improve to 2-0 on the year and grab the #4 ranking.
Tonight on Dynamite, #2 the Best Friends will take on #4 Jurassic Express.
New Japan Pro Wrestling has not produced a live event since February 26th, 2020. The New Japan Cup, Wrestling Dontaku, and the Best of the Super Juniors tournament have been canceled.
NJPW President Harold Meij recently updated fans on the company’s roadmap to returning to live events. Meij stated 3 reasons why the company has not produced “empty-arena” shows.
“The first and foremost reason has been to protect the health and safety of our wrestlers and staff,” Meij said.
“Data has clearly shown high-levels of infection within cities like Tokyo. Therefore we believe to stage events, even empty-arenas, involves a level of unnecessary risk.”
Meij then noted the second reason why they don’t run empty arena shows is due to unavailability of the venues.
“As the pandemic has escalated, these venues have closed their doors even to empty-arena presentations.”
Meij then stated the 3rd reason they have not produced events during the pandemic is NJPW’s Corporate Social Responsibility.
“New Japan is an industry leader both in Japan and worldwide,” Meij continued. “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.”
Meij also mentioned the steps NJPW will take in order to return to producing live events. The first step will be to produce empty-arena shows when it is safe to do so.
“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.”
He then noted that matches would then take place both in Japan and at the LA Dojo.
Meij then said the next step would be to allow fans back to the shows under certain conditions. Temperature checks and masks would be mandatory for fans attending. Wrestlers and staff would undergo rigorous testing and venues would be properly disinfected, spaces left between seats and there will be increased ventilation.
The video featuring NJPW President Harold Meij can be viewed below:
Impact Wrestling kicked off its #1 contenders tournament for Tessa Blanchard’s Impact World Championship this week. This is the tournament that Moose declined to be involved in as he continues to insist that he is the legitimate TNA World Champion. Moose declared himself the title-holder at Rebellion and later won a triple-threat against Michael Elgin and Hernandez that same night. On this week’s episode, Moose would headline the show by defending the belt against TNA alumni, Suicide.
#1 Contenders Tournament (1st Round) Trey Miguel defeated Rohit Raju
Impact Tag Team Championships The North (c) defeated The Smoes
TNA World Championship Moose (c) defeated Suicide
Here are 7 Takeaways from Impact Wrestling 5/12:
Moose Retains TNA World Championship Against Suicide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9l8lJZHvb4
Moose hijacked the opening video for this week’s edition of Impact. As a result, this week’s video featured the former voice of TNA Brian Scott giving an epic narration of Moose’s career in the company. The video also featured former greats from TNA history seemingly giving their opinion of Moose, though the comments may have been taken out of context.
In the night’s main event, Moose would defend his title against TNA alumni, Suicide. Near the end of the match, Moose accidentally hit the ref, taking him out of action. It looked as though Suicide had the “champion” down for a 3-count but there was no ref to count the pin. With the ref still down, Moose hit a low blow on the challenger followed by his No Jackhammer Needed spear for the win.
Hernandez and Trey Miguel Each Advance In #1 Contenders Tournament
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvz4QCddNak
The #1 Contenders tournament for the Impact World Championship kicked off this week. The 8-person single elimination tournament will determine who Tessa Blanchard defends her title against next. In the first opening round match, Hernandez was able to fend off interference from OVE to finish off the faction’s monster, Madman Fulton. OVE was later confronted in the back by the returning Crazzy Steve, who suggested that OVE was O-V-E-R.
Also in opening round action this week, Trey Miguel fended off a good effort by Rohit Raju and will advance to the semi-finals in the tournament.
Sami Callihan vs Michael Elgin (Opening Round) – Next Week
Ken Shamrock vs Rhino (Opening Round) – Next Week
Trey vs Callihan/Elgin (Semi-Final)
Hernandez vs Shamrock/Rhino (Semi-Final)
Finals
The North Retain Titles Against Sub-Par Competition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7infZl6A20
We traveled back to Mississauga, ON, Canada this week for another title defense featuring Ethan Page and Josh Alexander. This week the North put their titles on the line against a not overly intimidating team of the Smoes. After some elaborate ring introductions, the match got going. Even though Page seemed to have knocked his opponent out with a super-kick early, he used the challenger as something of a puppet and began hitting himself with his fists. After some admonishing from the ref, Page opened up his opponent’s hands so he wasn’t using closed fists, however.
The North eventually finished off their opponents as Josh Alexander looked a little disappointed in the caliber of competition.
Kimber Lee Uses Brass Knuckles To Defeat Havok
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIfDDWFSwHQ
Kimber Lee made her debut for Impact Wrestling this week. She confronted Havok backstage last week and the two were scheduled to face each other this week. As the match was going on, we saw Nevaeh once again watching Havok’s match from afar. Nevaeh and Havok have a history in other organizations but it’s not yet clear what the newcomer is doing as she ominously watches Havok from afar.
Meanwhile, Kimber Lee had a plan heading for this match. When Havok and the referee’s attention was averted, Kimber Lee loaded her fist up with a pair of brass knuckles. After Havok propped her up on the turnbuckle, Kimber Lee popped her in the mouth and got the pin.
Kylie Rae Smiles To The Finish
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbE9KLe4k3A
Kylie Rae was back this week and built off her victory at Rebellion by picking up another win here. She was taking on the debuting Tasha Steelz. Rae locked in the “Smile to the Finish” to get the win.
Later in the show, Kylie Rae ran into “Susie” (aka the former Su Yung) backstage. Their interaction seemed friendly but with Susie/Su Yung you never quite know what lay ahead.
Rosemary has been feeling lost in life as of late. She got her revenge on James Mitchell but it didn’t bring her the peace she had been hoping for. Rosemary has since turned to the cards to determine her next step. Last week, the cards suggested that she return to victimizing mortals. After she was confronted in the back by John E Bravo for being in possession of Taya Valkyrie’s toy dog, the cards seemed to communicate to Rosemary that John E Bravo would make a good next target.
Next weak on Impact Wrestling, the #1 Contenders tournament continues. The final 2 opening-round bouts will see Ken Shamrock take on Rhino and Michael Elgin take on Sami Callihan.
Also next week, Team XXXL will take on TJP and Fallah Bah. Willie Mack will also defend the X-Division Championship against the other half of the “Mack and Pack Connection” Johnny Swinger.
#1 Contenders Tournament Ken Shamrock vs Rhino
#1 Contenders Tournament Sami Callihan vs Michael Elgin
Team XXXL vs TJP & Fallah Bah
X-Division Championship Willie Mack (c) vs Johnny Swinger
