All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has announced Chris Jericho’s first title challenger. In a post to social media, the promotion announced that Jericho will be defending his AEW Championship against Cody.
AEW has previously stressed how wins and losses will matter in their promotion. It was Jericho’s victory over Kenny Omega at Double or Nothing that saw him face off against Hangman Page to crown the inaugural AEW Champion at their recent show All Out. Conversely, Cody has had a string of singles success since the promotion’s debut. He holds victories over his brother Dustin Rhodes at Double or Nothing and earned an important, grudge match victory over Shawn Spears at All Out. This momentum has helped him secure his opportunity against Chris Jericho at AEW’s next major show, Full Gear.
For those interested in seeing Full Gear live, tickets for the show go on sale today at 12 ET/9AM PT. Full Gear takes place Saturday, November 9th from the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.
?Match Announcement?#AEWFullGear Saturday, November 9th – 7pm Local Start Time @RoFoArena – Baltimore, MD AEW World Championship Match CHRIS JERICHO defends his championship against CODY
Erick Rowan set himself free from Daniel Bryan this past Tuesday on SmackDown Live. After it was revealed that he was behind the attacks on Roman Reigns, Rowan blindsided Reigns before assaulting his former friend. Now, the former leader in the Wyatt Family has sent him a message, asking him to “come home.”
In the aftermath of SmackDown, Rowan uploaded a tweet that read “I’ve got no strings to HOLD ME DOWN”. It was accompanied with an unsettling gif of a skeleton puppet, tossing a skull into the air.
That’s when his former leader Bray Wyatt replied: “Come home baby boy”
Bray Wyatt, and his popular Fiend gimmick, also had a recent exchange with another former Wyatt Family member: Braun Strowman. It was rumored that Wyatt would be facing the winner of the Universal Championship match between Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman at WWE’s Clash of Champions event. He would allegedly face the victor at WWE’s October pay-per-view, Hell in a Cell.
Both men addressed the news, with Strowman writing “If the student has to teach the teacher then so be it!!!! He can get these hands like anybody else. #LetTheGamesBegin #MyDoorsOpenComeOnIn”
Wyatt replied “Lol. Come teach me baby boy. I love you , I’ve never lost to Seth, and I don’t care if I die. Literally.”
Lol. Come teach me baby boy. I love you , I’ve never lost to Seth, and I don’t care if I die. Literally.
Current NXT UK Champion WALTER still has no interest in travelling to the United States.
In an interview with talkSPORT, WALTER admitted that, although he would accept a spot on WWE’s main roster, he would have zero interest in actually travelling to or touring America. He didn’t specify whether he would prefer to join RAW or SmackDown if the opportunity presented itself.
“I would go on the main roster at some point but I wouldn’t move to America. Moving to America is not for me. American lifestyle is not for me. No, I couldn’t imagine that. When it comes to that, I stay where I am.”
WALTER has become a key component to WWE’s NXT UK brand after making a name for himself on the independent scene both across Europe and in the United States.
Many WWE Superstars have been jumping between brands in recent months. Fandango and Tyler Breeze returned to NXT after their run on the main roster; Cesaro recently appeared on NXT UK, where Kassius Ohno has become a regular member. Conversely, Pete Dunne featured on NXT, wrestling a triple threat match for The Velveteen Dream’s North American Championship.
Unfortunately, given his open disinterest, WALTER may not be one of the talents to utilize this freedom of movement if it continues.
WALTER recently defended his NXT UK Championship against Tyler Bate at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff this past Saturday.
JTG and Shad Gaspard, formerly known in WWE as Cryme Tyme, have challenged The Young Bucks to a matchup.
In an upload to his Instagram account, JTG shared a picture of himself and his partner with the AEW Championship. His post is most likely in response to a tweet by Shane “Hurricane” Helms, who inferred that Cryme Tyme could have been behind Chris Jericho’s missing, and now recovered, AEW Championship.
“I don’t want to point fingers or anything, buuuuuut, has anyone seen @Jtg1284 or @Shadbeast lately? Just asking. No reason.”
JTG accompanied his image, which features a speech bubble reading ‘Do we have your attention now’ with the following caption:
“First off…. Cryme Tyme are not thiefs. We’re actually outstanding citizens, @shadbeast13 and I actually Re-Rack the weights and wipe down the equipment when were done at the Gym ! ! ! We are GOOD People. We have NEVER stolen anything in our entire career. That was a rumor that got out of hand. We borrowed this title to make a message. This was not a hit on @chrisjerichofozzy But a message to AEW. If you want your precious title back…. Its simple.We want The Young Bucks ? #crymetyme#aew#maketagteamwrestlinggreatagain#TAGTEAMGOATS#WRESTLING#tagteam#tagteamwrestling“
Cody has previously stated that AEW has only revealed approximately 40% of its roster. With All Elite Wrestling debuting on TNT on October 2nd, could Cryme Tyme be a team the promotion might be interested in?
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin recently had WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair join him on his podcast, The Steve Austin Show. The two reminisced on their time together on WWE’s recent RAW Reunion show. They also spoke about what could have happened had they feuded while in their prime.
Austin explained that he and Flair were drinking, hanging out, and sharing stories in the run-up to RAW Reunion. He added that, once Flair started telling stories, he wouldn’t want to “tap out” from hearing one of the greats.
“I Don’t Care What The Doctors Say”
“Yeah, I was talking about the RAW reunion a little bit, and I said, ‘Man, I was down there at the bar with Flair and Flair was telling stories, so if Flair’s telling stories, I’m not going to tap out. I’m going to keep drinking!’ And then, people started jumping on [Flair’s] ass saying, ‘Well, Ric Flair’s not supposed to be drinking.’ I saw [Flair] nurse about two or three Bud Lights and Bud Light is about as light as you can get in the alcohol category, and [Flair] nursed them all night long.” Austin explained.
“Well, let me tell you something about the next day. I was kind of hungover the next day because I always pace myself here at the house, but [Flair was] telling stories all night long. [Flair] was kind of holding court. I was like a parrot. I was right behind [Flair], damn near on [Flair’s] right shoulder laughing my ass off. And every time I would give the guy the signal to bring me another margarita or another Jack and Coke or another beer – he didn’t make a margarita worth a s**t – so anyway, I kept rotating all my different alcohols.”
Flair added that anytime he gets to see Austin, he’s going to “jump at it.”
“I don’t care what the doctors say – I’m going to have some drinks!” Flair said. “What a way to go! Hey listen, my motto was that I want to die either on top of Wendy or in the ring. Now it’s with the boys or doing [Austin’s] podcast!”
The two discussed what might have been had they been able to feud against each other. Austin recalled he worked with Flair a bit near the end of his career, but was frazzled and burned out. He’s confident, however, that the two would have set box office records.
Flair agreed wholeheartedly, stating that they would have set records everywhere.
Bayley aligned herself with the returning Sasha Banks this past Monday on RAW. Her decision saw her attack Becky Lynch with a chair, turning heel in the process.
Speaking on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Mark Henry explained how he would handle this new direction for Bayley. He looked at her heel turn as being fuelled by “complete, unadulterated violence and a little jealousy.”
He explained this is something he understood, basing his take on a story from his past.
“I Was Not The Chosen One”
“This is complete, unadulterated violence, and a little jealousy in there. I think that all of that needs to come into play, it needs to be said,” he said. “Because I was never looked at as, you know, the ‘savior,’ and this is just a little in-depth into my rearing. I was not the focal point, I was not the chosen one, if you will, my brother was. And I struggled with that my whole life, like I always wanted to be wanted like a lot of people do. I wanted people to look at me like, ‘Wow, this person can step up and save our family, help our family out.’ But I was never looked at as that person, so I worked harder to show that I was worthy of that, and that’s one of the keys to my success.”
“I think that Bayley exemplifies that, she has all the talent in the world, but yet, because somebody else looked a certain way, because somebody else smiled at the right person, that they got an opportunity and she didn’t, and I would make everybody pay for the rest of my life if I feel like you trying to steal my thunder, and I think that’s the story that needs to be told.”
He added that, if she can commit to this new character, he’s confident that fans will see a “level of competition from her that will supersede anything that she’s done to this point.”
The violence we saw on #RAW & #SDLive this week from @itsBayleyWWE was a long time coming for a lot of fans.@TheMarkHenry explains how he would tell the story of this new 'heel' by taking a page from his own personal story ?? pic.twitter.com/qAoZsdZdh4
UPDATE: We originally reported that Ed Koskey has been RAW’s lead writer for the past 20 years. Koskey is currently the longest-running RAW lead writer, and has 20 years of experience with the company. We have edited the article to reflect this.
We recently reported that WWE is allegedly planning a new draft for next month. Turns out that not only RAW, SmackDown, and NXT Superstars have been affected by it.
According to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com, WWE’s creative teams have been shaken up ahead of the draft. It’s said that this behind-the-scenes change took place on Wednesday, although it was noted they were apparently in the works for some time.
SmackDown Live writer Ryan Warn is supposedly now out of the position on personal leave. Vince McMahon has rewritten the scripts for the show over the past few weeks, making this change somewhat expected.
RAW’s lead writer Ed Koskey will now be moving to SmackDown, joining the blue brands Executive Director, Eric Bischoff. Prior to this move, Koskey had been RAW’s longest-running lead writer, and has 20 years of experience with WWE. Jonathan Baeckstrom will take his place as the show’s new lead writer alongside RAW’s Executive Director, Paul Heyman. Baeckstrom was previously the lead writer for 205 Live.
It was mentioned that WWE wanted to get these new teams in place ahead of the Superstar Shakeup in October. This allows them to become accustomed to their new creative working environments, allowing them to plot future storylines leading into their new rosters.
Matt Riddle hasn’t made it a secret that he would love to face Brock Lesnar. He also got into a back-and-forth with WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg that saw the two speak backstage about their issues.
In an interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Dropkick DiSKussions, Riddle opened up about the likelihood of achieving his dream match against Lesnar. He also shared how he wasn’t particularly interested in a match with Goldberg.
“Well, the WWE… NXT has made mention of me wrestling Brock in promos and other things like that, but I’ve been calling out Brock since I started wrestling. It’s such a huge goal. If I get close to that, I’ll probably be really successful. If I do it, probably be a legend. Now I’m as close I’ve ever been, but I’m still pretty far.”
Turning his attention to Goldberg, who he publicly mocked during his matchup against The Undertaker at WWE’s Super ShowDown in June, Riddle admitted he never even wanted a match with the former WCW World Champion.
“With Goldberg, I was never even really wanting a match. I mean, I would take it for sure. He’s Bill Goldberg, you know? The guy is money. At the same time, I never wanted a match. It was more so my opinion on his work rate and his wrestling – not his ability to generate money or put butts in seats. It was his salary, his work rate.”
He continued, “I talked to Goldberg, we talked about it, he thought I was being disrespectful. I was like, ‘Okay, man, that’s my opinion. I’m just not a huge fan of your work. I’m just not. It’s not great pro wrestling.’ It’s like, ‘You’ve got a great jackhammer, great spear but the wrestling… Uhh.’ I’m not lying. I feel like if I’m not lying, I’m not being disrespectful. Especially as that’s how you make your money.”
With NXT moving to USA Network and extending to two-hours, the WWE Universe may soon be able to see more of ‘The Original Bro’ on the black-and-gold brand.
According to Chris Jericho, both Kenny Omega and PAC were upset with their matchup at All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) recent event All Out.
Speaking on his podcast, Talk is Jericho, the AEW Champion explained how both wrestlers were mad as the match they had planned was longer than the time they were allocated. This forced them to cut a bunch of stuff they wanted to include.
“Afterward, both Kenny and PAC were mad because, I guess, their match was too long and they ran out of time, and they had to cut a bunch of stuff, and they were not happy about it and meanwhile, it’s like the best match on the show,” Jericho said.
He went on to compare Omega and PAC to Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit. He juxtaposed their attitudes, sharing that they are their harshest critics in the same way Guerrero and Benoit were.
“They remind me so much of Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit, in that these guys are putting on these amazing, amazing matches but they were always mad because something didn’t go right or they didn’t hit a punch or kick the way they wanted it to, originally. They were always really hard on themselves for this.”
PAC, who replaced an injured Jon Moxley, defeated Kenny Omega during All Out. The result visibly shocked several fans in attendance. Omega is now scheduled to face Jon Moxley at AEW’s upcoming show Full Gear.
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has praised King of the Ring competitor Chad Gable.
In a recent tweet, Angle wrote how, to him, Gable was never an underdog in the tournament as he always knew how great he is was in the ring.
“To me, @WWEGable was never an underdog. I knew early on how great he is, and was. He’s now getting the opportunity to prove how f’ing great he truly is. They say he’s the next Kurt Angle. He is not!!!! He’s Chad Gable, and he’s gonna win King of the Ring!!!! #itstrue #KOTR2019”
To me, @WWEGable was never an underdog. I knew early on how great he is, and was. He’s now getting the opportunity to prove how f’ing great he truly is. They say he’s the next Kurt Angle. He is not!!!! He’s Chad Gable, and he’s gonna win King of the Ring!!!! #itstrue#KOTR2019
Chad Gable has been booked as an underdog throughout his run in the King of the Ring tournament. His opponents have all made jabs at his height, with WWE even trademarking a potential new name for him.
Gable defeated Andrade on last night’s episode of SmackDown Live. This victory sees him advance to the semi-finals of the tournament where he will face Elias.
If successful, he will go on to face the winner of RAW’s semi-final matchup between Samoa Joe, Baron Corbin, and Ricochet. The RAW and SmackDown finalists will then compete to crown the new King of the Ring at WWE’s Clash of Champions event on September 15th.
Edge and Christian discussed the forthcoming Wednesday Night Wars between NXT and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on an episode of their podcast, E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness. The two expressed their excitement, stating that everyone will be performing to the best of their ability to help their promotion pull ahead in the ratings.
“I really do think it ups everyone’s game. I think right now if you’re a [professional] wrestling fan, if you’re a performer, what an exciting time to be involved in the industry. So, you have RAW and SmackDown sure, but man, Wednesday nights are going to be the night now. I just think it’s fun,” Edge said.
“I think back to the Nitro and RAW stuff and everything. I’m not saying AEW is WCW. I don’t even know if AEW looks at this thing like a competition. I just think they want people to have a different option or another option, but now it’s coming to this because hey it’s Vince [McMahon] and WWE and if you start a promotion we are going to try to run you out of town. But I think that does up everyone’s game.”
Christian agreed, adding that competition is healthy as it keeps everybody on their toes. Ultimately, he believes the winners are fans of pro wrestling.
“It keeps everybody sharp. And the people that are going to win – I’ve said it in the past – the people that are going to win in all of this are the fans because they are going to get some really, really great content, as far as [professional] wrestling goes, going forward.
Two Hour NXT
Edge discussed that NXT’s move to USA Network makes it WWE’s third brand, rather than ‘developmental.’ He expressed that there will no longer be conversations about moving to the main roster. Instead, if Superstars were to move between brands, it could be considered a “lateral shift.”
They spoke about NXT extending to two hours, with Edge voicing concern over fans being able to concentrate for that amount of time.
“[…] to me, one of the things I loved about NXT was that it was an hour because if you’ve got that ADD, you can probably focus through that hour and it’s just enough time to not overexpose anything. You expose enough, and that to me is kind of the biggest question mark. My hope is that if there’s talent that’s spinning their wheels and can do so much more like an Apollo Crews, like a Cesaro, so many people, let them go to NXT, man. Let them shine there. That, to me, is how you can fill up those two hours. That, to me, is how you can use those guys to teach the younger folks, ‘okay, this is live TV – this is how this works.’ And I think that that’s the key.”
WWE NXT debuts on USA Network on September 18th. AEW’s first show on TNT airs two weeks later on October 2nd.
The Miz has revealed who his ultimate dream opponent would be in an interview with The 11th Hour.
WWE’s resident A-Lister has faced several WWE Legends and Hall of Famers throughout his long career. There’s one name, however, that has consistently topped the list: The Ultimate Warrior.
“[…] my dream was always to wrestle Ultimate Warrior, and it just sucks that he passed away… But, man, when I was a kid growing up, I would put streamers on my arms, paint my face and run around like the Ultimate Warrior. So that would be my one dream,” Miz said.
Despite this, Miz admitted that he’s been incredibly lucky to wrestle notable names such as Shawn Michaels, The Rock, and Bret Hart.
“I’ve been able to wrestle a lot of my heroes. I’ve gotten to act and wrestle with Shawn Michaels. I’ve gotten to wrestle Marty Jannetty. I’ve gotten to wrestle The Rock. I’ve wrestled Bret “The Hitman” Hart. I mean, how many people can say that– in this generation– they have had a match and actually lost the United States Championship in Toronto, of all places, to Bret “The Hitman” Hart? So, I mean, it’s pretty incredible.”
The Miz is scheduled to face Shinsuke Nakamura for the Intercontinental Championship at WWE’s Clash of Champions on September 15th.
Current NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER had high praise for Brock Lesnar in an interview with SPORTbible, stating that he believes there is no smarter wrestler in the business right now.
He claimed that “right now there’s no smarter professional wrestler than Brock Lesnar at the moment. I’m aware of the — I don’t know — the negative reactions he gets by the fans, but if I ever end up in that position in my career, I would be very thankful [laughs]. For sure, 100 percent. I think Brock is amazing and I would love to do that.”
Turning his attention to other main roster Superstars, WALTER admitted that he admires a number of the promotions top Superstars on both RAW and SmackDown.
“There are a bunch of people I really look up to and I like what they do in the ring. Daniel Bryan is one of them, for sure,” he said. “And then I’m a big fan of The Revival, too. Drew McIntyre is someone I think we could have a good contest. And personally for my own amusement, I’ve always felt the idea of having a contest with Braun Strowman could be very interesting [laughs].”
WALTER successfully defended his WWE UK Championship against Tyler Bate during this past Saturday’s WWE NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff event.
Chad Gable advanced to the semi-finals of the King of the Ring tournament last night during SmackDown Live after defeating Andrade.
In an interview with PWInsider, Gable admitted that he was surprised when he was informed he would be participating in the King of the Ring tournament. He also spoke about pitching ideas to Vince McMahon after his tag team with Bobby Roode came to an end.
“It was a surprise to me too, my friend,” he confessed. “[…] sometimes we find out when the fans do, and I was totally fine with that. Because once I saw my name in there, I was very excited, as you can imagine. For a guy like me that is looking to break out and find an opportunity as a singles guy, I can’t really think of a better way, you know what I mean, than a tournament like this.”
“Begging, Pleading, Doing Whatever I Could To Get Something”
He then reflected on being separated from Bobby Roode, remembering pitching ideas to Vince McMahon as he tried to find himself as a singles competitor. Gable explained how, after being traded to SmackDown, he approached Vince McMahon with ideas for stories and character changes. He even made vignettes and promos that he would showcase on a laptop.
“Just basically, like, begging, pleading, doing whatever I could to get something, get anything,” Gable said. “And I wasn’t married to these ideas that I was giving him. I just wanted to throw as much at him and say, “Look, I’m open to anything. This is what I’ve got for you, but I’ll do anything you’ve got in mind because I’m ready to work. I’m ready to deliver for you, and so when I’m doing that, it shows them that I want to work, that I’m ready. And so when they come back to me with something, there’s no way I’m going to be a guy that is going to poo poo some ideas, you know, or anything that they give me. Because them offering me anything means that they want to invest in me, and to me that’s a compliment.”
He continued, “And so I’m going to take that, and I’m going to use it to its full advantage, whatever ideas they throw at me. And I take them all as a compliment and I’m ready. I’m ready for them to invest in me, and I can guarantee you they’re going to get back their investment. I will deliver.”
Despite his success in the King of the Ring tournament, Gable has been presented as an underdog. Many superstars have made a point out of his height, with WWE reportedly recently trademarking the name Shorty G.
Elias is one step closer to becoming the King of the Ring. He defeated Ali last night on SmackDown Live to advance into the semi-finals of the tournament.
In an interview with Chuck Carroll of CBS Sports, Elias spoke about the King of the Ring tournament, his time in NXT, and the importance of evolving his character.
Reflecting on this history of the King of the Ring tournament, Elias admitted that the first one he watched was the tournament won by King Mabel. He’s glad they brought it back, calling it a “very prestigious tournament within the WWE.”
When asked over his goals in WWE, Elias responded that his ultimate goal is the main event at WrestleMania.
“If that means winning the Universal Championship, if that means winning the WWE Championship, that’s a part of it,” he added. “But really staking my claim as the number-one guy in the WWE, in the business as a whole, that everybody can say, WWE is cool and Elias is the guy making it cool.”
NXT Preperation
Elias spoke about his time in NXT before becoming a part of WWE’s main roster. He highlighted that, even though NXT shows were pre-recorded, everything about the production and performances was live. He explained that this process helped prepare him for his RAW debut.
“I felt fully prepared to take on live television because that was essentially how we treated it in NXT anyways,” he said. “The fact is now more eyes are going to be on NXT. I just think more people are going to see how good the talent really is across the board.”
When asked if he would make a cameo on NXT after it moves to USA Network, Elias said, “If an opportunity shows up, I’m always ready to take it. If the story was right then yeah, absolutely, I can see that happening. I mean why not? It’s a ratings-driven business. There are certain stars on RAW and SmackDown that draw ratings. NXT is going to do great, but it wouldn’t hurt to add some help in the mix. I could see a crossover happening absolutely. All on the same network as well.”
Evolution Of Elias
Formerly known as ‘The Drifter’ in NXT, Elias has implemented tweaks and changes to his character since becoming a part of the main roster, admitting that “there comes a time in every wrestler’s career, if you really want to take those next steps, you’re going to have to evolve.”
He continued, “You can’t constantly be doing the same thing. While I really do enjoy performing in the ring and all that, there’s going to come a time where I can’t be doing that every single week. Now, as far as that being my farewell performance, I don’t know if I want to say that is my last one, because it was ruined. R-Truth went at me, he messed up all the audio, he messed with my guitar. He tried to win the 24/7 Championship. Is that my farewell? I have to say no. But would there come a time where I have to do that? Quite possibly.”
With his victory over Ali, Elias is set to face off against Chad Gable next week on the 9/10 episode of SmackDown Live. The winner will go on to face the winner of Samoa Joe, Ricochet, and Baron Corbin at Clash of Champions.
Current Ring of Honor (ROH) wrestler Marty Scurll will reportedly become a free agent in November according to Sports Illustrated.
Scurll has been a part of the ROH roster since signing with the promotion in 2016. He is the leader of Villain Enterprises. The group also consists of ‘The Mercenary’ Flip Gordon, PCO, and Brody King. Scurll, PCO, and Brody King are the promotion’s current Six-Man Champions.
‘The Villain’ frequently featured on The Young Bucks’ YouTube show, Being The Elite. During his time appearing on the show, he developed firm friendships Matt and Nick Jackson, Adam Page, Kenny Omega, and more—all of whom are now a part of All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
When his contract does expire, there will most likely be interest from both AEW and WWE in signing Scurll. Given the impending Wednesday Night War between AEW and WWE’s NXT brand, securing a talent like Scurll would be a great acquisition for whichever promotion he decides to call home.
It’s speculated that current ROH World Champion Matt Taven won the championship at G1 Supercard in April as his contract was set to expire after Scurll’s. It turns out that this is not the case, with PWInsider reporting that Taven’s contract supposedly expires in September.
Chris Jericho has launched an official investigation to find his missing All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Championship. The promotion’s inaugural champion informed fans of his plans via a video statement uploaded to social media. He explained he had hired the “top private investigators in the world” in order to locate the belt.
“Hi, I’m AEW Champion Chris Jericho, and unfortunately less than 24 hours after I became the first AEW Champion, with blood streaming down my face after one of the hardest matches I’ve ever had in my life, some low-life scumbag committed grand larceny and robbed me of the AEW Championship.”
“[…] as a result, I am launching a worldwide investigation using the top private investigators in the world today to find out who committed this crime. And trust me, as the AEW Champion, I promise to regain and restore and find and reclaim the AEW Championship, and once again give you another reason to finally give me the ‘thank you’ that I deserve. You’re welcome.”
In case you missed it, Jericho’s championship went missing as he ate at a LongHorn Steakhouse. A police report was lodged with the Tallahassee, Florida police department.
Now LongHorn Steakhouse has also commented on the situation, writing:
“We take the safety of our guests’ property seriously and are doing everything we can to help the local authorities in their efforts. That said, @IAmJericho is a champion with or without his belt.”
We take the safety of our guests' property seriously and are doing everything we can to help the local authorities in their efforts. That said, @IAmJericho is a champion with or without his belt.
Renee Young has opened up some more regarding criticism over her commentary work in WWE.
Speaking with AMBY, Young admitted that, before her joining the commentary team, she hadn’t been prepared for that spot. She highlighted she “did it for a few months in NXT years ago” adding, “But prior to me filling in and taking over that role, like I wasn’t groomed for that spot.” Young stressed that, when it came to live commentary, she was “learning this entirely new skill on Monday Night RAW.”
“So it’s like, ‘Yeah, no pressure babe, go out there and crush it.’ So it’s cool,” she said. “There’s good days, there’s bad days, and I’m always open to learning. I’m always open to criticisms.”
“You Can’t Take Everybody’s Opinions”
She spoke about the importance of being able to listen to negative feedback without being overwhelmed by the criticisms.
“I think sometimes you have to be careful on like, how often you take those criticisms. Because everybody — like, even if it’s good, even if I go backstage after RAW and you run into five, ten different people who want to have an opinion on it, you can’t take everybody’s opinions,” Young explained. “You’ve gotta weed through that, and it’s just navigating those waters. But yeah, it’s nice to just sort of be honest with myself and be honest with other people. Because yeah man, I’m in a spot and trying to make the most of it.”
The RAW commentator has previously responded to negative comments from fans via Twitter. She confessed she wasn’t sure whether she should respond to the message or not, citing her own insecurities with commentary. After responding, however, she was surprised at the reaction she got, saying that “just actually talking from my heart really got to people. So that was really cool.”
During a recent interview with SportingNews.com, Corbin reflected on his working relationship with RAW’s Executive Director Paul Heyman. He divulged that they have a “very good” relationship, based off Heyman’s fearlessness in giving Corbin feedback.
“[…] he’s not afraid to tell me if I’m doing something wrong,” Corbin explained. “He’s not going to sugarcoat things. He’s a man’s man in the sense of he’s not afraid if he hurts your feelings for me. He knows how to handle people. That’s what I relate to. That’s why I get along with Vince [McMahon] and Hunter and ‘Taker. Those guys will tell me that wasn’t good and I’m not going to get offended.”
He said that receiving feedback like that fuels him to make himself better. It makes him want to prove himself, showing them what he’s capable of.
He continued, “Paul, I think he’s a guy that’s perfect for me because he’s going to help push the envelope of RAW, but also push my envelope as well. He’s a guy who believes in me and what I do. He’s done so many amazing things from ECW to WWE, and it’s really awesome to have a guy in control that is going to push the envelope, and it makes guys like me who want to push it very excited for what’s to come.”
With his recent victory this week, Corbin will face both Samoa Joe and Ricochet on the 9/9 episode of RAW. The winner will go on to face the SmackDown finalist to crown the King of the Ring at WWE’s Clash of Champions event on September 15th.
On a recent episode of his podcast, Conversations with the Big Guy, Ryback speculated over what might happen if All Elite Wrestling (AEW) beat WWE’s NXT in the ratings.
He stated he doesn’t believe WWE will lose the Wednesday Night War as “NXT is a reflection of the WWE brand.”
“It is WWE, so I don’t know how long they keep the current format, but I think if they go in, I think they are going to be shocked if they go into the losing end in all of this,” said Ryback.
“Vince McMahon Is Very Highly Competitive”
If they were to begin losing ratings to AEW, Ryback believes that WWE would probably change the format. He suggested that the promotion would pair NXT with RAW or SmackDown. This would give them the chance to capitalize on bigger crowds versus filming at Full Sail University.
“If they do [lose ratings], I wouldn’t be shocked at all if they do switch the format where they record NXT on a RAW or SmackDown brand and they adjust things where they have the big crowd currently there. I think they will definitely look for something if they think they are losing because of the live audience. They are not going to want to keep losing in the ratings, I know that much. Vince McMahon is very highly competitive, so I think they are looking at it like this is a good way to slow down AEW with NXT.”
NXT moves to USA Network on September 18th. AEW’s debut show on TNT will air a few weeks later on October 2nd.
This past Saturday at All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) All Out pay-per-view, Cody Rhodes defeated his rival Shawn Spears in a grudge match. On a recent episode of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray praised their matchup, highlighting Cody’s commitment to telling a story in the ring, at one point comparing his in-ring storytelling skills to his father, Dusty Rhodes.
“The smartest thing that Cody Rhodes has done since All In was handpick his opponents,” said Bully Ray. “He handpicked the most emotional stories he could. He’s smart. The NWA World Heavyweight Championship, he handpicked Nick [Aldis] because he knows the relationship that the Rhodes family have with the NWA Championship. That’s why that worked. His rivalry with his brother, which was a very real-life story, that’s why that worked. Asking his brother to be his partner and teammate, that’s why that worked.”
Bully Ray continued, “Now, I’ve exhausted all of those things, what does he do? I’ll take my friend Shawn Spears, who I’ve spoke about, who I was friends with since the first day I stepped into developmental. I’m gonna have him show up and […] crank me in the head with an unprotected chair shot—one of the most taboo things you can do in wrestling right now. Oh, and by the way, I’m going to make it work.”
He argued that by handpicking his opponents, and having nods to the past with the inclusion of Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson, Cody is “mastering the art of smoke and mirrors.” He asked which match had the least amount of wrestling moves but, ultimately told the best story, before stating it was the Cody vs Spears matchup. This mindset and drive for storytelling in a match is why Bully Ray believes that “Cody is AEW’s Dusty.”
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) has officially revealed their full match cards for a number of their big events in the coming months. The promotion has provided details for all three main Destruction shows, as well as three major championship matches that will take place at October’s King of Pro Wrestling.
NJPW will host several ‘Road to Destruction’ shows along the way to their main tour events, Destruction in Beppu, Destruction in Kagoshima, and Destruction in Kobe.
Destruction in Beppu (15/9)
Yota Tsuji vs. Karl Fredericks (12th Young Lion Cup League Match)
Shota Umino vs. Alex Coughlin (12th Young Lion Cup League Match)
Yuya Uemura, Ren Narita, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Yuji Nagata vs. Michael Richards, Clark Connors, Toa Henare, and Manabu Nakanishi
SHO, YOH, and Jyushin Thunder Liger vs. DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Minoru Suzuki
Robbie Eagles, Will Ospreay, Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, and Kota Ibushi vs. El Phantasmo, Taiji Ishimori, Yujiro Takahashi, Bad Luck Fale, and KENTA
Rocky Romero, Hirooki Goto, and Kazuchika Okada vs. BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, and SANADA
EVIL and Tetsuya Naito vs. Chase Owens and Jay White
YOSHI-HASHI and Tomohiiro Ishii vs. Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga
RPW British Heavyweight Championship Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Destruction in Kagoshima (16/9)
Yuya Uemura vs. Clark Connors (12th Young Lion Cup League Match)
Ren Narita vs. Micahel Richards (12th Young Lion Cup League Match)
Yota Tsuji, Shota Umino, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Yuji Nagata vs. Alex Coughlin, Karl Fredericks, Toa Henare, and Manabu Nakanishi
SHO, YOH, YOSHI-HASHI, and Tomohiro Ishii vs. Chase Owens, Bad Luck Fale, Tanga Loa, and Tama Tonga
Jyushin Thunder Liger, Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Minoru Suzuki, and Zack Sabre Jr.
Rocky Romero, Hirooki Goto, and Kazuchika Okada vs. BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, and SANADA
EVIL and Tetsuya Naito vs. Yujiro Takahashi and Jay White
Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo (c) vs. Robbie Eagles and Will Ospreay for the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship
Kota Ibushi (c) vs. KENTA for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship Right to Challenge Contract
Destruction in Kobe (22/9)
Yuya Uemura, Yota Tsuji, and Yuji Nagata vs. Michael Richards, Alex Coughlin, and Manabu Nakanishi
Shota Umino vs. Karl Fredericks (12th Young Lion Cup League Match)
Ren Narita vs. Clark Connors (12th Young Lion Cup League Match)
Toa Henare, Tomoaki Honma, and Togi Makabe vs. Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, and Bad Luck Fale
Rocky Romero, Tiger Mask, Jyushin Thunder Liger, and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Minoru Suzuki, and Zack Sabre Jr.
Robbie Eagles, Will Ospreay, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, and Kota Ibushi vs. El Phantasmo, Taiji Ihimori, Tanga Loa, Tama Tonga, and KENTA
SHO, YOH, and Kazuchika Okada vs. BUSHI, EVIL, and SANADA
Hirooki Goto vs. Shingo Takag
IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match: Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Jay White
King of Pro Wrestling
Come October, NJPW will be providing fans with even more high-stake matches. King of Pro Wrestling will see Kazuchika Okada defend his IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Los Ingobernables de Japon’s SANADA.
The IWGP United States Championship will be on the line as Jon Moxley defends against former champion Juice Robinson. Finally, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship will also be contested for as champion Will Ospreay faces El Phantasmo.
All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) Sammy Guevara has been trying to make a name for himself within the promotion. In a recent interview with CatchClub, Guevara reflected on when he first found a passion for pro wrestling and the advice he received from WWE Hall of Famer Booker T ahead of his first-ever match.
He first started watching pro wrestling between 2005 and 2006 after a neighbour told him to turn on SmackDown. Guevara recalled initially pushing back on the idea, “I was like, ‘No man, it’s not really my thing, I’m not going to watch it.’ But he told me ‘Trust me, it’s really awesome, watch it!’ So I turned it on and saw MNM vs Rey Mysterio and Batista, in a steel cage match. Ever since then I was like, ‘This is amazing, I’m going to do this when I’m older!’”
He listed Jeff Hardy, Chris Benoit, and Rey Mysterio as some of his favorite wrestlers, adding that he’s been lucky enough to wrestle against Mysterio.
“[…] to be able to wrestle him 10 years after I started watching wrestling was amazing. It just goes to show you that life can take you to very strange and very cool places. You just got to keep going and keep working hard, and you never know what’s going to happen.”
Booker T’s Advice
When he had his very first match, he was fortunate enough to be given some solid advice from Booker T:
“Before I had my first match ever, Booker T told me, ‘Look, the worst thing that is going to happen out there is you’re going to mess up. And if that’s the worst thing that is going to happen to you, life is going to be OK. The world keeps going, you know.’ And so I always remember that from time to time when I get nervous.”
At the time of writing, Sammy Guevara has picked up a tag team victory in AEW alongside MJF and Shawn Spears. He lost to Kip Sabian during AEW’s Buy In show ahead of their Double or Nothing pay-per-view.
With WWE’s roster being stacked with talent, several top-level Superstars aren’t getting the in-ring opportunities they might hope for.
On a recent episode of Edge & Christian’s Pod of Awesomeness, WWE Hall of Famer Edge discussed the idea of talent being underutilized. He suggested that more Superstars should follow Tyler Breeze and Fandango back to NXT. There was one Superstar, in particular, that Edge would love to see again on the black-and-gold brand.
“[Cesaro] going to NXT would be great. I think he’d really be allowed to flourish there. NXT is great for that. It’s kinda like ECW was. If there’s something they feel he’s lacking, whether it’s a promo or whatever, it can be hidden and worked on there and focus on his strengths. I see Fandango and [Tyler] Breeze down there, and I’m so happy for them. They get a chance to get in there and go. There’s quite a few on the roster where it would be great for them to go over [to NXT].”
More talent have been jumping between brands in recent months. NXT UK’s Pete Dunne recently returned to NXT, competing for the North American Championship. In turn, NXT’s Kassius Ohno has appeared multiple times for NXT UK.
Cesaro recently competed in a matchup against NXT UK Superstar Ilja Dragunov. Dragunov answered the former WWE United States Champion’s challenge, losing to Cesaro after a hard-fought match.
Triple H has previously expressed his interest in levelling WWE’s brand hierarchy. This decision would allow Superstars to move freely between RAW, SmackDown, and even NXT. In an interview with Sportskeeda, he explained how he views NXT as WWE’s third brand, and that it outgrew its ‘development brand’ label a long time ago.
Three Brands
He confessed that the ‘development brand’ term has bothered him in some ways since the brand launched. Admitting that “the term developmental in some ways works,” he listed several current Superstars who first made their name in NXT including Braun Strowman, Alexa Bliss, and Charlotte Flair as homegrown talent. He highlighted that Strowman, in particular, had “never stepped through the ropes before he walked into the performance center.”
“At the same time, the developmental term makes it sound almost less than, and the, I don’t even like the word ‘call up.’ It just sounds, it’s wrong. There’s three brands to me within the WWE,” Triple H stated.
“There’s RAW, there’s SmackDown, and there’s NXT. There’s variations within NXT. There’s NXT, I feel like in a lot of ways the cruiserweights that are on 205 Live are a part of NXT. I feel like NXT UK is just an extension of the NXT brand. There’s here in their country doing their thing but I want to build this out and make it bigger but it’s brands. This doesn’t seem developmental, you know what I mean? Barclay’s Center, sold out. Chicago, sold out. LA. Every place we’ve gone, we’ve done it here in London. It’s just a different brand. There are three global touring brands. Legitimately. And that’s really what it is.”
He explained that, although the platforms are different, the steps of growth give Superstars the same opportunities.
