Former WWE Superstar Matt Hardy is now All Elite. Hardy debuted for the company during this Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite during the close of the show. Reflecting on his debut in front of zero fans in an empty arena due to the coronavirus pandemic, Hardy shared how he is proud to be a part of AEW.

“Considering the uncertainty of the current world we’re all living in, last night’s @AEWonTNT was the best audience-free pro wrestling TV broadcast yet.. And I’m ready to fight over it. Proud to be a part of @AEWrestling.”

Matt Hardy & The Elite

Matt Hardy was revealed to have sided with Elite members Kenny Omega, Cody, Hangman Page and Matt Jackson. Hardy will be the fifth man in their upcoming Blood and Guts matchup against the Inner Circle, comprised of the former AEW World Champion Chris Jericho, Santana and Ortiz, Jake Hager and Sammy Guevara.

This week on Dynamite, the Inner Circle were able to pick up a victory of members of The Elite. This win gives them an edge going into their Blood and Guts match. Blood and Guts is set to take place during the next episode of AEW Dynamite.

With the current climate, however, it is unclear at the time of writing whether that will take place next Wednesday on TNT when Dynamite usually airs.

With WWE having split WrestleMania 36 across two days, fans have been naturally wondering what matches will be taking place on what day. WWE.com has now revealed when fans can expect specific matches to take place. At the time of writing, each WrestleMania 36 match preview on WWE’s official website stated the date.

As it stands, the WWE Universe can expect Brock Lesnar’s WWE Championship defense against Drew McIntyre to close Saturday, April 4. The WWE Universal Championship match between Goldberg and Roman Reigns will round out the weekend on Sunday, April 5.

WrestleMania Schedule

The current card, per WWE.com, looks like this:

Saturday, April 4th, 2020

• WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
• NXT Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
• The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles
• Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins

Sunday, April 5th, 2020

• WWE Universal Championship: Bill Goldberg (c) vs. Roman Reigns
• RAW Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Shayna Baszler
• John Cena vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt

It’s worth noting that, although each match is listed as taking place at the WWE Performance Center, WWE intends to broadcast WrestleMania from multiple locations.

• Details On WrestleMania Taking Place From Multiple Locations

WrestleMania 36 was initially intended to take place at Raymond James Stadium on April 5. It will now take place on April 4 and April 5. The decision to relocate was made due to the current coronavirus pandemic. 

Former WWE Superstar Ryback has slammed Vince McMahon during a recent episode of Shooting Blanks Wrestling Report Podcast with Raj Giri. Reacting to McMahon’s decision to continue with WrestleMania 36 despite the coronavirus pandemic, Ryback claimed how the WWE Chairman doesn’t care about anyone or anything except his bank account.

“At the end of the day, and this is just this is my personal opinion, Vince doesn’t give a f*ck about anyone except for his bank account” Ryback began. “That is me being there and talking to a lot of other people in different generations, at different times, that have worked there [WWE]. And just personally? Seeing how things operate and looking him in his eyes on many many occasions; and just instinctually knowing that I never want anything to do with this type of human being.”

Ryback’s Opinion

Ryback stressed that this was just his opinion. He noted how the coronavirus is a “real-life experience” that humanity is collectively going through. He then reiterated his feelings, noting that Vince McMahon will at least “pretend” to care.

“I think he will…he’ll pretend that he cares but I don’t see it,” Ryback said. “The fact that they haven’t seen the other sporting organisations step up and say ‘we’re going to take care of this?’ They’re trying to figure out ways to run everything still. So that should tell you all that you need to know.”

WrestleMania 36 will now take place in multiple locations on April 4 and April 5. The decision was made to relocate from Raymond James Stadium in the wake of current coronavirus concerns. 

H/T to WrestlingNews for the transcription. 

Eric Bischoff has praised the chemistry that existed between Steve Austin and Brian Pillman during their time as The Hollywood Blonds. The two tagged together during in WCW. Bischoff opened up about working with the duo during a recent episode of his podcast, 83 Weeks. 

“I had the opportunities to kind of watch Brian and Steve backstage, not so much watching them in the ring. Which, is always fun to watch don’t get be wrong, but it was also fun watching them together backstage” Bischoff said. “They really enjoyed working together, the chemistry was great. Again, you know, similar personalities, different interests I’m sure but similar personalities in there.”

Eric Bischoff On Austin/Pillman’s Relationship

Eric Bischoff opened up about how Pillman could be “moody” from time to time. He explained, “It goes with the territory but for the most part, you know when you see these two guys together? They were cutting up. they were having a blast. You could tell the chemistry was there.”

He noted how the two weren’t merely “tolerating” each other. Instead, he could see how much they truly enjoyed hanging out and spending time together. Not only with their professional in-ring work but in travelling together and just hanging out. “It was great, great chemistry with amazing talent, which is why it stood out as much as it did.”

Teaming together as The Hollywood Blonds, Austin and Pillman won the WCW World Tag Team Championships and the NWA World Tag Team Championships.

H/T to WrestlingNews for the transcription

WWE Hall of Famer and current RAW commentator Jerry “The King” Lawler opened up about working in front of zero fans during an interview with USA Today’s Commercial Appeal. He also broached the idea of WWE piping in crowd noise to help create some atmosphere.

Lawler admitted that performing in front of empty arenas is WWE’s biggest obstacle right now. He pointed at how fan reaction helped let Superstars know whether they are doing a good job or not.

“That’s our obstacle [now],” Lawler said. “How do you entertain when you don’t have a live audience? That’s how you judge whether you’re being entertaining or not — the crowd response. When nobody’s there, you can’t tell.”

Jerry Lawler On Crowd Noise

Regarding WWE utilizing crowd noise to create a sense of atmosphere, Jerry Lawler believes it might benefit the current television product. He reflected on a past empty arena matchup between himself and Terry Funk. He shared how they wrestled at about 1 in the afternoon and, during the middle of the match, he couldn’t help but feel stupid.

“When I go back and think about it, I do remember, right in the middle of the match, I thought, ‘This feels stupid.’ He’s throwing me into empty chairs and those sorts of things. There’s no fans screaming, no background noise at all. It just made you feel kind of dumb.”

Lawler continued, “I’ve been to [football] training camps where the players go through their practice sessions with loud music or crowd noise piped in. I don’t think it would hurt anything at all if they piped in some crowd noise behind the matches. And even explain it to the fans. It’ll make the matches more entertaining and it’ll make it easier for the performers themselves.”

WrestleMania 36 now takes place across two days on April 4 and April 5 from multiple locations. The decision was made to relocate from Raymond James Stadium due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

SmackDown Superstar Sonya Deville recently spoke to With Spandex where she discussed entertaining people during the coronavirus pandemic. Deville has yet to participate in an empty arena matchup. That hasn’t changed how she would approach such a challenge, however. She observed how wrestling in front of zero people is a testament to the Superstars’ talent and charisma.

“I think it’s just really a testament to everyone’s talent and charisma, that they’re able to perform literally in front of nobody,” Deville said. “And that’s what wrestling and WWE is based off of. It’s based off of fan and crowd interaction, we feel your guys’ energy every single weekend.”

She continued, “That’s what drives us to do a lot of what we do. And so now it’s a completely different game. And just watching the superstars adjust and make that adjustment so smooth and still be entertaining is mind blowing to me. It’s awesome.”

Sonya Deville On Facing Becky Lynch

Sonya Deville also addressed her dream opponent, current RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch. She reflected on the promo she cut about being a rising star on WWE’s The Bump, admitting she didn’t expect the reaction it garnered. 

“So I cut that little promo after she said that I was a rising star on The Bump, and so I took it and ran with it and I didn’t expect it to go as viral as it did. And I was like, “Wow, okay. Maybe there’s something here. Maybe people want to see me versus Becky.” So maybe we’ll give people what they want one day.”

At the time of writing, Sonya Deville has yet to be scheduled a matchup at WrestleMania 36. The event now takes place across two days on April 4 and April 5 from multiple locations. 

WWE Superstar and former WWE 24/7 Champion R-Truth has explained how WWE is one of the most “forgiving” places to work. Speaking with the NotSam Wrestling Podcast, R-Truth reflected how, during his first run in WWE as K-Kwik, he was possibly too outspoken. Upon leaving in 2002, he was worried he had done irreparable damage between himself and the company. 

“I thought I broke that bridge” R-Truth revealed. “One thing about this company [WWE] they give you. They let you go mature.”

He continued, “[…] this is one of the most forgiving places where. I probably thought I would never, ever have a chance to come back. But they [WWE], they know you make mistakes. They know you sometimes have to mature.”

R-Truth’s Departure And Return

R-Truth was used sporadically during his time with WWE in the early 2000s. He was in a tag team with Road Dogg and also participated in WWE’s Hardcore division of the time.

After leaving WWE, he joined Total Nonstop-Action Wrestling (TNA) where he would win multiple championships. During his time there, he won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and NWA World Tag Team Championships. R-Truth would eventually re-sign with WWE in 2008. 

H/T to WrestlingNews for the transcription.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) was one of the first wrestling companies to cancel a major event in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The outbreak began as NJPW were gearing up for their annual New Japan Cup tournament.

New Japan’s Kota Ibushi recently sat down for an interview with njpw1972.com. During their conversation, Ibushi addressed the coronavirus and shared his thoughts on wrestling in front of empty venues in the way AEW and WWE have been doing.

“There’s a lot of different ways of thinking about it, but [in complete honestly,] I’m not a fan of empty arenas,” Ibushi admitted. “There’s, of course, a lot of merit to watching video, and you can get a closer sense of the action in the ring perhaps.”

“The thing is though, I’m not really about showing off what moves I can do. I want to be engaging a live crowd. In that sense, I really don’t see the point of running events if there aren’t going to be any people there.”

Kota Ibushi shared how he had previously wrestled in an empty arena during his time with Japanese promotion DDT. He joked how the empty arena wasn’t “by design” and that the show had started without any fans turning up.

WWE Superstar Randy Orton is preparing to face off against his former-Rated RKO tag team partner Edge at WrestleMania 36. Fans may not know it, however, looking at the recent posters advertising the event.

WrestleMania 36 will now take place across two nights. WWE shared an image to their social media, hyping the news. Newly announced Host of WrestleMania, Rob Gronkowski, is presented front and center. Randy Orton, however, is missing. Other Superstars featured include John Cena, Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre. RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and the WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar are also present.

Taking to his Instagram account, Orton shared his thoughts on being overlooked, writing: “Well ain’t that some bullshit. #letmecounttheways”

Randy Orton Vs Edge

This past week on Monday Night RAW, Edge challenged Randy Orton to a Last Man Standing matchup. Despite being planned to continue without an audience, the two are expected to clash on the “Grandest Stage of them All.”

Originally meant to emanate from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, WrestleMania 36 will now take place across April 4 and April 5 from multiple locations. The WWE Performance Center has already been confirmed as being one of the sites.

This decision was made due to the current coronavirus pandemic, which has affected events, conventions and sports worldwide.

D-Von Dudley reflected on the impact of the TLC matchup between the Dudleyz, The Hardyz and Edge and Christian during a recent interview. Speaking with The Outlaws Radio Show, D-Von noted how they were treated like “rock stars” following the match up.

“We really couldn’t go anywhere without having to shut things down. My 15 minutes of fame I’m happy to say that it was worth it with all the abuse that I took over the years from ECW, the WWE and of course unfortunately I’d like to say sometimes TNA…Aces and Eights, that was greatest thing that came out of that, but for the most part, we had fun.”

He continued, “We did what we did and we had fun. We created history and if wasn’t for us, Edge & Christian, The Hardyz and The Dudleyz there would be no PPV called TLC and if it wasn’t for ECW and what we did, there would be no Attitude Era.”

D-Von On Changing The Business Forever

D-Von explained how their TLC match led to a resurgence in tag team wrestling. He also noted how tag team wrestling is “somewhat of a lost art nowadays” on WWE’s product. He argued how WWE has always been a “singles man competition” before listing notable teams throughout the decades. D-Von stated how teams had to fight to earn a position in WWE and get respect.

“You had to be somebody and I think when the Hogan and Andre era was gone, I think people thought that tag team wrestling was really a lost art until six guys that were unknown came in and changed the face of tag team wrestling and that’s exactly what we did.”

The first-ever TLC matchup took place at SummerSlam back in 2000. Edge and Christian would emerge victorious after their famous Triple Threat match with The Hardyz and Dudleyz.

H/T to WrestleZone for the transcription. 

Paige has shared what the current WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar, is like backstage and away from the ring. During an interview with Inside the Ropes, she confessed that “The Beast Incarnate” is just as intimidating behind-the-scenes at first. However, once you get to know him, she shared he’s actually “very sweet.”

“No. He’s scary—he’s definitely scary when you first meet him. He is an intimidating man, for sure. He’s massive,” Paige said. “But once you get to know him, he’s also very sweet. So, like, if I’d wanted advice from him, I could go to him and he’ll be like, ‘yeah, sure I’ll give it to you.’ He’s really wonderful, too.”

Since she was unfortunately forced into retirement from in-ring action, Paige has been a General Manager for SmackDown. She also helped manage the Kabuki Warriors before their betrayal. Paige has previously expressed interest in managing other talents including “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey.  

Brock Lesnar, meanwhile, is set to defend his WWE Championship against the winner of the 2020 Royal Rumble, Drew McIntyre. The two will clash at WrestleMania 36 on April 5. 

Originally intended to take place from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, WrestleMania will now emanate from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. 

This decision was made in the wake of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. WWE officially announced their decision to relocate ‘Mania after days of speculation following a meeting with Tampa officials last week.

They are the latest organisation forced to reschedule and postpone events due to the coronavirus. Other events, conventions, concerts and tours have been cancelled. 

If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.

WWE Hall of Famer and current RAW commentator Jerry “The King” Lawler has opened up about travelling during the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking with Memphis’ Local 24 News, Jerry Lawler opened up about WWE’s schedule during the outbreak. He confessed that he’s never experienced anything like this before. Lawler also talked about how pro wrestling and television provides people with a distraction during such a worrying time. 

“I really don’t know what to think about this. I’ve been in the wrestling business for nearly 50 years and traveled and seen just about everything but I’ve never seen anything like this so far.”

Lawler continued, “I think all you have to do is ask anyone who sat on a Sunday with no sports on TV. It was just unbelievable. I don’t know how many times I sat there looking at my TV and said, ‘oh my gosh, what is happening here.’ I think that it’s a good diversion. It gives people something to take their mind off with all this bad news.”

WrestleMania 36 is set to take place on April 5 from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. It was initially meant to take place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Both the Hall of Fame and NXT TakeOver: Tampa Bay have been cancelled. 

H/T to WrestleZone for the transcription. 

Scott Steiner made an appearance at New Era Wrestling in Jasper, Alabama this past weekend. It was his first public appearance since he collapsed at an Impact taping session a few weeks ago. At the show, Steiner took the opportunity to address his recent medical scare and subsequent hospitalization. He revealed how he had no recollection of Friday or Saturday night.

Scott Steiner’s Comeback Promo

“Everybody heard what happened last week. A lot of people came to me and said they were praying for me and gave me best wishes and I appreciate that,” Steiner said. “I tell you what. It happened on Friday night and I actually do not remember walking to the ring, talking, walking back to the ring, collapsing. I don’t remember Friday night, I don’t remember Saturday night.”

Steiner continued, “As I was sitting in the hospital bed, the doctor came up to me and said ‘the procedure that happened to you, normally you only have 80 percent chance of winning…of getting out of the bed…of living’ I said doc, every time I step in the ring I have a 140 and two-thirds chance of winning. What do you think my chances are of jumping out of this bed? So this goes to all my freaks in Jasper, Alabama. Big Poppa Pump is your hookup! Holla if you hear me!”

You can see the promo in the video below at approximately 8 minutes.

H/T to WrestlingNews for the transcription.

All Elite Wrestling’s Chris Jericho will be narrating the upcoming premiere of Dark Side of the Ring. Season 2 begins with a documentary focused on the Chris Benoit tragedy. Given the controversial nature of the subject, Jericho stressed that neither he nor the show is “glorifying a murderer.” 

“I didn’t want to hear how I was glorifying a murderer. I don’t want to hear that I’m ignoring this murder. I wanted to talk, specifically, about his life and times, his intensity, and his successes within the ring,” Jericho explained to SI.com.

“We’re not glorifying a murderer. We’re telling the full story. It was done properly, it was done for the right reasons, and we were able to portray the full story, emphasizing the tragedy that much further.” 

Chris Jericho On Chris Benoit & Eddie Guerrero’s Friendship

Jericho shared how the episode will also cover the death of Eddie Guerrero. He explained that the connection between Benoit and Guerrero made it impossible to tell a full story without mentioning both wrestlers.

“[…] half the story is the story of Eddie and the other half is of Chris. I think we did the right way of portraying this, reminding everyone there were people behind this, not just sensational murder coverage. There is a story to tell of a friendship and a family, and a guy that was not a monster. This was someone you could trust and that was very respected in the wrestling community amongst his peers.” 

Chavo Guerrero’s Involvement

According to Chris Jericho, Chavo Guerrero was instrumental in the production of the episode. He noted how Chavo helped produce it and is the reason he agreed to be a part of the show. 

“His mindset was, ‘If we don’t do this properly, it’s going to get done anyway. Let’s do it for the right reasons and do it the right way.’ I think he was spot on with that. Chavo was involved, which got me involved, and David Benoit and Nancy’s sister were involved, then I was able to get Dean and Dean’s wife, and Vickie.”

He continued, “Suddenly it became this noble project instead of a hack job, which is what the media tends to do in situations with someone they don’t know. We knew the person behind this, not just the murderer.”

Dark Side of the Ring airs on VICE TV on Tuesday nights. Season 2 starts next week with a two-hour special.  

CM Punk says the door is still open for a possible in-ring return. The former WWE Champion recently appeared on the Swing & Mrs. Podcast, hosted by former Major League Baseball star Cody Decker and his wife/AEW commentator, Jennifer Decker.

When asked if he would consider lacing up his boots again, Punk said nobody has made him the right offer to draw him out of retirement.

“The answer changes,” Punk said. “It’s a very fluid answer. Currently, if the business was right and I had somebody that motivated me across the ring from me, I think, might be able to get it done. Nobody has dangled the correct carrot.”

As long as the money was right and his opponent was somebody he wanted to face, CM Punk confessed he could be open to the idea. He listed previous opponents such as Daniel Bran, John Cena and Rey Mysterio as people he’d like to face again. He also pointed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Will Ospreay as a new challenge he’d be open to.

“As far as people that I’ve worked with before, if there was a clean slate, if the money was right, I think a guy like Daniel Bryan, I would go, ‘I would listen to your idea.’ If you said John Cena, I’d probably listen to your idea. Rey Mysterio, I would listen to your idea,” CM Punk said. “For people I haven’t ever wrestled before, I think Will Ospreay, I would listen to your idea.” 

“There’s a lot of moving parts. I’m busy doing other stuff and nobody has found the right combination of ways to approach me. It’s not all up to me, ladies and gentlemen, it’s up to the people who actually run the company.”

Will Ospreay caught wind of Punk name dropping him as a possible opponent. The Aerial Assassin told Punk to mark January 4th on his calendar, the day of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual Wrestle Kingdom event.

CM Punk can be seen on FS1’s WWE Backstage, where he occasionally serves as an analyst.

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has shared his thoughts on WWE moving WrestleMania 36 to the WWE Performance Center. Reflecting on how the show will take place in an empty PC, Booker T spoke about what a surreal experience it will be without fans in attendance. 

“I’m just gonna keep it real on this. WrestleMania, of course, has always been about the payoff,” Booker T said during an episode of his podcast, The Hall of Fame. 

“It’s always been about those great matches of course, but I always thought that WrestleMania was more so about the event, the spectacle for the crowd. The people to be a part of and for the fans not to be a part of WrestleMania is definitely going to be something I never thought I would witness in my lifetime because I always thought that was what WrestleMania was.”

Booker T also highlighted how WrestleMania has always featured stars, pointing at Muhammad Ali, Mr. T, Lawrence Taylor and Mike Tyson. He explained how WrestleMania has always been “another level” for everyone. He noted how it wasn’t just excitement for the fans, but that WWE Superstars looked forward to ‘Mania. 

WrestleMania 36 takes place on April 5 from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. It was initially meant to take place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Both the Hall of Fame and NXT TakeOver: Tampa Bay have been cancelled. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. 

WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley has reflected on her experiences wrestling in front of an empty WWE Performance Center. Last week’s episode of SmackDown was relocated to the WWE PC in the wake of coronavirus concerns. Tonight’s 3:16 edition of Monday Night RAW has done the same.

Taking to Instagram, Bayley shared her feelings on the situation, stressing how “first is forever.”

“First is forever. I’m not gonna brag about the fact that @sashabankswwe and I opened Friday Night SmackDown (live on FOX) with a big ol victory (classic), in the house that we built (the Performance Center…literally we put together the rings and stuff), in front of good ol Papa Hunter and (apparently Paige’s travel agent) Michael Cole, with zero fans in the audience due to the terrible circumstances going on in our world, we did what we do best no matter what is asked of us because we are professionals, superstars, role models…no, no, no, I won’t talk about any of that.

BUT it was something I will remember forever. I was very proud to be a part of that whole night. Wrestling is something wild/special/crazy. @WWE”

Bayley and Banks defeated Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss to kickstart last week’s unique episode of SmackDown.

At the time of writing, Bayley does not have a championship matchup scheduled for WrestleMania 36. WWE met with Tampa officials last week to discuss options and alternatives due to the coronavirus pandemic. Following their discussion, Tampa officials have claimed they may have to “pull the plug” on the event. 

WWE Superstar The Big Show has credited Brock Lesnar with helping to reignite his career. Big Show made the revelation after joining Corey Graves for his WWE podcast, After the Bell.

“I owe my entire resurgence of my career to Brock Lesnar,” Big Show confessed. “For the longest time, I was still napalm when I came back from OVW, and Brock’s main event [opponent] somehow got stuck on a plane. Jack Lanza, in a house show, threw me in with Brock, and Brock and I tore the house down.”

He continued, “Just before that I was working mid-card. I was working body-slam matches and stuff like that. I filled in for that main event, and Brock and I literally tore the freaking house down because Brock can flat out go.”

The Big Show Recalls Brock Lesnar Wanting To Work With Him

Big Show praised Lesnar, pointing out how he “gets it,” comparing his ability to Kurt Angle. He argued that their wrestling backgrounds helped make them a better in-ring performer. Reflecting on their time working together, Big Show remembered how Lesnar requested to work with him and how he felt WWE wasn’t utilizing him.

“[…] they were asking Brock who’s you next opponent he said, ‘I want to work with Show. He’s a giant. He can work. You guys are just sleeping on him.’ Brock and I started working tearing the house down. It changed a lot of people’s perceptions of who I was as a talent and who I was as an individual. I really owe that break because of Brock. I don’t think that’s something I’ve ever told on any podcast so there you go.”

At the time of writing, The Big Show doesn’t have a scheduled match at WrestleMania 36. Lesnar, however, is set to defend his WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre. The event is intended to take place on April 5 from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Undisputed Era members Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly have discussed what makes their teamwork so well. Joining WWE’s The Bump, the duo also explained why they believe they are one of the top teams in the world.

“What me and Bobby have is special,” O’Reilly said. “We’ve been a tag team since 2012. We’ve been all over the world. As far as I’m concerned, we’re one of the top two greatest tag teams of all time.”

His partner, Fish, added how their chemistry isn’t something people can “fabricate.” He said how the brotherhood that exists between them and their other stablemates Roderick Strong and NXT Champion Adam Cole is “real.” “I think people feel that,” he said. “I think people understand that, and that’s why we’re successful as we are.”

Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish On Making History, Dream Opponents

O’Reilly explained how, as a team, he and Fish are “the judge, jury and executioner of the tag team division.” He stressed that this has been the case when they first arrived and that it will stay that way for the foreseeable future. “We’re going to become the first, four-time NXT champions. All we do here is make history.”

With the team having proved to be so dominant in the black-and-gold brand in the past, the two have casually looked at both RAW and SmackDown for potential opponents. O’Reilly shared how he would love a matchup with The New Day or The Usos. He believes either matchup could prove to be “something very special.” 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. 

All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan has explained how the promotion is focused on being their own competition. Appearing on AEW’s official podcast, Unrestricted, Khan also noted how they don’t want to oversaturate the market. For now, a two-hour show is the “perfect amount of TV.”

“I also don’t want to oversaturate. I think there’s a sweet spot, so I’m never going to try to produce so many shows that you can’t keep track of what we’re doing. To me, a two hour Dynamite and now, the new one hour show we’re going to develop, is the perfect amount of TV,” Khan said. 

Tony Khan On AEW Being Their Own Competition

Tony Khan explained how there are plans in place to release new things on YouTube and BR Live. Ultimately, however, he believes AEW’s current output of Dynamite and Dark allows them to keep creating a consistent, strong product.

“We’re our own opponent. At the end of the day, people talk about you’re in a wrestling war or whatever, we just have to do the best show we can do.”

He continued, “We’re competing with ourselves to do the best shows we can, and when we haven’t done stuff that made sense or wasn’t our best work, we’ve had to refocus and say, here’s why that didn’t work and never do that again.”

AEW Dynamite airs every Wednesday night on TNT.

H/T to 411Mania for the transcription. 

All Elite Wrestling commentator Jim Ross doesn’t believe WWE will cancel WrestleMania 36. At the time of writing, fans worldwide are still unsure as to whether WWE’s largest event will take place due to coronavirus concerns. Speaking on his podcast Grillin’ JR, Ross broke down why he thinks WWE won’t be cancelling. 

“I don’t think it’ll [be cancelled],” Ross said. “It would be a shocker, it would be a huge loss for not only the WWE financially but also for fans that are planning on going and making it a part of an annual excursion or there first WrestleMania ever.”

He continued, “WrestleMania is a major event and that’s an understatement obviously, but it’s a major event from the standpoint that many other companies use WrestleMania as a source of creating new revenue. It could be detrimental to a lot of companies, but knowing the wrestling mantra as I do, I don’t think it’s going to be cancelled.”

Jim Ross On Impact On Sales, Attendance

Jim Ross shared how he had heard WWE is struggling to sell tickets for RAW and SmackDown. He noted that WrestleMania is allegedly still selling well. Although he doesn’t feel WWE will cancel the show, Ross added how there will be ongoing discussions about this virus and how it will affect projected attendance numbers. 

“I think people could be more cautious and it is available on television and on the WWE Network. I don’t think it will cancel but I do think the ongoing discussions about this virus will affect the attendance at some events for everybody coming to Tampa.”

WrestleMania 36 is scheduled to take place on April 5 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Despite meeting last week to discuss options, Tampa officials have claimed they may have to “pull the plug” on the event. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. 

Former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa has shared his belief that the Wednesday Night War between NXT and All Elite Wrestling absolutely matters. Speaking with Sportskeeda, Ciampa opened up about why he thinks the ratings have helped pro wrestling, claiming that both promotions ultimately “want to win.”

“It makes it a little bit more fun. It brings that competitive edge out,” said Ciampa. “I mean, I have friends over there and I also have people over there I’ve never met or ever shared a ring with. “It’s awesome to see, you know, everyone just elevating their game. Everyone just wants it. I don’t know if people say ratings don’t matter… they sure as hell matter. Like, you want to win.”

Tommaso Ciampa On NXT Airing On USA, Being A Third Brand

One of the decisions that helped legitimize NXT is WWE’s decision to reposition it as a third brand. Previously, the black-and-gold brand had long been WWE’s developmental brand. Ciampa points out how NXT airing on USA Network has also helped everyone pull together to deliver great shows.

“Now that we’re on USA, we’re doing live TV. There’s just no more ‘yea buts.’ They’re [NXT roster] doing everything that you would constitute of as a main roster player,” stated Ciampa. “I think that’s the main thing, that switch. That developmental like, stink is just gone.”

Tommaso Ciampa is expected to face off against Johnny Gargano at NXT TakeOver: Tampa Bay. The show is set to take place on April 4 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

WWE Superstar Bobby Lashley has addressed his recent storyline with Rusev and Lana during an appearance on WWE’s The Bump. He confessed he is unsure whether WWE is actually done with their feud.

“[…] there are still a lot of things that I still want to do,” Lashley stated. “I got put in a role with Lana for some time now. I don’t know what’s going to go on with Rusev and I. I don’t know if that’s done if it’s finished if it’s not finished.”

The Old Bobby Lashley

Bobby Lashley then turned his attention to WWE’s upcoming pay-per-view, WrestleMania 36. He shared how there are so many things he’d like to achieve and Superstars he’d like to wrestle. He then teased that the WWE Universe may start seeing “a little bit of the old Bobby.”

“Man, there are many things that I want to do. There are so many people that I want to be in the ring with, that in the next few weeks, you’ll start to see a little bit of the old Bobby. You might see something big at WrestleMania, like a big matchup.”

Explaining what fans can expect if he does bring back “the old Bobby,” Lashley stated how he’s pretty basic. “I love to fight, I’m a fighter. I’ve wrestled my entire life. I’ve talked about doing the bare-knuckles fight, maybe next year, if Vince allows me to do it. I like to train, I like to fight and I like to wrestle.”

He continued, “Since I’ve been back, they haven’t been able to see that. I feel like I’m getting back to my roots after this match I had with Zack Ryder. It kind of showed who I am, and what I’m about. I think the next few weeks leading up to WrestleMania, I think you’re going to see more of that.”

At the time of writing, Bobby Lashley doesn’t have a matchup scheduled for WrestleMania 36. The show is expected to take place on April 5 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. That is if Tampa officials don’t “pull the plug” on the event.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin is scheduled to appear on a special edition of Monday Night RAW today. Today has been branded 3:16 day, something that Austin has claimed to not know WWE was intending to do. 

“Now, I didn’t declare this holiday,” Austin said on his show, The Steve Austin Show. “I didn’t declare it a national holiday on my own behalf. It seems like the WWE Universe has declared 3/16 to be Steve Austin Day because of the famous promo I cut way back at King Of The Ring in 1996 when I got kicked in the mouth by Marc Mero.”

Steve Austin’s Iconic Promo

Steve Austin then reflected on how he needed to get stitches in his upper lip after that match. He returned from hospital to wrestle Jake “The Snake” Roberts. After his victory over Roberts, Austin would be interviewed by Dok Hendrix. Austin then delivered his historic promo, using the now famous ‘Austin 3:16’ and ‘Because Stone Cold said so’ catchphrases for the first time.

“I hit two home runs, two grand slams in fact, at a pay-per-view that I was never even supposed to win from the get-go,” he said. “So all these years later, we celebrate, I guess, the beginning of officially announcing it on Monday Night RAW, 3:16 Day, so thank everybody for the support for all these years and I’m looking forward to making another appearance on Monday Night RAW.:

Austin continued, “My appearances on that show are few and far between. I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing, but I’m going to be raising hell and drinking plenty of cold Broken Skull IPA, my beer from El Segundo Brewing Company.”

Like last week’s SmackDown, tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW will be performed in the WWE Performance Center. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. 

WWE Superstar Elias recently joined Busted Open Radio. During their conversation, Elias opened up about his WWE career to date, admitting that he is “begging” for more opportunities. He explained how he would love to be further along in his career as he feels capable of doing more. 

“I am begging for the opportunity to be, you know, even further along than where I am. And you know what, it’s great,” Elias said. “I’m on television every week and people feel alive. But I tell you what, man, I feel like I’m capable of even more. I am looking for that on all aspects, to the point where people might be getting upset with me [because] I’m pushing so hard.”

He spoke about being able to play his guitar and further his connection with the crowd on the fly. Elias then stressed how he just wants the door of opportunity to “open up just a little bit.” If it does, he’s confident he could break through to the next level.

“The good thing is I have a passion for playing music and playing guitar. I’m always, always thinking of new ways to note, you know, new riffs, I jam around on my guitar. As well as new ways to interact with the crowd, new catchphrases whatever it may be. So, you know, I’m just waiting for, you know, for the door to open up just a little bit. So I can bust through you know what I’m saying? Man that’s all I’m asking for.”

At the time of writing, Elias doesn’t have a matchup scheduled for WrestleMania 36. The show is expected to take place on April 5 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. That is if Tampa officials don’t “pull the plug” on the event.

H/T to WrestlingNews for the transcription.