All Elite Wrestling is considering introducing a new set of championship titles next year. AEW President Tony Khan commented on these plans during Tuesday’s Winter is Coming Media Briefing. Khan said he is considering AEW Trios Championships and that it’s “on the agenda” for the future.
AEW currently has four sanctioned championships, including:
AEW World Championship (held by Jon Moxley)
TNT Championship (held by Darby Allin)
AEW Women’s Championship (held by Hikaru Shida)
World Tag Team Championships (held by the Young Bucks)
In addition to these belts, there are multiple unsanctioned titles in the AEW universe, including the Brian Cage’s FTW Championship and Serena Deeb’s NWA Women’s Championship. There’s also MJF’s Dynamite Diamond Ring, which is up for grabs this week at Winter is Coming.
Fans have been speculating about AEW trios championships over the past few months. AEW has no shortage of 3-man teams, with a dozen teams that could contend for trios belts.
The Elite
Best Friends & Orange Cassidy
Jurassic Express
Death Triangle
Eddie Kingston, The Butcher & The Blade
Team Taz
The Dark Order
SCU
The Nightmare Family
The Inner Circle
Hardy Party (Matt Hardy & Private Party)
FTR & Shawn Spears
Discussion: Should AEW create Trios Championships?
AEW President Tony Khan hosted a media briefing on Tuesday afternoon to promote Wednesday’s Winter is Coming edition of AEW Dynamite. The following are highlights from thee call:
AEW plans to continue with the special-themed episodes of Dynamite. Khan has enjoyed formatting the show, which will be structured more like a pay-per-view.
The main event of Winter is Coming between Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega will have a 60 minute time limit. TNT will allow them to run past 10pm ET if needed and they have “big things planned.”
When asked about Brodie Lee’s status, Khan said he can’t comment why he’s been off television, but hopes he’s back soon. He touted the Exalted One as one of the best wrestlers on the entire roster.
Khan was asked about AEW signing so many wrestlers, and how long they can continue adding people before they have to start cutting others. Since we are in a pandemic, cuts “could have and should have been made” – but he’s not let anybody go. It’s hard getting work on the independent scene and he has gone the extra mile to make sure people were protected.
AEW Dark has become a valuable property for AEW. In recent months, the format has grown to accommodate many more matches each week. Khan thinks they are seriously considering breaking it up into two shows: one for developmental stars and one for more established talent. Several AEW stars started out on Dark, including “Powerhouse” Will Hobbs. He’s more interested in developing talent than cutting people.
Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega is a huge match, so why is it taking place on cable television instead of headlining the next AEW PPV? Dynamite is the lifeblood of AEW and he wanted to have a PPV-caliber match on the show to close out 2020. Revenue from their TV deal is the lifeblood of AEW and he thinks its important to keep that in mind. He gushed about Moxley’s role as AEW World Champion and the face of the company. Omega has also been one of their biggest attractions and it’s going to be a big deal when they square off this wee. They plan to continue featuring major league matches on Dynamite, since that is their main platform for revenue and viewership.
He’s learned so much after running AEW for a year and a half. He learned a lot about working with talent, writing and producing television and dealing with television executives. He has not had to fire people yet, but says that’s business and never fun.
Khan spoke about what goes into writing television, the pacing, and how live shows differ from their taped episodes. Sometimes he’ll go back and see an episode of Dynamite from a year ago and questions what he was thinking – which shows him how much he’s learned along the way. AEW does a lot of longterm booking, but also has to write fresh television every week and it’s interesting ho that all comes together.
Jon Moxley will not be working NJPW WrestleKingdom in January.
AEW is considering introducing Trios Championships in 2021. It’s definitely something on the agenda.
Tony Khan has never seen the show Game of Thrones, but liked the title “Winter is Coming” because it feels epic. He actually learned of the phrase from his mother, who is a big GoT fan. AEW’s affiliation with TNT & WarnerMedia allowed them to use the name.
In addition to Winter is Coming, AEW is planning big shows for Christmas, New Year’s and then Beach Break in January.
A lot of AEW talent comes up with their own character ideas, while Khan also has some input. He worked directly with Kenny Omega on this new version of his Cleaner persona. Britt Baker’s Waiting Room segment was Cody Rhodes’ idea. The Young Bucks and Kenny have come up with ideas for other talents.
AEW Winter is Coming takes place live Wednesday night on TNT.
Sasha Banks is using her real name social media. She is now listed as Mercedes Varnado on Twitter and Instagram, while her handles remain @SashaBanksWWE.
The WWE SmackDown women’s champion has been getting mainstream attention for her role in Star Wars: The Mandalorian. She is credited as Mercedes Vernado on that project, not Sasha Banks. During an interview with USA Today, she said ‘Mercedes’ is the reason she’s getting so much success, not her alter ego, Sasha.
“I’m so thankful for the role of playing Sasha Banks for so long, but it took Mercedes Varnado to put in that work, and it took Mercedes to get through those doors of the WWE and to be able to do ‘Star Wars,’ I’m just so excited to show the world exactly who I am.”
She urged her legion of fans to keep on watching her next year, because she plans to keep ‘killing it’ and crushing her dreams.
Mercedes Vernado recently showed off the power of her audience once again. In collaboration with Foot Locker and Puma, she and husband Mikaze designed a limited-edition sneaker with proceeds going to charity. They sold out instantly.
There is no question that WWE helped build Sasha Banks into a household name. However, Mercedes Vernado is poised to make big moves in 2021 and beyond.
On Monday morning, Sasha Banks posted a photo of herself with natural hair using the caption, “My Mom named me Mercedes”
Eric Bischoff has provided an update on Netflix biopic about the life of wrestling legend and longtime friend, Hulk Hogan. Bischoff confirms his involvement in the project, but insists it is “not a done deal by any stretch of the imagination.”
During a discussion with Christy Olson on After 83 Weeks, Bischoff says media coverage about the Hulk Hogan caught them off-guard. He considers the project “in development” but there has been no casting and no production scheduled. He admits, if Netflix had given the Hogan movie the green light, he’d already be out shopping for a new truck.
“The information about this movie was never supposed to make the press,” Bischoff said. “The project is still technically in development, meaning it’s not scheduled for production. There’s no casting going on. There’s no scheduling going on. It’s still in, I would say, the late stages of development. So it’s not a done deal by any stretch of the imagination. I wish it was, because I’d be out looking for a new truck. But it’s not.”
Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”) is in discussions to portray Hogan. He’s expressed excitement about the project, but there has been no official announcement from Netflix that it is moving past the preliminary stages. Even Hemsworth’s involvement seems uncertain at this point, despite his own public comments expressing excitement to portray Hogan and learn more about the ‘fascinating’ world of pro wrestling.
Bischoff added that the bulk of his involvement as a consultant on the film was in the “early, early, early phases.” Director Todd Philips and writer Scott Silver have been linked to the movie. Bischoff says “the packaging” of their involvement makes it easier to attract an A-list star like Chris Hemsworth.
“That’s called packaging, and I think the packaging is what got this movie off the ground,” he said. “That took place two years ago.”
With the Hulk Hogan Netflix project in limbo, Eric Bischoff cites the Covid pandemic as the big holdup. He thinks that it will remain on ice until the world gets back to normal
“The biggest holdup right now folks, is Covid. This is a big movie, by the way. It’s a wrestling based movie. So guess what you need to have in a wrestling based movie—a crowd! Where are you going to do that? You can’t even have ten people at your house for Thanksgiving right now. So until that part of it is figured out, it’s likely that this project is going to stay kind of right where it is, which is really far down the line.”
He finished up with some optimism, adding, “I don’t want to sound like it’s not going to happen. It’s going to happen.”
Watch the rest of Eric Bischoff’s Q&A on the latest After 83 Weeks with Christy Olson in the YouTube player embedded below:
Here are some of the latest trademark filings from earlier this week:
AEW star Red Velvet (Stephanie Cardona) filed to trademark her ring name on 11/22.
Taz (Peter Senerchia) filed for his moniker, The Human Suplex Machine on 11/22. The news of the HSM trademark comes just days after Taz’s son, Tyler Senerchia, trademarked the name “Hook” and appeared on this week’s AEW Dynamite using that name.
John Morrison (John Hennigan) filed to trademark SLAMTOWN on 11/23. The primary use for the SLAMTOWN mark is for, “Providing sports information in the field of wrestling.”
Next week is the special Winter is Coming edition of AEW Dynamite.
AEW is advertising the show as the biggest Dynamite in history. We know the main event will see AEW World Champion Jon Moxley defending against Kenny Omega. A second match has now been confirmed: the second annual AEW Dynamite Diamond Battle Royale. The participants include:
MJF
Wardlow
Miro
Kip Sabian
Orange Cassidy
Matt Hardy
“Hangman” Adam Page
Sammy Guevara
Private Party
Matt Sydal
Alex Reynolds
John Silver
Scorpio Sky
Shawn Spears
Dynamite Diamond Battle Royale
Last year, the final two participants of the inaugural Dynamite Diamond Battle Royale were MJF and “Hangman” Adam Page. They met the following week on Dynamite, with MJF capturing the win and procuring the coveted 45-karat Dynamite Diamond Ring.
MJF will defend his prize in this year’s Diamond Battle Royale, so he will be forced to surrender the ring to this year’s winner if it’s not him.
NXT is back tonight with a new live episode from the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, FL. With a week and a half until the next NXT Takeover event, the following items are confirmed for this week’s broadcast on the USA Network:
Ladder Match: A member of Undisputed Era vs. Pete Dunne (with NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch). The winner earns a WarGames Advantage
Former NXT Champion Kevin Owens returns for a special edition of The KO show. His guest will be NXT North American Champion, Leon Ruff.
Check back later tonight for our NXT Results & Takeaways and visit our NXT News page for details on Rhea Ripley leaving NXT, WWE looking to expand NXT programming and Killer Kross returning soon from injury.
Chris Jericho has launched the Painmaker Apparel Collection.
The inaugural AEW World Champion partnered with Champion USA and Represent to create a line of shirts, hoodies, pants and jackets inspired by his experiences and tours in Japan.
Le Champion commented on his new project in a statement available at Newswire.com.
“As I continue to expand the Jericho brand, a clothing line was the natural next step,” said Jericho. “But Painmaker Apparel is more than just a collection of great quality clothing with a rubber stamp design. Each item in this collection has been individually patterned and influenced by the 60 tours of Japan I’ve experienced over the last 30 years. As a result, when you wear Painmaker Apparel, you’ll feel stylish, sassy and quite simply ….cool AF!”
Check out the merchandise over at Painmaker.store.
WWE recently filed several new trademark applications with the United States Patent & Trademark Office.
A search of the USPTO database shows that WWE applied for two trademarks on October 9th. One is for NXT UK star Flash Morgan Webster. The other is for Skull King, a name previously used for Triple H or his WrestleMania 31 entrance and later, WWE video games and merchandise.
Both trademarks are ‘live’ and the usage descriptions include (but are not limited to):
“Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal;”
In related trademark news, Retribution member Reckoning (Stephanie Bell) also filed an application last month for her previous ring name, Mia Yim.
It’s also worth noting that Tyler Senerchia, son of AEW star Taz, has filed to trademark the name “Hook” for the same pro wrestling purposes.
Will Hobbs, the newest member of Team Taz, will be in action.
Last week, a mystery attacker laid out AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and prevented him from signing the contract to wrestle Kenny Omega at Winter is Coming. AEW has announced a contract signing will take place again tonight on Dynamite.
.@JonMoxley never backs down from a fight and wants to sign on the dotted line. It's the contract signing between Omega & Moxley for Dec 2nd TONIGHT on Dynamite.
Head over to our AEW News page for all the latest news articles from the past week, including The Young Bucks talking about their first meeting with Tony Khan and Kenny Omega revealing that he is currently working through an injury.
For more on tonight’s AEW Dynamite, visit the AEW website’s official preview.
Major League Wrestling returns tonight with an all-new edition of MLW Fusion.
The following items are confirmed for this week’s over-sized Thanksgiving episode, which drops at 7PM EST on the MLW YouTube Channel:
The 2020 MLW Opera Cup begins with two opening round matches:
Former MLW World Champion “Filthy” Tom Lawlor takes on Rocky Romero, representing New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Caribbean Champion and Dynasty member Richard Holiday vs. TJP.
At the conclusion of last week’s Fusion, National Openweight Champion Alex Hammerstone came to ringside and confronted MLW World Champion Jacob Fatu. He was then laid out by The Black Hand of Contra Unit. MLW will provide an update on Hammerstone’s condition.
Plus, we’ll see the MLW debut of heavyweight star Calvin Tankman, who recently signed a multi-year deal with the fight league. Learn more about Calvin Tanman.
In a video released Tuesday afternoon, Joe Galli announced the launch of NWA Shockwave, a new digital series that will air Tuesdays on the company’s YouTube channel.
NWA Shockwave will feature exclusive content and brand new matches every Tuesday night at 6pm (Eastern). It will be presented in collaboration with United Wrestling Network, Prime Time Live and Thunder Studios.
Fans interested in viewing the show one day early each week can get access by supporting the NWA on Patreon.
Talent advertised includes Nick Aldis, Thunder Rosa, Eli Drake, Aron Stevens, Kamille, and more.
For more on NWA Shockwave, check out the official announcement below:
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley joined his wife Renee Paquette for the premiere episode of her Oral Sessions podcast.
It was an entertaining discussion that showcased Paquette’s penchant for interviewing. They spoke about Moxley’s childhood (“First of all, I was adorable”) before talking at length about their complimentary personalities, with Renee being outgoing and Moxley being more of an introvert. She joked, “I can’t believe how comfortable you are with making other people uncomfortable” and said she has always been impressed how comfortable he is with silence.
Jon Moxley: Introvert Hero
Moxley said he spends a lot of time in his own head, even when conversing with people. Someone will be talking to him, and he’s carrying on with a separate conversation in his head. Some have found that odd, but it’s how his mind works.
Moxley said people have been trying to ‘fix’ that aspect of him since he was young. since he was a kid. As a 35 year old man, he has identified quirks in his personality that are off-putting to other people an has smoothed out the rough edges. Overall, he’s gotten this far being himself.
Renee said that sometimes she burns herself out feeling like she has to be outgoing and ask people questions. It can be exhausting to give so much of herself to people in social situations, while Moxley is passive. He dropped a great quote when he said, “You need to learn the art of ignoring people.”
He does not like social media, because it’s a 1-way conversation, like a bulletin board. Sometime’s he’ll be asked to post things and will do it for Renee or AEW’s social media manager. However, it’s generally not his thing.
Moxley spoke about his childhood, where he was a mischievous kid from Piccadilly, Cincinnati. He described the area as being run-down with trailer parks and lots of fights. He’d steal things just to get by. He knew the difference between right and wrong, but everybody stole. “We had no money.”
“You’re Not A Good Famous Person”
At age 12, he couldn’t imagine being famous when he was older. It was ridiculous to entertain that concept. “You’re not a great famous person,” said Renee.
Money said the fame brought him financial security and the ability to provide for his family and friends. He lived much of his life without any money, so he saves as much as he can and doesn’t care about the finer things. He doesn’t buy fancy toys, he’s not into fancy restaurants. During the interview, he said the shirt and hat he was wearing were gifted to him. In fact, he didn’t even have a bank account when he received his first paycheck from WWE.
As for the attention that fame brings, he could do without it. He’d be content making good money wrestling at the local community rec center in front of 500 people every weekend. He just wants to wrestle, tell stories, get physical and experience that feeling he gets after a big match.
There’s a lot more to the interview, including his take on WWE Superstars being independent contractors and a fun story about a special night they shared in Times Square after a WWE MSG live event.
Listen to Jon Moxley on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast at AudioBoom.com or in the player embedded below:
Top Flight is All Elite. Darius and Dante Martin made their AEW Dynamite debuts last week against the Young Bucks. The high-flying brothers from Minnesota came up short, put on a strong showing against the champions.
Top Flight joins a stacked AEW tag team division that includes FTR, The Lucha Bros., Best Friends, Natural Nightmares, Dark Order, Private Party, The Hybrid2, Griff Garrison & Brian Pillman Jr. and The Acclaimed, among others.
Miro teased their signing a few weeks ago, but AEW made the official announcement Monday afternoon. Congratulations to Darius & Dante Martin.
WWE celebrates The Undertaker’s 30th anniversary at Survivor Series, billed as his Final Farewell. The tributes have been pouring in and we’ve compiled some of them here. Vince McMahon, The Rock, Triple H and many others pay homage to the Phenom:
We’ve faced each other in every type of match and created some of the most special moments in my career. Standing across the ring from @undertaker was always a daunting experience but I’m excited to hear the gong toll one last time. #FarewellTaker#SurvivorSeries
30yrs ago today, he made his iconic #SurvivorSeries debut. Like EVERYONE – I was in awe as a rookie in the @WWE when his first words pierced my soul as he walked in the dressing room and said, “Muthafucka” True story ? Honored to share the ring w you, my brother. #ThankYouTakerpic.twitter.com/ULlppOQlCa
Tonight I am very proud to be celebrating one of the greatest careers in @WWE history. A singular talent, a true leader, and a great friend. #ThankYouTaker#SurvivorSeries@undertaker
WWE Superstars The New Day are featured in a new DLC character pack for the popular Gears 5 video game.
Gears 5 is a third-person shooter video game that developed by The Coalition for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and Windows PC. It is the fifth installment of the Gears of War series.
The New Day Pack is free with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks. Claim your Perks by going to your Perks gallery on your Xbox console or Xbox App on Windows 10 PC.
New Day in Gears 5
Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston and Big E are huge video game fans, so this has to be a huge honor for them to be featured in a non-WWE video game.
After playing @GearsOfWar for years (& reading the books ?) I’m happy to announce that myself @TrueKofi & @WWEBigE somehow convinced them make us playable dlc characters in #Gears5@Xbox
If you thought getting popped by gnashers got on your nerves, wait until its us doing it ? pic.twitter.com/nweuRLSzi7
WWE announced Zelina Vega’s release Friday afternoon, just minutes after she tweeted her support for unionization. Her abrupt departure from the company and the subsequent fallout have been one of the top stories we’ve been tracking over the past week.
Vega issued a heartfelt message thanking WWE for the experience, as well as several key people who believed in her and helped her achieve the success that she did. She would later describe the past week as “literal hell.”
A new report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter states that Vega was unceremoniously escorted out of the building at Friday’s SmackDown taping after Vince McMahon refused to meet with her:
“According to one person in the company with knowledge of the situation, she was told about it by Mark Carrano, asked to talk to Vince McMahon and Carrano told her that he doesn’t want to talk to you and [she] was escorted out of the building.”
WWE has publicly confirmed that Zelina Vega was released because she breached her contract. Vega is a popular online streamer. In addition to her very lucrative presence on Twitch, she also recently launched an account on OnlyFans, where people can subscribe for $30/month to receive exclusive videos and photos of “cosplays, lingerie, swimsuits and more.”
News of Zelina Vega’s clash with WWE has caught the attention of politician Andrew Yang, as well as the prominent Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) labor union. Her fallout with WWE has brought renewed attention to WWE’s questionable classification of talent as independent contractors.
Here are the latest betting odds for WWE Survivor Series:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns is the favorite (-200) over new WWE Champion Drew McIntyre (+150)
SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks is favored (-160) over Raw Women’s Champion Asuka (+120)
The odds are even between Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (-120) and SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits (-120)
United States champion Bobby Lashley is heavily favored (-325) over Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn (+215)
With the two traditional Survivor Series 5-on-5 elimination matches:
Women’s Team SmackDown is favored (-170) over Team Raw (+130)
Men’s Team Raw is favored (-180) over Tea m SmackDown (+140)
In addition to the main card, Survivor Series will mark the 30-year anniversary of The Undertaker’s legendary career. WWE is advertising this as his Final Farewell, but it remains to be seen if he’s actually wrestled his final match. Odds from Sports Betting Dime.
WWE Survivor Series takes place this Sunday, November 22nd from Orlando, FL. For more information on the Survivor Series, click here.
AEW Dynamite scored a decisive win over NXT this week. Here is the breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
AEW: 850,000 viewers, 0.37 rating (7th on cable for the night)
NXT: 638,000 viewers, 0.14 rating (56th on cable for the night)
For comparison, Monday’s WWE Raw averaged 1.778 million viewers with a 0.51 rating in the key demo. AEW and NXT combined tied Raw in the Adults 18-49 demo.
The big story this week is the strength of AEW’s numbers. This was the second best rating for Dynamite of 2020, only behind the January 15th Bash at the Beach episode. Dynamite, while going head-to-head with NXT, actually beat Raw in the Adults 18-34 demo. This is extra impressive considering Raw featured Drew McIntyre defeating Randy Orton for the WWE Championship in the main event.
You can find full results and our takeaways from both shows below:
Jade Cargill the latest guest on this week’s AEW Unrestricted podcast. Cargill made her AEW television debut last week on Dynamite and has moved right into prominent storylines with Cody and Brandi Rhodes.
During her discussion with Aubrey Edwards and and Tony Schiavone, Cargill spoke about training at the Nightmare Factory with QT Marshall, being inspired by WWE legend Chyna, running her own fitness business, being a mother and more.
She credits QT Marshall and Dustin Rhodes with helping launch her pro wrestling career. “Dustin’s really been geared in,” she said. “He’s been making sure that I’m prepared. He made my debut super easy for me. He talked me through everything as well as QT at the Nightmare Factory. They’ve been sitting down, talking to me, rehearsing with me, making sure that everything is perfect.”
Jade Cargill in AEW
Jade Cargill has a unique look with her bodybuilder frame and long silver hair. She recalls guys picking on her when she was younger, but turned to WWE legend Chyna for inspiration. Chyna was empowered by her muscles, which led Cargill to feel the same way about her own body.
“Growing up I’ve always been muscular and I used to always get picked on by guys saying, ‘Oh she looks like a man. She’s too muscular.’ And I remember growing up and watching Chyna and seeing how she just embodied, just loved how she looked, and it just did nothing but empower me and make me say, ‘You know what? I look good. These muscles look great!'”
“I was just sitting around with my friends, and they said, ‘You know what color you should wear? You should wear the silver or the white color.’ And I said, ‘Oh wow! I would love that!’ And they said, ‘You know, you look like Storm.’ I tried it, and I loved it. I love what she stands for. She’s a powerful Black woman, and I think I stand for that same thing.”
Jade Cargill recently signed a multi-year deal with AEW, so fans can expect to see
Listen to Jade Cargill’s appearance on AEW Unrestricted at Omny.fm or in the player embedded below:
The Undertaker’s episode of Hot Ones is now online.
The Dead Man has been doing the media rounds to promote Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view. The event marks his 30th anniversary with WWE. The company is promoting the show as the Undertaker’s Final Farewell.
Hot Ones features celebrities being interviewed by host Sean Evans while eating increasingly spicy chicken wings. Here are some highlights of the interview:
The Undertaker spoke about the experience of breaking character over the past year for the Last Ride docuseries and other interviews. He’s been in wrestling for over 30 years and considers himself a very old school guy. It’s awkward for him to talk about the business so openly. The old school ‘rassler’ in him makes him want to ‘close the curtain’ again.
Early in his career, he was absolutely miserable doing media appearances like Regis and Kathie Lee in character. He knew it was great for WWE, but he hated it.
He was asked about the first character he portrayed in wrestling, ‘Commando’ in Central Illinois Wrestling. Undertaker was very impressed with the question, saying, “You’ve done some homework, brother.” He was a starving wrestler at the time, but looks back on those times fondly. His dad gave him some great advice: “The toes you step on on your way to the top are connected to the asses you’re going to have to kiss on the way back down.” This lesson taught him to treats people with respect no matter how big a star you are.
Undertaker named Arn Anderson as the best technical wrestler he ever saw work.
The most impressive physical athlete he’s ever seen is Brock Lesnar. He called Lesnar a freak athlete and couldn’t believe how agile Lesnar was for a big man.
The most savage backstage pranksters were Curt Hennig, Mr. Fuji and Owen Hart. He said Mr Fuji would escalate things to such an extreme level that he couldn’t share the worst of his antics.
The Undertaker on Hot Ones
When asked to name four matches he would recommend as definitive examples of great pro wrestling, he listed:
Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat (WM3)
Ric Flair vs. Harley Race (Any of their matches)
Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (WM25)
Edge and Randy Orton (WM35)
Undertaker spoke about wrestlers court. He said it was a serious thing, but also a friendly, lighthearted way that wrestlers were told they needed to ‘check themselves’ for getting out of line. If you were called into wrestlers court, there was usually a pretty good reason for it, such as ‘gimmick infringement’ (stealing another wrestler’s moves.)
Other topics discussed include his favorite match with Steve Austin, the evolution of his theme music, his love of riding motorcycles and Mike Tyson’s lasting impact on pro wrestling. You can watch The Undertaker on Hot Ones in the YouTube player embedded below:
Several other professional wrestlers have appeared on Hot Ones in recent years, including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Sasha Banks, Ronda Rousey and Chris Jericho.
Will Hobbs showed his true color last night on AEW Dynamite. That color is orange.
The main event saw TNT Champion Darby Allin and Cody Rhodes taking on Brian Cage and Ricky Starks. Team Taz picked up the win after Cage spiked Allin with an avalanche Drill Claw. After the match, Team Taz beat down Allin and Rhodes, until Will Hobbs came running down to ringside with a steel chair.
Hobbs was a bit late to make the save, as he has been before when saving Allin and Rhodes from Team Taz. As it turns out, this was no coincidence and was actually a big angle playing out before our eyes.
With the heels outside the ring, Hobbs dropped the steel chair, picked up Cage’s FTW Championship smashed into the face of Cody Rhodes. Hobbs embraced Team Taz as the faction’s newest member.
WWE has confirmed two WarGames matches for the next NXT TakeOver event.
During Wednesday’s NXT broadcast, a promo video aired of Shotzi Blackhart calling out Candice LeRae. Blackheart spoke about going to war with LaRae. The two have been feuding since this summer, around the time of NXT’s Great American Bash.
LeRae and Indi Hartwell took out Blackheart on NXT after LeRae had picked up a victory over Toni Storm. (Full Results). It was later announced that the two women will captain two teams inside the WarGames double steel cage match.
The second WarGames match will see Undisputed Era battle Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan. NXT General Manager William Regal made the official announcement after NXT went off the air in this WWE Network exclusive:
Roderick Strong tweeted this video late Wednesday night of Undisputed Era reacting to the news that they’re going to war with Pat McAfee and company.
The 4th annual NXT Takeover: WarGames takes place Saturday, December 6th. The event airs live on the WWE Network. WWE has yet to confirm the host venue, but it will likely take place from the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, FL.
AEW is hyping December 2nd as the biggest episode of Dynamite in history. It’s not just hyperbole, as the main event will see AEW World Champion Jon Moxley defend against Kenny Omega.
The show is being billed as AEW Winter Is Coming, indicating a new themed episode of Dynamite similar to FyterFest and the Beach Break.
AEW held the championship match contract signing on this week’s Dynamite, but it did not go off as scheduled, as these things rarely do. Challenger Kenny Omega came to the ring, but Moxley was nowhere to be found. We were taken backstage to find Moxley laid out by an unknown attacker (or attackers).
You can see the segment in the player embedded below.
AEW Winter is Coming takes place in two weeks live on TNT.
.@JonMoxley laid out backstage. However, @kennyomegamanx has signed the contract and is ready for Dec 2nd for the AEW World Championship Match.
Renee Paquette and AEW World Champion Jon Moxley are expecting their first child together. During Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, Moxley casually mentioned during a promo that he has a pregnant wife at home. You can see the promo below:
Paquette’s new Oral Sessions podcast launches next week, so she’ll certainly have some interesting material to talk about in the coming year.
She posted the following the following photo on Instagram, which appears to be taken shortly after she shared the news with Moxley:
