It was recently revealed that PROGRESS Wrestling will be returning as of next weekend. WWE recently confirmed via Twitter that Chapter 104: Natural Progression will be airing on the WWE Network Saturday 20th February at 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. GMT.
The main theme of the show surrounds the Natural Progression Series tournament; however there are other bouts that will be featured on the night as well. One of the bigger matches now confirmed involve the PROGRESS Unified World Champion, Cara Noir.
PROGRESS World Championship
PROGRESS confirmed that the ‘Black Swan’ Cara Noir will be defending his Championship against Dan Moloney. The company confirmed the following via Twitter: “after NPS6 @drillamoloney has unfinished business with PROGRESS World Champion @Cara_Noir. Will Dan destroy the dream return of the Black Swan? Chapter 104: Natural Progression airs 20th February 3pm ET / 8pm GMT on Demand PROGRESS & WWE network.”
Dan Moloney was previously a competitor in the NXT UK promotion, although he was quietly released after a short run in the company. Moloney was one of the standout stars of the United Kingdom scene in 2019, and he looks to bring back that momentum when he returns to in-ring action next weekend.
PROGRESS Champion Cara Noir was also one of the huge success stories prior to the pandemic. This included a major bout against AEW star PAC, which you can check out here.
The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that the company have been unable to run shows for almost a year. The last Chapter event 103: Beer Snake City took place on 23rd February 2020.
Former NFL kicker and one time NXT performer Pat McAfee recently addressed his future with WWE. Speaking on his Pat McAfee Show podcast, the man who looked extremely impressive in his debut against Adam Cole last year discussed where he goes from here with the company.
NXT head Triple H recently addressed Pat McAfee’s status in WWE during a recent media call. “Pat’s limitations are…he’s a busy guy,” Triple H said. “Pat is one of the most successful… I hate to put a title on what he does because I feel like it’s limiting to him, but like you say… podcaster, media personality, sports world personality… almost every weekend that I look online during football season Pat seems to be trending on the weekends. His coverage of football, his association with FanDuel, just everything that he does.”
Pat McAfee on NXT/WWE Return
“I was talked about in the wrestling community yesterday by Triple H, actually, about my future plans. It was interesting,” McAfee began on the Pat McAfee Show. “I mean, all very nice things he said there, but me learning about being written off TV did happen live on the air. He’s a very nice man, Mr. H, for everything he said. He did say, basically, like, ‘Pat has been very busy. Kind of a fat a– right now. He’s going to have to get back into shape,’ basically is what he said. And then maybe we’ll think about something.”
“I’ve not heard anything, by the way,” McAfee continued. “Have not heard anything. No ideas. But I do believe the first step would be to have the diet match the amount of conditioning I’ve been doing in the Oculus. And when that happens, look out.”
There’s currently no confirmation on when or where Pat McAfee will return to WWE or NXT programming.
WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor recently spoke on the concept of ‘cross-promoting’ multiple pro wrestling companies. 2021 has already been a big year for promotions outside of WWE; with NJPW, AEW, IMPACT and AAA all seemingly looking to trade talent over 2021 (at least).
Speaking to Bleacher Report’s Graham Matthews, Balor said “I know there’s a lot of cross-brand work going on, which is something I’ve been an advocate for for years. I don’t feel like we should be limited to what our contract says or what company we work for.”
“I feel like wrestling on the whole can be better if we all worked together” Finn Balor continued. “So if that means me going to Japan or me going to Europe or me going to Mexico? I’m down to do that. I’m all for the open-border policy, not just between countries but companies as well.”
With All Elite Wrestling dominating the Wednesday Night ratings most weeks? It may be time for NXT to pursue other options to generate more buzz around the brand. NXT/WWE have worked with other promotions in the past, with the likes of Hideo Itami (now in NJPW) going to Pro Wrestling NOAH for an appearance. WWE also has strong links with the likes of PROGRESS, ICW, OTT, EVOLVE and wXw; although these are of course not on the level of an IMPACT, AEW or NJPW.
The only other major promotions that WWE seemingly could work with are CMLL, AJPW, NOAH or Ring of Honor; although it would be extremely unlikely, especially in ROH’s case, as they are owned by Sinclair Broadcasting in their own right.
Whilst Finn Balor does make an intriguing point, there’s probably a very slim chance that WWE will operate with other major promotions going forward.
It was revealed during last night’s IMPACT No Surrender event that Juice Robinson and David Finlay would be heading to the promotion this week. Alongside KENTA, that makes three mainstay NJPW stars that have appeared on both AEW/IMPACT programming over the past few weeks.
It’s now common knowledge that All Elite and IMPACT have a working relationship; this began on-screen at the December 2nd ‘Winter Is Coming’ episode of AEW Dynamite. Kenny Omega and Don Callis aligned at the end of that show and Omega began appearing on IMPACT television.
It does appear however that there’s even more to come. Dave Meltzer confirmed on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that NJPW star Kazuchika Okada will be part of the ongoing partnerships between NJPW, AEW and IMPACT. Meltzer also noted that he does not know where Okada will be appearing first; but he stated that he is coming to either AEW or IMPACT.
Kazuchika Okada in TNA
This is another interesting wrinkle in the ‘Forbidden Door’ storyline that seems to be engulfing the major promotions outside of WWE. When Okada was originally in the TNA promotion back in 2010-2011. Whilst there Okada was used as a lower card performer, with a ‘Kato’ gimmick from The Green Hornet.
The way that Kazuchika Okada was used by TNA was so appalling that NJPW cut all ties with the promotion shortly after, vowing never to work with Total Nonstop Action again. Reportedly in 2017, representatives of the now IMPACT Wrestling spoke to New Japan officials. Members of the IMPACT team actually apologised for the way Okada was used earlier in the decade. It’s likely that the people who apologised weren’t even involved in his booking at that time.
If Kazuchika Okada were to make an appearance at an AEW or IMPACT show? It could be a huge power move for all involved. Okada is classed as one of the greatest IWGP Heavyweight Champions in history; there’s plenty of dream match scenarios that could occur if the ‘Rainmaker’ comes to the United States.
Former WWE Superstar and UFC fighter CM Punk took to Twitter to answer fan questions recently. One of the questions posed to the Straight Edge Superstar surrounded Edge and his return to WWE.
Edge of course won the Men’s Royal Rumble match just under 2 weeks ago. The Rated R Superstar entered the match at the #1 slot and went on to outlast all 29 other Superstars to win the match.
CM Punk on Edge
When asked by a fan how he feels about Edge returning; Punk responded by saying that he is extremely happy that Edge gets to have his ‘second act’ in pro wrestling. “Super stoked for him to get a second act. And jealous of his abs.”
CM Punk has been outspoken on his criticism, and praise, of WWE Superstars since he joined the now sporadic WWE Backstage show in 2019.
Before Edge returned to WWE, it was probably more likely that Punk would return. Edge had to retire from in-ring competition following WrestleMania 27, with the then World Heavyweight Champion having extreme neck issues meaning that he could no longer wrestle. The prospect of CM Punk returning to pro wrestling gets dimmer and dimmer as the years roll on, but with the likes of Edge returning at such a high level it’s always worth saying ‘never say never.’
With the idea of CM Punk returning to the ring, it’s also worth mentioning that Punk recently mentioned 5 stars from AEW that he would be interested in facing if he ever returned to the ring. “I see five guys that have potential” Punk stated. “Hobbs, Darbs, Pillman, Starks, Jungle Boy. And that’s not to say there are others, but those guys stick out.”
Would you like to see CM Punk return to WWE or AEW? Let us know in the comments
Posted February 13th, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: CM Punk.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the WWE Championship on the show. Ray was discussing the WrestleMania main event situation, with the odds on Edge deciding to face Roman Reigns at the show of shows this April.
With the Universal Championship match seemingly set, Bully Ray stated who he would like to see challenge for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 37. “Based on story, and what I’ve seen lately? I would love to see Sheamus versus Drew. I really would” Bully Ray began on Busted Open.
Bully Ray on Sheamus
Bully Ray then said how he’s concerned that Sheamus hasn’t hit the point of ‘main eventing’ a WrestleMania. “I just don’t think Sheamus…I don’t think Sheamus’ star has risen since he’s come back to the point of WrestleMania main event.”
“And I wish I did not have to say that” Bully Ray continued. “Because Sheamus is/has been so damn good and I could make an argument for him being the MVP of the WWE for a long time now; at least during the COVID era, with his matches and his promos and everything they’ve handed him. I’m just not sure if that’s a WrestleMania marquee main event [Sheamus vs McIntyre].”
PROGRESS Wrestling has confirmed that the promotion will be returning next week. WWE recently confirmed via Twitter that Chapter 104: Natural Progression will be airing on the WWE Network Saturday 20th February at 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. GMT.
The show will take the format of the Natural Progression Series tournament. The NPS has always been a hugely important part of PROGRESS’ long history; with talents winning the tournament going on to not only become massive stars in the UK but globally.
The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that the company have been unable to run shows for almost a year. The last Chapter event 103: Beer Snake City took place on 23rd February 2020.
PROGRESS Natural Progression Series
The eight competitors in NPS7 include:
Kid Lykos II
Elijah
Big Guns Joe
Man Like Dereiss
Luke Jacobs
Ethan Allen
“The Kid Without Fear” Danny Black
“The Nigerian Kaiju” Warren Banks
The following week on February 27, WWE Network will be premiering Chapter 105: Bring The Thunder. This show will see the first ever Women’s Thunderb*stard match take place in the promotion.
PROGRESS sent out the following in anticipation of the return:
Chapter 104: Natural Progression is…you guessed it, the return of NPS and features all four of the quarter-final matches. Now more than ever there is incredible talent itching to make a name for themselves, and it only seemed fitting to mark the return of PROGRESS Wrestling with the best of British Wrestling today. Watch the trailer for NPS here.
Chapter 105: Bring The Thunder will follow on Saturday February 27th and we are proud to say the main event will be the first ever female Thunderb*stard match as well as having the conclusion of the Natural Progress Series 7.
WWE Superstar Buddy Murphy has been missing from WWE programming over the past couple of months. Murphy has been side-lined ever since the Mysterio Family had positive COVID-19 results back in December. Buddy Murphy had to quarantine himself as he was heavily involved on WWE programming with the Mysterio family; specifically in an angle with Aalyah, Rey Mysterio’s daughter.
The whole Seth Rollins, Buddy Murphy and Mysterio family storyline was moved over to SmackDown during last year’s WWE Draft. Since then the angle appears to have been dropped. Both Rollins and the aforementioned Buddy Murphy needed to take time away from WWE for separate reasons. Seth Rollins’ partner Becky Lynch gave birth to their first child Roux at the end of December 2020.
Fightful Select confirmed that Buddy Murphy was listed as an ‘alternate’ for the Royal Rumble show just over a week ago. RAW Superstar Cedric Alexander was also listed as an alternate for the Men’s Rumble match.
Two names that were not listed as alternates were Montez Ford and Andrade. Ford was backstage at the show supporting his wife Bianca Belair as she went on to win the Women’s Royal Rumble match. Fightful also reported that Andrade’s backstage status was unknown; and that he wasn’t listed as an alternate in the Royal Rumble match itself.
There’s currently no confirmation on when WWE plans to bring Buddy Murphy back to television. The angle featuring himself and Aalyah Mysterio has not been mentioned for some time on WWE programming, so it may have fallen to the wayside. Several WWE fans were not happy with the ongoing love story between the two; with Aalyah being only 19 years old whilst Buddy Murphy was 31.
WWE Women’s Royal Rumble 2021 winner Bianca Belair recently spoke to Peter Rosenburg. The ‘EST’ of WWE discussed a number of topics during the interview, including her Rumble win, choosing her WrestleMania opponent and working alongside her husband Montez Ford of the Street Profits.
Discussing her WrestleMania opponent, Rosenburg would bring up how culturally important it would be for a match against Sasha Banks to happen. This would be the first time that two black female Superstars appear in a main event title match at ‘Mania, and whilst Belair agreed, she also wanted to state how important a match against Asuka would be to her on a personal level.
Bianca Belair’s WrestleMania Opponent
“Asuka is an amazing champion on RAW,” said Belair. “She had an undefeated streak when I was in NXT. So that’s another thing that’s like really close to my heart as well. I was in NXT with Asuka, I got to watch the undefeated streak, I got to watch all these Championship matches that she had.”
“I actually had a match with Asuka, when I was very, very, very new” Belair continued. “It was my very first Championship match, maybe in front of 150 people? And I remember coming back through the curtain, my husband was there, and having this moment with him that I felt like, ‘well I’m new and I just hung with the NXT Women’s Champion who’s undefeated.’ So having that in my mind too? That could be like this huge accomplishment, of everything like just coming together and full circle with Asuka as well.”
Bianca Belair finished by stating how important the choice is before he heads to WrestleMania; even alluding to a potential match with NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai. “So it’s just, it’s a really big decision, and I’m still trying to get my emotions together from the Royal Rumble match and winning. There’s just so much in play, also in NXT like Io Shirai? I never got to be NXT Women’s Champion.”
AEW will be holding their Women’s Title Eliminator Tournament over the next few episodes of Dynamite. The tournament begins this week with a match between Leyla Hirsch and Thunder Rosa. That bout will kick off the US side of the bracket, with the Japanese side being produced by AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, the Japanese brackets of the tournament was already taped at the Ice Ribbon Dojo in Japan. These tapings took with no audience on a closed set. Ice Ribbon was founded in 2006 by AEW star Emi Sakura; AEW Champion Hikaru Shida started her career with the promotion back in 2008.
It has not been confirmed how the tournament matches from Japan will be featured. Hikaru Shida is currently over in Japan helping to produce the content.
Meltzer stated that he was told by AEW President and CEO Tony Khan that “he is working on something cool.” Beyond that we have no details on how the rest of the tournament will be shown.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the tag team of Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax. This week’s episode of RAW saw both women lose in their respective matches; with Nia Jax saying the now infamous ‘MY HOLE’ line that started trending Monday night.
“I think both of them need help with their in-ring work” Bully Ray began on Busted Open. “Nia looks like she doesn’t like to get touched, when you swing…now when you go for a punch at Nia? Her head is down and her hands are up. I think she needs to work on some of that stuff. When I say she needs to work on it? I’m saying it in a way where I’m trying to help not hurt or bash somebody.”
Bully Ray on Nia Jax
Bully Ray then discussed the rumors that Vince McMahon has already sent talent back ‘down’ to the Performance Center over the past few months to polish their game. One of the bigger names rumored to be sent back to the PC was Keith Lee, so Bully Ray uses this as a precedent to get more main roster Superstars to get help with their skillset.
“The reason I think this is because we heard reports of Vince McMahon sending certain talent down to the PC for a little bit of extra help” Ray stated. “There’s nothing wrong with that, especially when you have a place like the PC around. So if it’s there. Hey girls, Nia? There’s a couple of holes in your game, no pun intended!”
Ray finished by praising Nia Jax for her work with Lana in the Tables match on Monday night. “Go work on some of this stuff, because the regression is significant to me especially when I see them (Nia and Shayna) together. I like the job that Nia did last night with Lana. I thought that was a decently booked table match with the right outcome, the right payoff, they did it the right way.”
The “Forbidden Door” is the phrase used to describe the metaphoric barrier between All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. According to AEW President Tony Khan, he’s the forbidden door and that door is now wide open. Fans should expect a lot more crossover in the months ahead.
Khan and Tony Schiavone returned to Impact Wrestling this week with their latest ‘paid advertisement’ on the program. Khan says that everywhere he goes, people have been asking when he’s going to open the forbidden door. People want to know, when is New Japan going to come to AEW?
He’s been telling people that he doesn’t know where or what the forbidden door is. “And then I figured it out. The Forbidden door is me! I am the forbidden door!” Khan emphatically stated.
“I just had to open myself, and that comes from being here with you IMPACT Wrestling! Doing these paid ads, I’ve learned so much about myself. I’ve opened myself up to new experiences, and look at all the great things that have happened. We did a great rating for Dynamite this week with IMPACT people there. We had people from New Japan, who knows who is going to be there next week?”
Tony Khan: “Let’s Do This Every Week”
Khan continued, “One thing I do know? The Forbidden Door has been opened. I can’t wait for this week’s main event tomorrow night on AEW Dynamite. One of the biggest matches ever on Dynamite, Falls Count Anywhere, anything goes.”
He then made a huge statement regarding the future of AEW Dynamite allowing talent to ‘cross borders.’
“I just have to say, thank you Kenny [Omega]. Thank you Don Callis, nobody ever expected me to say that. But thanks to you two and everything you’ve done in AEW? You’ve opened me up, you’ve changed me, and you’ve opened the Forbidden Door. I love it, I want to do more big ratings, I wanna have more people show up! Let’s do this EVERY WEEK.”
Tony Khan finished by confirming that the Forbidden Door swings both ways; with IMPACT Wrestling set to see more of the AEW President inside the IMPACT Zone with All Elite talent. You can see this week’s “paid ad” in the player embedded below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxBvL88SkR4
AEW & NJPW
Tony Khan has been outspoken about his desire to work with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen the groundwork of a full-blown inter-promotional war coming into focus.
The conclusion of last week’s AEW Dynamite saw the surprise appearance of KENTA, who is feuding with AEW star (and IWGP United States Champion) Jon Moxley. They will square off later this month (2/26) at NJPW’s New Beginning USA event.
This heated feud is just one element of the AEW-NJPW storyline that’s unfolding. Also in play – Bullet Club in AEW and NJPW, AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and IWGP World Champion Kota Ibushi teasing a program.
The main event of Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite will see Jon Moxley and Lance Archer teaming up against AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and KENTA. AEW has billed Moxley as the reigning IWGP United States Champion, another example of relations improving between the two promotions.
The possibilities for the coming together of these promotions is almost limitless. Thus far, we have seen Tony Khan bring AAA, the NWA, Impact Wrestling and now NJPW to AEW programming. Originally it was rumored that the NJPW/AEW ‘deal’ was purely for New Japan to get use of Jon Moxley. As mentioned, the former WWE Superstar is the current IWGP United States Champion, and with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic New Japan wanted to still have use of one of their prized assets. This meant that Moxley would have to work in the United States under the NJPW banner; something that would involve striking a deal with All Elite as he is contracted to only appear on major promotions for them in the US, much like Chris Jericho.
It appears as though the deal has now been completed, with a huge shift in the momentum for the 2nd and 3rd biggest pro wrestling promotions in the world coming together. Once again AEW have managed to make Dynamite, IMPACT and even NJPW Strong appointment viewing.
WWE wants to work with pop music superstar Cardi B.
Nick Khan, WWE’s President and Chief Revenue Officer, recently spoke to Forbes about the business side of the company.
During the discussion, Khan addressed WWE utilizing celebrities to generate additional interest in the product. In recent weeks, we’ve seen rap star Bad Bunny involved in storylines.
There’s also been some buzz about WWE working with Cardi B. Khan confirmed WWE wants to work with the “WAP” singer in the near future. “Obviously, there is no touring right now,” he said. “The ability to get Bad Bunny for however long this run is going to be, and you’re going to see a lot of him; I don’t believe that would have existed in a world where Bad Bunny was on tour.”
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced WWE to adapt the way it does business in many ways. The silver lining is that it has also created the opportunity to work with big names from the entertainment industry, since they’re less busy and not on tour.
“We’re always going to want Bad Bunny, Cardi B to get involved,” Khan continued. “It made it a touch easier to get a deal done this time because they weren’t, over the course of however long the deal is, is not in 25 different cities during that time. The bulk of concert money is made in the summertime. It doesn’t appear as if there are going to be big tours during the summer. Even we’re all hopeful, so we’ll see what folks we’re talking to and who you’ll see in the mix.”
Cardi B was recently name dropped during the RAW Legends Night episode. This lead to several back and forth exchanges between Cardi B and several WWE Superstars, including Trish Stratus and Lacey Evans.
Whether WWE will be able to bring the hip-hop megastar into the fold remains to be seen; although she would be a major name to bring in for a WrestleMania appearance. Bad Bunny will already be performing at WrestleMania, and it is rumored that he will be teaming with Booker T or Damian Priest to take on The Miz and John Morrison in a tag team bout.
AEW has confirmed that ‘The Icon’ Sting will be appearing on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. The former WCW and WWE Superstar has made sporadic appearances for the promotion ever since the ‘Winter Is Coming’ episode of Dynamite back on December 2nd 2020.
Sting’s appearances thus far have mainly seen The Icon confront Team Taz and stand alongside TNT Champion Darby Allin. It was confirmed recently that Sting will be taking part in a Streetfight at the AEW Revolution PPV. That show will be taking place on March 7, 2021 at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.
All Elite sent out a tweet to reveal that Sting will be speaking to Tony Schiavone this Wednesday on Dynamite. “We are on the road to #AEWRevolution and this Wednesday on #AEWDynamite, @tonyschiavone24 interviews @sting! Watch Dynamite at 8/7c on @TNTDrama.”
It is unknown at this point what the interview will entail, although it may be time for AEW to shed some light on why Sting has chosen to align himself with the aforementioned Darby Allin; perhaps the fact that the mysterious characters have a common enemy in Team Taz? Or could it be more?
Rapper Bad Bunny reportedly has a WrestleMania match set. The rap star has been training at WWE’s Performance Center and is set to appear in-ring at WrestleMania 37 on either April 10th or 11th.
eWrestlingNews has the scoop that Bad Bunny will be teaming with Booker T at the show. Booker T is of course the subject of Bad Bunny’s new mega-hit track; and now the 2-time WWE Hall of Famer will apparently be entering the ring with the Puerto Rican rapper.
It was recently rumoured that WWE Superstar Damian Priest would be appearing at WrestleMania in April to team with Bad Bunny. Bunny appeared at the Royal Rumble on Sunday for a performance of the aforementioned ‘Booker T’ track. The man himself Booker stood on the entranceway during the performance.
Bad Bunny then appeared later in the night when The Miz destroyed his DJ’s equipment during the Men’s Royal Rumble match. Bunny finally appeared on RAW with Damian Priest; and from that point it was being rumored that the duo would go on to the ‘Showcase of The Immortals’ in April.
With this news it looks as though Booker T will be getting that slot instead.
Former IMPACT Wrestling performer Taya Valkyrie recently spoke to the Highsports Wrestling Network. Valkyrie discussed a number of topics during her time on the show, including the two promotions where she is likely to end up: AEW and WWE.
Taya Valkyrie’s husband John Morrison currently works for WWE, so it was believed that she may have left IMPACT to join him in the company. With the comments Taya made during this interview, it appears as though she has a few performers in both companies that she wants to work with.
“Well, I really enjoy both products” Taya Valkyrie began. “Obviously, I’m a wrestling fan, always have been. There’s a lot of people that get into wrestling [that] are wrestling fans, surprise, and honestly, I don’t know what’s gonna happen next for me because as a lot of people don’t realize is that I have been signed for about eight-and-a-half years from AAA into Lucha Underground into IMPACT.”
Taya Valkyrie on Free Agency
“This is actually my first-ever time in my career as a free agent,” revealed Valkyrie. “So, it’s a really important time for me to really think about what’s important for me, for my family and make the best decision moving forward for my career. So, we will see. It will all play out, don’t worry.”
Valkyrie finished by naming the specific performers in both companies that she would like to get in the ring with.
“Well, I have never wrestled Kris Statlander” Valkyrie stated. “I’ve never wrestled her. Is that weird? There’s somebody like that too that I’ve never wrestled before. I don’t know. Even someone like Britt Baker, I’ve only ever been in a tag match with her for like — I think we were against each other for like two seconds. There was never any sort of actual, you know, interaction there so I would love to face both of them,” said Valkyrie.
“I would love to face obviously some people like Charlotte and Sasha Banks and I have wrestled Io [Shirai] before one time in STARDOM and I would like to wrestle her again. So those are kind of my current top chicks if I had to pick.”
Where would you like to see Taya Valkyrie end up? WWE or AEW? Let us know in the comments
WWE has confirmed that SmackDown Superstar Seth Rollins will be returning to the blue brand next Friday. The ‘Messiah’ has not appeared on SmackDown since Survivor Series 2020; where he was eliminated early in a traditional Survivor Series match by Sheamus.
The quick elimination was reportedly in part due to Becky Lynch giving birth imminently. Lynch and Seth Rollins welcomed their first child Roux into the world on December 7th 2020, just weeks after Rollins left WWE programming.
Another reason for Rollins’ quick elimination from that match was apparently due to one his opponents. The Messiah has stated in the past that he has no desire to wrestle against Matt Riddle, with Riddle’s wife previously having made comments about female WWE performers. Riddle’s wife previously wrote an Instagram post about performers not being in shape, with an image of Becky Lynch part of the post. This situation has reportedly now been resolved, as the two men apparently spoke backstage after the Survivor Series match itself.
Seth Rollins made his return to WWE programming during the Royal Rumble match this past Sunday. Rollins entered the match at #29 and eliminated Riddle, Daniel Bryan and Christian. Seth was eliminated from the match by Edge, leading to a potential storyline down the line if WWE chooses to go that route.
Check out the promo from WWE hyping Seth Rollin’s return next week here:
Triple H recently reacted to comments made by NFL Indianapolis Colts Linebacker Darius Leonard. The Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development was called out by Leonard on this week’s episode of The Bump on WWE Network.
Appearing on The Bump, Darius Leonard stated that he wanted to take Triple H’s “belt.” The NFL Linebacker also said “I don’t think you want any smoke with the Maniac.”
“Interesting, you really must have ALL the smoke!” The Game wrote on Twitter. “If you ever need to find me, I’ll be at the CWC every Wednesday for WWE NXT. Pat McAfee can give you directions. Just be sure to bring your helmet, so as The Rock says, I’ll turn it sideways & ah.. you know the rest!”
Interesting, you really must have ALL the smoke! ?@dsleon45. If you ever need to find me, I’ll be at the CWC every Weds for @WWENXT. @PatMcAfeeShow can give you directions… just be sure to bring your helmet, so as @TheRock says, I’ll turn it sideways & ah.. you know the rest! https://t.co/5YNgulu4g8
Triple H then appeared on the NFL Network and again offered Darius Leonard the chance to back up his recent comments. You can see Triple H’s remarks to Darius Leonard in the video player embedded below.
Discussion: Do you think that we’ll see Darius Leonard appear in NXT?
WWE commentator and host of After The Bell Corey Graves recently discussed John Cena on the podcast. Cena recently confirmed that he would not be appearing at WrestleMania this year; due to the scheduling conflict with his new Peacemaker show on HBO Max.
“Currently, I’m in Vancouver shooting Peacemaker, the series for HBO Max” Cena recently said to Sports Illustrated. “Given the quarantine regulations, if I were to leave Canada, upon return I would have to quarantine for another two weeks. Essentially, that would shut production down. Strictly based on the letter of the law right now, there is no logistical way I can be there. We film now until July.”
Graves stated on After The Bell that he just doesn’t see Cena not being at WrestleMania. “I don’t buy it,” Graves quipped. “Because it should be John Cena at WrestleMania in some capacity. There’s a lot of truth to what he’s saying, it makes sense, I understand it. But there’s also a guy as recent as the Royal Rumble last year told everybody he’s not coming back under any circumstance. Yeah, Edge, the guy who just won the Royal Rumble did the same thing.”
John Cena’s Status for WrestleMania
Unless John Cena has already pre-taped an angle or match for the show it is unlikely that he will appear. WWE is holding WrestleMania in Raymond James Stadium and as Cena mentioned, he would have to quarantine upon his return to the United States.
If WWE are indeed planning for another Firefly Fun House this year then there is a chance he could make a cameo. It is being rumoured that Randy Orton is set for the match against The Fiend at WrestleMania; and Cena’s feud from last year with Bray Wyatt could play into this, especially as Cena is (in kayfabe) stuck in The Fiend’s world…or something.
AEW’s ‘Le Champion’ and Number #1 contender to the Tag Team titles Chris Jericho recently appeared on the Hollywood Raw podcast. The former AEW Champion discussed a number of topics during his time on the show, including when his Championship was stolen.
The incident occurred back in September 2019 after Chris Jericho won the AEW Championship at All Out. “It’s such a long story” Jericho began on the podcast. “Yeah, in retrospect, I’m pretty sure it was a big sting, because it’s… Long story short, I was on a charter plane that had the land in Tallahassee because there was a storm, so we went to get something to eat. Rather than wait for the plane, I got a limo to come grab me with something to eat and drive us home. I think when we got dropped off for something to eat, which was not the place I wanted to go, it was a place that the guy suggested.”
Chris Jericho on ‘The Sting’
“Maybe when he came inside to look for me, even though I was sitting right there and I saw him, that maybe his buddy came and grabbed it out of the back because there was some other stuff” Chris Jericho continued. “There was a thing of flowers that was into that, that I gave my wife that had shattered on the ground. I think it was just a big sting. ‘Hey man, we got this belt in here, come steal it.’ Then when they realized what they had and the fact that like, what are you going to do with this thing? You can’t sell it anywhere.”
Jericho finished by pointing out that the thieves wouldn’t be able to actually sell the belt itself. “It’s like stealing a ’59 Les Paul from Keith Richards” Jericho stated.
“It’s worth 500 grand, but who’s going to buy it? Everyone knows Keith Richards lost the Les Paul. You know what I mean? I think when they realized that they couldn’t do anything with it, they just kind of left it on the side of the road for somebody to pick up and turn in to the police department. It was just really weird. The police were taking pictures with the belt and posting it on Twitter and then they deleted it. It was just a very strange situation for this title that was barely 12 hours old.”
AEW star and ‘Le Champion’ Chris Jericho recently had AEW President Tony Khan on his Talk Is Jericho podcast. The main premise of this week’s episode was discussing the last few months of AEW Dynamite and PPV tapings.
The last couple of months have seen AEW have to shift gear and produce content whilst under the COVID-19 situation and the restrictions that entails. Tony Khan was quick to say how the production, planning and creative output from the performers really helped to elevate the show.
Chris Jericho on Stadium Stampede
“Stadium Stampede, that was your [Tony Khan’s] initial idea” Chris Jericho began on the podcast. “‘Let’s do something in the stadium, we have this stadium at our beck and call. We were forced to be creative, in spite of the pandemic.”
The Stadium Stampede match took place on May 23rd back at AEW’s Double or Nothing PPV event. The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Santana and Ortiz) took on Matt Hardy and The Elite (Adam Page, Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) inside of the TIAA Bank Field stadium in Jacksonville, Florida.
Chris Jericho also discussed the logistical aspects of creating the Stadium Stampede match back in 2020. “Once again the Stadium Stampede is still one of my favourite matches I’ve ever had, I don’t care what anybody says” Jericho stated. “It was everything that wrestling is to me, and we did it all in 12 hours.”
Jericho finished by praising how AEW managed to turn around such a big production in a short space of time. “That’s like a major Hollywood production that we filmed in like eight hours” Jericho stated. “But my point is, we really came together to put on these great shows and try something different.”
Do you think that we’ll get another Stadium Stampede match this year? Do you want to see Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle back in the bout? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the Royal Rumble show from this past Sunday. During the event, Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens had a hellacious Last Men Standing match; with the ending of the bout unfortunately coming under scrutiny for an unexpected issue.
Roman Reigns was handcuffed to one of the lighting rigs and Paul Heyman had to unlock the cuffs whilst the referee counted Roman out. Unfortunately the referee had to stop the count at 5; as Roman was still stuck with the handcuffs just not playing ball. Bully Ray discussed how much he enjoyed the Last Man Standing match, and how the ending shouldn’t detract from the bout itself.
“One of the most enjoyable Last Man Standing matches I’ve ever seen” Bully Ray began on Busted Open. “Great, great car crash. And I’ve been in a few Last Man Standing matches that I’m very, very proud of; because of the psychology I was able to attach to the match, and how things made sense. It wasn’t just gratuitous violence for the sake of it.”
Bully Ray on The Last Man Standing Match
“The Rumble was very entertaining” Bully continued. “Kevin Owens…no matter when KO gets handed the ball? He finds a way to score with it. This is tailor made for him, he loves this stuff. Roman stepped up to the plate, whether you get Roman in a regular wrestling match or these Last Man Standing matches? He is shining through.”
Bully Ray then discussed the unfortunate botch at the end of the match. “Every once in a while, something goes wrong” Bully stated. “Something that you try to make sure won’t go wrong, but it just happens, it’s a broken play. And in that moment in time either something was wrong with the key or the lock. And I know people are harping on the second referee coming in and starting to count.”
“Actually, that’s what the referee HAD to do, he has to start counting. The problem is that he STOPPED counting. He got to five and realised, ‘Paul still doesn’t have the cuffs off.’ So, in that moment in time. What do you do? How do you cover it up? It is an absolute split second decision. So what the WWE did, they panned out. They got the referee out of the shot, and they focused on the handcuffs.”
Roman Reigns and Corey Graves ‘Covering’
“Roman was able to squat and get on his feet and Corey graves did a phenomenal job of covering it up” Bully continued. “Saying, ‘well, Roman is in a seated standing position.’ People took to social media so hard about that it’s almost like they were looking for the WWE to fail. And they found that moment in time to go ‘there, you see! That ruined it all! The booking, the creative, the psychology! It was all ruined, all ruined.’ How in the hell can you take that performance of those guys busting their asses and throwing their bodies around, this that and the other, and then harp on a mistake that is extremely difficult to cover up?”
Bully Ray then finished by discussing how Paul Heyman would’ve felt in the situation, with Ray having known Paul for many years since their days in ECW. “Nobody’s anticipating the key not working. And those guys are trying to stay cool, calm and collected. You have no idea the panic that runs through your mind when that happens. Paul was most likely, from what I know of Paul Heyman, a mental mess when those cuffs wouldn’t come undone. And you have to stay in the moment, not freak out.”
Do you think that the handcuff botch distracted too much from the finish of the Last Man Standing match? Do you agree with Bully Ray that it didn’t? Let us know in the comments
The Kurt Angle show has now joined the AdFreeShows family and will be airing every week for free on all major podcasting providers. The debut episode of the show was released early on AdFreeShow’s Patreon page, with Angle discussing his WrestleMania 19 main event match against Brock Lesnar.
During the show, Angle also discussed former SmackDown Head Writer Paul Heyman. The former owner of ECW was instrumental in changing the perception of SmackDown back in the mid-2000s, with many fans dubbing the era the ‘SmackDown Six.’ The Superstars part of the famous, but ‘unofficial’ group were Angle, Edge, Rey Mysterio, Chris Benoit, Eddie and Chavo Guerrero.
“I think Paul is very talented” Kurt Angle began on the show, describing Heyman as a creative mind. “I think that he comes up with excellent ideas and concepts. You know him coming in [to SmackDown] definitely helped us out. It seemed, like I’ve said before, the writing was more geared towards RAW.
Kurt Angle on Paul Heyman
“When Paul came in we were safe” Angle continued. “Smackdown was taken care of, because he has a great mind for wrestling, for the business. He comes up with some crazy things, but most of the time, they all they work…almost all the time.”
Kurt Angle then finished by saying that his ‘Wrestling Machine’ gimmick from around that time was a Heyman’s brainchild. “Paul is the one that wanted me to change gears and become the ‘wrestling machine.’ And that’s what I did, I backed it up.”
Do you think that we’ll see Paul Heyman in an official creative capacity again? Do you think that Kurt Angle could become an onscreen character again? Let us know in the comments
WWE has confirmed that RAW Superstar Edge will be appearing on this week’s episode of SmackDown on FOX.
Edge of course won the Men’s Royal Rumble 2021 match and has the choice between challenging for the WWE, Universal or NXT Championship at WrestleMania in April.
The ‘Rated R Superstar’ appeared on the opening segment of RAW this week and confronted WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. Whilst Edge did not confirm if he wanted to face Drew at ‘Mania, he did not outright say that he didn’t. It’s not yet known if Edge will be appearing on SmackDown specifically to confront Universal Champion Roman Reigns, but it is extremely likely.
Edge vs Finn Balor?
What WWE has also not mentioned is the fact that Edge could challenge for any title in WWE. Charlotte Flair set somewhat of a precedent on the NXT brand last year; having won the Women’s Royal Rumble in 2020, she opted to go on and face then NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley. This was the first time that a Rumble winner has chosen to fight for an NXT belt, and at this time it may well be the last.
There’s still a chance that Edge appears on NXT to help the brand pop a rating on a Wednesday; but again this is just conjecture.
It was recently confirmed by Dave Meltzer who Edge will be choosing to face at WrestleMania. This has not been confirmed publicly by WWE, so you can check out that spoiler here.
WWE Superstar Matt Riddle recently reacted to Goldberg’s comments about WWE’s modern roster being too ‘soft.’ Goldberg recently appeared on the After The Bell podcast and discussed the hot button topic. Goldberg’s comments on AFB were in response to what The Undertaker said on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
The Undertaker’s recent comments from Joe Rogan’s podcast sparked this ongoing ‘feud’ between older talent and those who sit in the WWE locker room today. Undertaker stated during the podcast that he finds it “difficult” to enjoy modern WWE and that the talents are “too soft.”
Speaking on After The Bell, Goldberg said that “times are quite different than they were back in the day, but people are soft. People take offence to things way too quickly, I mean you know, grow a little thicker skin, boys and girls, that’s all I can say.”
Matt Riddle on Goldberg
The Original Bro Matt Riddle did not take too kindly to these words, with the former UFC fighter and Goldberg having had an ongoing real life beef over the past few years.
Riddle took to Twitter to release a video firing back at the former WCW Champion. “Let’s talk about some thick and thin skin, shall we?” Riddle began. “Bro. Really? Really? Okay. You have very, very, very thin skin — it’s like sheepskin thin. It’s ultra thin. It’s extra sensitive thin. That’s how thin your skin is. Let’s be real, I’m not going to go down the chart of reasons why, but you know why your skin is thin, bro. We all know it. And you know what? You really need to stop crying about it. It’s embarrassing, stop being a baby. And good luck tomorrow, bro, you’ll need it.”
credit to WrestlingINC for the transcription
There is a chance that we see Goldberg and Matt Riddle against each other in the Royal Rumble match tonight. Would you like to see the two square off? Let us know in the comments
