Matt Riddle continues to lobby for a matchup against former WWE Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar.
It’s no secret that Riddle wants the opportunity not only to wrestle but retire, “The Beast Incarnate.” In an interview with RondaRousey.com, he spoke more about his ambitions to be the man to defeat Lesnar once and for all. When asked if he had a timetable for retiring Brock, Riddle replied,
“You know, I feel you just have to look into his contract,” he said. “Whenever he does it. I think of it as more of a passing of the torch. And the thing is, it’s like one of those things, I feel like it would be a good way to go out. And I feel like, if it’s going to be anybody…if he’s going to have his last match with anybody…if Ric Flair had his with Shawn Michaels in WWE, I don’t know why he couldn’t have his with me. I think it would be good.”
“The Original Bro” recently broadcast some harsh criticism aimed directly at Goldberg. This came following the Hall Of Famer’s matchup against The Undertaker at Super ShowDown. Riddle was critical of Goldberg, calling him “terrible” before explaining that all he does is hurt people in the ring.
Visit RondaRousey.com to check out the full interview.
Chris Jericho recently uploaded an episode of his popular podcast, Talk Is Jericho, where he dissected tonight’s Stomping Grounds card.
Near the end of the show, Jericho began to analyze the Universal Championship match between Seth Rollins and Baron Corbin. He discussed why this match has failed to connect with the fans, who seem apathetic to the event as a whole.
“This match, to me, once again is one of the problems with WWE, and maybe one of the reasons why tickets haven’t sold well in Tacoma. […] Maybe this is one of the reasons: we just saw this match two weeks ago [at WWE Super ShowDown]. The classic thing is ‘my neighbor’s a good guy, too,’ doesn’t mean he [Corbin] should be headlining pay-per-views over and over again.”
“There’s heat, there’s ‘go-away’ heat, there’s ‘this guy isn’t ready’ heat. Corbin—solid worker, solid personality, great guy. I don’t think he’s ready for the main event, especially when you got Samoa Joe four or five matches down working for the United States Championship. Flip-flop it,” Jericho suggested.
He added WWE should “Let Corbin work his way up through the ranks and let a guy who is a legit, proven headliner who has drawn money [be in the main event].”
Jericho explained that whereas Samoa Joe can “walk the walk and talk the talk,” Baron Corbin is still clearly learning his craft.
The two will clash for the Universal Championship tonight at WWE Stomping Grounds. A major aspect of their rivalry has revolved around who will be the special guest referee for their matchup—a mystery that will be answered tonight.
During the most recent episode of ‘The Road To Fyter,’ All Elite Wrestling (AEW) announced they would be unveiling their Women’s Championship at their next pay-per-view, All Out.
Speaking with Busted Open Radio, AEW Chief Branding Officer, Brandi Rhodes teased more on the championship and its design.
“[…] I have had a hand in the design of the championship that has never been done before, that’s all I can say about it. What’s surprising to me is, I said, ‘What if we did this?’ The designer said that has never been done before, which is a really good thing. I’m looking forward to showing that off to everyone, and hope everyone is as excited about it as we are.”
Double Or Nothing
Looking back at her involvement in AEW’s recent show, Double Or Nothing, Brandi talks about teasing her participation in the women’s match featuring Kylie Rae, Britt Baker, and Nyla Rose. Instead of inserting herself, Awesome Kong would instead make her debut for the company.
“I knew from the beginning that is what I wanted to do,” Rhodes explained. “There had been early discussions about me being a part of that match. I thought no, that would make it a fatal four-way and we did that at All In, and that creates a pattern. People would think that is all we do for women, that’s a problem for me. I’m going to sit it out, then a lot of people say I sat out of the match at All In.”
The match would still be a Fatal Four Way, just with Awesome Kong’s involvement instead of Brandi’s.
All Out takes place on August 31st from Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
Before that, however, is Fyter Fest, which will occur on June 29th from the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Kofi Kingston clearly wants to be a fighting champion. The WWE Champion spoke with WrestlingAc.com whilst in Saudi Arabia for WWE’s Super ShowDown event, confirming that he wants to take on all comers, including Brock Lesnar.
“I want to to go up against the best. Everybody. I want to go up against everybody, that’s why you saw me on RAW telling Brock Lesnar to cash in his briefcase on me,” Kingston said. “And a lot of people are like, ‘Don’t do that because Brock, whoever he cashes the briefcase on…he’s automatically going to win!’ I want to be the best WWE Champion that I can possibly be, and the only way I can do that is by beating the best, so I will not shy away from Brock Lesnar.”
Kingston explained that becoming the WWE Champion is an undeniable accomplishment, but likens it to climbing a mountain only to discover there’s another, higher mountain behind it.
When asked about who he would like to face from NXT, Kingston responded enthusiastically, saying “There’s too much talent down there. Adam Cole is awesome, Johnny Gargano is awesome, Rodrick Strong is awesome, and I can’t mention names because I’ll leave names out,” Kingston exclaimed.
“Tyler Breeze, too, is amazing,” he added. “You know there’s way too much talent for me to pick one. […] I’m hoping all of those guys make it up to the roster at some point in time.”
Kofi Kingston will defend his WWE Championship tonight in a Steel Cage match against long-time rival, Dolph Ziggler.
It’s hard to believe now, but there was a time when Becky Lynch allegedly had to beg to be put into matchup.
Speaking with Brian Koppleman on his podcast, The Moment, Lynch reflected on her time training at WWE’s Performance Center. She was a part of the first training class and, at the time, remembers having no confidence to help her stand out.
“I had to beg to be put in a match,” Lynch admitted. “When I went down there, I had no confidence. I humbled myself almost to a fault. Sara Del Ray was the trainer, and I had wrestled her in Japan, and I didn’t want her thinking I was full of myself or better than anybody. I mind f****d myself. I couldn’t even lock up.””
“NXT wasn’t what it is now,” Lynch continued. “You were constantly scared of losing your job. Everyone was a minute away from being fired. One wrong move, one wrong promo, one wrong thing said, everyone was walking on eggshells. Which isn’t a bad thing, but I was losing sleep because I wanted it so bad. There were girls that had never wrestled before getting on the shows before me. I remember going into Bill DeMott and begging him, please let me just prove I can connect to the audience.”
Becky Lynch would manage to persevere despite her self-doubts, eventually making history by main eventing WrestleMania alongside Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey. Lynch would win both the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championships, earning herself the short-lived moniker Becky 2 Belts.
While out in Saudi Arabia, performing on WWE’s Super ShowDown event, Seth Rollins spoke with WrestlingAc.com. One topic of discussion pertained the quality of NXT shows versus the main roster’s current product. In particular, the always anticipated NXT TakeOver events.
When asked whether the main roster are afraid over NXT’s popularity when compared to RAW and SmackDown, Rollins denied there was any fear that NXT is better than the main roster.
“There’s not really any fear. Obviously, they offer a different brand from what we do every Monday and Tuesday,” Rollins said. “They don’t nearly do it as often as we do, as well, and I would contend that my best matches are as good as any matches on those NXT shows. I don’t think there’s anybody down there that scares me.”
He continued, “At the end of the day…don’t care who you are, don’t care where you’re at or what company you work for, I’m the Universal Champion. I’m the best wrestler on the planet and they have to step up to me, not the other way around.”
When asked to name some NXT talent he would love to face off, Rollins reeled off a list of some of the brand’s top talent including Adam Cole, Johnn Gargano, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly, Matt Riddle, and Velveteen Dream.
Seth Rollins will defend his Universal Championship tonight in a match against Baron Corbin on WWE’s Stomping Grounds PPV. One of the major stipulations going into this match relates to who will be the guest referee calling the action.
Adam Cole may be the current NXT Champion, but his girlfriend, Dr. Britt Baker, is an active member of WWE’s competition, All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Speaking with talkSPORT, Cole talked about Baker’s performance during AEW’s recent Double Or Nothing event. She competed in a Fatal 4 Way matchup against Kylie Ray, Nyla Rose, and surprise entrant, Awesome Kong.
Unsurprisingly, he’s incredibly proud of what she has achieved.
“So proud of her. Britt, and she’s going to kill me, but I think she’s been wrestling close to four years now, and she works so incredibly hard. At anything she does – I mean she’s a doctor!” he exclaimed. “So she’s a dentist, then she wrestles on the weekends, so for her to get this cool opportunity and wrestle on a cool stage like that was really a lot of fun for me – I’m so proud of her.”
Baker is a legitimate doctor and is employed by private dental practice in Winter Park, Florida. She was one of the first wrestlers to be revealed as a part of AEW and is seemingly primed for a top spot within the company.
The promotion plans to unveil their AEW Women’s Title at their All Out pay-per-view, which takes place on August 31st.
Original Los Ingobernables member, Rush, has been tearing through the ranks in Ring Of Honor (ROH) since his debut for the company. Most recently, he defeated former ROH World Champion Dalton Castle in 16 seconds at G1 Supercard.
His burgeoning popularity has sparked some discussion over where Rush could go once his initial ROH contract expires.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE officials have been interested in signing Rush for a while.
The only thing that could complicate their plans is Rush’s contract with Mexico’s CMLL. This contract doesn’t expire until early 2021.
WWE Warning
Earlier this year, it was reported that current SmackDown Superstar, Andrade, had essentially warned fellow luchadors, Rush and Dragon Lee. He allegedly warned them against signing with WWE. Rush would eventually sign with ROH.
Andrade’s warning would have come at a time of unhappiness with his position within the company. At the time, the company weren’t utilizing him much since moving him to the main roster.
Things have changed dramatically since this time for Andrade. He has since faced noteworthy opponents, often stealing the show as he did with Rey Mysterio, and is now dating Charlotte Flair.
Despite his unfortunate real-life losses, Andrade is in a much better place professionally than when he first issued his warnings.
WWE Superstars and former Sanity members, Killian Dain and Nikki Cross, were officially married this past week. Their ceremony took place in Cross’ hometown of Glasgow, Scotland.
The happy couple have been together for a number of years, and got engaged in 2018. They announced their relationship in January when Cross uploaded a social media post containing a picture of their wedding bands. This was accompanied by a picture of her and Dain from 2008.
Nikki Cross is currently a member of the RAW brand. She will be accompanying Alexa Bliss for her championship matchup this Sunday at WWE’s Stomping Grounds PPV.
Like Tyler Breeze, Killian Dain has recently returned to NXT. This comes after a brief stint as a SmackDown Live Superstar.
Superstar Attendance
Several NXT UK Superstars and WWE officials were in attendance for the ceremony. Joe Coffey, and NXT Performance Center coaches Robbie Brookside and Johnny Moss were all there.
Moss uploaded a photo of himself with the newlyweds, accompanied with the caption:
“Very rare 2 genuine people achieve their dreams together! So pleased to have been a witness to their success! @killiandain @nikkicrosswwe #happilyeverafter”
This week also saw 205 Live General Manager, Drake Maverick and former Mae Young Competitor, Renee Michelle, get married. Their ceremony would be crashed by R-Truth, who would successfully reclaim the 24/7 Championship from Maverick.
Alexa Bliss recently suffered a number of concerning concussions. These would force her out of active competition until WWE medically cleared her return.
In an interview with NYPost.com, Bliss opened up over her concern that her wrestling career may have been over after suffering a second concussion.
“I think after the second concussion I was very worried about not being able to get back in the ring, especially because I didn’t know what was going on with my brain,” Bliss said. “There’s so many different types of concussions and I didn’t know that at the time. Each one had to be treated differently and the fact that I didn’t know what was going on with my brain and didn’t know until I saw the concussion specialist, it made me very scared.”
She explained that, “The stuff that he [Dr. Collins] taught me about concussions and injury has been so mind opening and mind blowing, actually. It made me feel like for the first time that I actually was in control of my own injury and actually well aware of what was going on in my brain and it made me feel so much better about returning to the ring because concussions are a scary thing.”
Thankfully, Bliss has since made her in-ring return. She is scheduled to compete this Sunday at WWE’s Stomping Grounds PPV. She will face Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Mojo Rawley has reportedly signed a new contract with WWE.
According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, Rawley has signed a new deal with the promotion. There are no further details as of the time of writing. It has been noted the contract is a “multi-year deal” at the very least.
Rawley joins other mid-card Superstars Mike and Maria Kanellis, who also signed new long-term deals with WWE. The Kanellis’ new contract will see them stay with the company for another 5 years.
WWE are aggressively attempting to keep as many Superstars as possible away from potential competition from All Elite Wrestling. Long-term, big money deals appear to be the contributing factor as Superstar contracts come up for expiration.
Mojo signed with the company back in 2012. Originally a part of NXT, he would receive his main roster call up in 2016.
Despite not being utilized to any real degree since then, the Superstar has achieved some notable wins, winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in 2017 during WrestleMania 33.
Although he has had opportunities at titles during his time in WWE, he has yet to secure that elusive championship gold.
Since leaving his ‘Hype’ persona behind, he now sports fractured facepaint and has adopted more heel manerisms.
The person behind the idea for this may title change surprise you as it wasn’t Vince McMahon.
According to PWInsider, it turns out that Drake Maverick pitched the idea himself to WWE Creative.
WWE officials loved the idea and obviously gave the segment the go-ahead. And so Maverick’s special day became a nightmare for the 205 Live General Manager and now former 24/7 Champion. This isn’t the first time that Maverick has gone above and beyond for the company.
The segment itself was filmed after the wedding ceremony had taken place. NXT creative team member, Joseph Belcastro, was the individual playing the pastor for the title change. Additional material has allegedly filmed. There is no word yet on whether WWE intends to release more over the next few days or weeks.
Maverick has a number of friends within the pro wrestling industry. Many were in attendance for his wedding to Renee Michelle, herself an indie wrestler and former Mae Young Classic participant. She was eliminated from the tournament in the first round by Candice LeRae.
Guests included EC3 and Braun Strowman, Matt Hardy and his family, Jeremy Borash, former Impact wrestler, Cheerleader Melissa, Tyson Kidd and Natalya, Diamante, and Kiera Hogan.
Adam Cole recently defeated Johnny Gargano at NXT TakeOver XXV to become the new NXT Champion. For him, becoming champion was the only goal he had coming into WWE’s black-and-yellow brand.
In an interview withGuide Live, Cole described what it felt like to become NXT Champion. He also listed a few names he would love to have the opportunity to wrestle.
“Your Goal Is To Become The NXT Champion”
“For anyone who knows me, when I first came into NXT — really for anybody who comes into NXT, your goal is to become the NXT champion. For me, it took me about two years to achieve that goal, and getting to do it as a part of a brand that has just never been better, filled with countless top-to-bottom just world class pro wrestlers, it means even more that I’m the guy at the front of the line or the guy driving the car. I’ve been very busy, as a champion should be, traveling all over the globe defending this championship. But I wouldn’t have it any other way, man. It’s been great.”
When asked about opponents, in particular, main roster Superstars, the Undisputed Era leader feels as though he’d have excellent matches with the majority of talent from either RAW or SmackDown.
Two Superstars, however, came to the top of his list: Seth Rollins and AJ Styles.
“There’s so many guys on Raw and SmackDown that I feel like I would have great chemistry with … There’s guys that I’ve never wrestled before who I’d love to the chance to get in the ring with like a Seth Rollins. Again, same thing as A.J., I feel like we could be put in any environment, and I feel like it would be a really exciting match.”
Adam Cole proclaimed that Undisputed Era will soon be draped in gold. With him now holding the NXT Championship, and his stablemates in active contendership for the Tag Team Championship and NXT North American Championship, it may not long before his words become a reality.
Things are heating up as New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) heads towards their annual summer G1 Climax tournament.
In recent weeks, Suzuki-Gun member, Zack Sabre Jr., has developed a rivalry with CHAOS’ YOSHI-HASHI. They have been having a series of escalating encounters during NJPW’s current Kizuna Road tour.
This feud will come to a head at the end of the tour, as Zack Sabre Jr. puts his G1 Climax spot on the line against YOSHI-HASHI.
After declining the initial challenge set to him by YOSHI-HASHI, Sabre Jr. would eventually agree to put his RPW British Heavyweight Championship on the line, adding further stakes to their clash.
Their matchup takes place on the last night of Kizuna Road on Tuesday, June 25th in Sendai Sunplaza Hall.
If he is successful, Zack Sabre Jr. will stay scheduled to take part in the G1 Climax’s A Block. He will be facing stiff competition on the first night against Los Ingobernables de Japon member, SANADA.
YOSHI-HASHI is also booked to appear during the G1 Climax and is actually scheduled for the same days ZSJ is. So, if he emerges victorious, he will be able to compete in the A Block without any issue.
The tournament begins in Dallas, Texas on July 6th. This will be the first time that G1 Climax has been held, let alone started, outside of NJPW’s native Japan.
WWE recently sent out an interesting survey to members of the WWE Universe. The survey itself was gauging fan interest as to where the promotion should host a future WrestleMania event.
More typical locations appeared on the list including New Orleans, Los Angeles, Tampa, etc. One, however, caught the attention of many fans: London, United Kingdom.
Those who were sent the survey had the opportunity to vote on whether they were “Very Interested,” “Somewhat Interested,” or “Not Interested” in the city listed. The survey was accompanied by the following statement:
“As we consider the selection of future Host Cities, please indicate your interest in attending future Wrestlemania events in the following cities.”
Host Cities
The following cities were listed as options for a WrestleMania Host City:
Washington, DC
Boston, MA
Toronto, ON
Mexico City, MX
Phoenix-Glendale, AZ
Houston, TX
Los Angeles, CA
New Orleans, LA
Tampa, FL
Seattle, WA
San Diego, CA
San Francisco-Santa Clara-San Jose, CA
London, UK
Indianapolis, IN
Las Vegas, NV
Miami, FL
Chicago, IL
Philadelphia, PA
Atlanta, GA
Orlando, FL
Dallas-Fort Worth -Arlington, TX
Jacksonville, FL
San Antonio, TX
WWE will be hosting WrestleMania 36 from Tampa, Florida. The current front runner for WrestleMania 37 is reportedly Los Angeles. They would be utilizing the new football stadium in Inglewood, which will open in 2020.
WWE sent out a survey to past attendees of Wrestlemania. "We we consider the selection of future Host Cities, please indicate your interest in attending future Wrestlemania events in the following cities"
Despite having only recently joined Impact Wrestling’s roster, Michael Elgin was already familiar with the promotion’s product.
In a recent interview with the WINCLY podcast, Elgin divulged that he had scouted the company prior to signing a contract, and thinks highly of Impact’s entire roster.
Having entered himself into Impact World Championship contendership after a post-match attack on Brian Cage at Rebellion, Elgin isn’t looking past other opportunities.
“[…] I think the X-Division was such a standard bearer for the company. The first goal is world championship and whoever is gonna be X-Division champion after Slammiversay, maybe I’ll go after it and be double-champion.”
A well-travelled competitor, Elgin has experience wrestling all over the world. When asked whom he would like to see signed to the Impact roster, he had two names ready.
“Talent-wise, I think AR Fox and Jason Kincaid need to be a part of Impact Wrestling. I’m a huge AR Fox fan, and I think [Kincaid] is special. He’s so talented and one of my favorite people to wrestle. He would be a great guy to have in the X-Division,” he observed.
Michael Elgin is scheduled to face off against Brian Cage for the Impact Wrestling Championship on Sunday, July 7th. The two will clash at Impact’s Slammiversary XVII event, which takes place from Dallas, Texas.
Former IWGP United States Champion, Juice Robinson, wants revenge.
Specifically, he wants revenge against Jon Moxley, who recently bested Robinson for the IWGP US Championship.
Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Robinson explained his vendetta against one of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s latest high profile signings.
“”Revenge, that’s the word,” said Robinson. “I want revenge on Jon Moxley, and I’ll get it. He has so much charisma and an incredible persona in the ring, and that makes me level up. I want to wrestle Mox every f******g day.”
“I Have To Hold My Ground”
The two will clash during this summer’s G1 Climax tournament. Both men are entrants in the B Block, meaning a second encounter is inevitable.
Aware of this fact, Robinson commented that “My goal is to have that Moxley match at Ryogoku any time my number is called. I need to be able to rise to the occasion and immediately kick ass.”
He admits that, right now, he’s still not at the level of a Cody, a Chris Jericho, or a Jon Moxley, adding that he is doing everything he can to earn his spot and fit in.
“[…] I have to try to hold my ground. Big stars come in—Cody comes in, Jericho comes in, Moxley comes in. Now I’m not on their level, but I’m working to get there. I am trying to compete with some big stars, and I am doing everything I can to compete with them. Ospreay, Ibushi, Kenta, there are so many talented people here. I’m just a regular guy trying to fit in.”
Despite this attitude, he warns Moxley to “watch his back,” adding that he can’t wait to see him in the G1.
WWE officials are allegedly interested in signing another top independent talent—one who also happens to be a part of a wrestling dynasty.
Jacob Fatu is a member of the legendary Anoa’i Family, and is currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW).
It was reported by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE believe that Fatu is primed to become a major star. All Elite Wrestling are also reportedly aware and interested.
He is currently set to challenge MLW champion, Tom Lawlor, for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship on July 6th. Their match takes place at MLW’s King Of Colosseum show in Cicero, Illinois.
Samoan Heritage
Fatu was trained by his uncle, former WWE Superstar, Rikishi. He signed with MLW earlier this year, debuting for the promotion during their February 2019 event, SuperFight. He debuted alongside his frequent tag team partner, Josef Samael. Along with Simon Gotch, they would form the Contra Unit stable.
MLW also boasts other members of the Anoa’i Family including Samu and Lance Anoa’i.
Jacob Fatu comes from a long line of pro wrestling talent. His father is Sam Fatu. His uncle was WWE Superstar Umaga. Current WWE Superstars, Jimmy and Jey Uso, are his cousins, so there’s no doubting Jacob’s lineage or wrestling knowledge.
WWE Stomping Grounds take place this Sunday. The show features a Steel Cage match between WWE Champion, Kofi Kingston, and rival, Dolph Ziggler.
In an interview withGamespot, Kofi spoke highly of his opponent. He called Dolph one of his favorite opponents before estimating that they have had around 500 matches together during their time in WWE.
Despite their familiarity with one another, Kingston claims that things have escalated now the WWE Championship is involved.
“Dolph is one of my favorite opponents, and I almost forgot how much I enjoyed competing against him,” Kingston said. “Over the past few weeks, I’ve been able to do so on some of the live events, and back in 2000, I think it was 2009 all the way through 2010, we wrestled each other every single week on Raw and Smackdown, and all the live events; probably a good 500 times. Now we get to go out and do it again after our careers have both gone in different directions, and now we come back and do it again for the WWE Championship, like that’s really what it’s all about.”
“We Were Guys Who Were Underrated”
The two have battled one another through the years and the ranks in WWE, often vying for different championship accolades. Kofi likens their feud with a legendary rivalry: Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels.
“Back in the day, you had Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart going at it for the Intercontinental Championship, and then years, later they were doing the same thing for the WWE title as well,” Kingston continued.
“Not to put ourselves on the same level as those legends, but that’s really the way I like to think about it is, we were guys who were underrated, undersized, underappreciated, underused, undervalued, and somehow, someway we’ve been able to stay at it and for the past decade, and still be at the top of the game.”
Kingston explains that their story goes deeper than just the physicality of the cage match, saying “[…] It’s the whole journey that we’ve been through over the past decade of trying to get to this point, and now we can finally do it in the steel cage at Stomping Grounds, it’s going to be awesome. It’s going to be a war between us, but from a performer’s perspective I can’t wait, I can’t wait. I feel like we bring out the best in each other, and the real winners are going to be the fans that get to witness us go at it toe-to-toe, so I’m pretty excited about it.”
Stomping Grounds takes place this Sunday from the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington.
Steve Austin has opened up about his controversial 2016 ‘Stone Cold Podcast’ interview with the Dean Ambrose, now known as Jon Moxley.
The interview, which aired on the WWE Network, became an awkward, intense exchange between the two after Austin suggested that Moxley wasn’t pushing himself hard enough. He suggested that Moxley needed to find his edge—an issue addressed in his recent interview with Talk Is Jericho.
The discussion arose whilst Austin was interviewing All Elite Wrestling (AEW) President, Tony Khan, for his podcast, The Steve Austin Show.
“We Never Were On Track”
“For whatever reason, we got off on the wrong track,” Austin admitted. “It was a rough podcast. I have been carrying around 1,000 pounds on my back ever since that happened. I felt so bad about that interview, and I was leading the interview. I take the fault of it because I’m there to get people over and make them come off like a million bucks. We just came off on the wrong street and just kept taking left turns and never got back on track, well we never were on track. He had his reasons, and I had mine.”
Following the interview, Austin reached out to Moxley and ended up having a half hour conversation to clear the air.
“There was never any animosity towards us, I didn’t know how he felt about me, and I thought he might hate my guts,” he said. “We got back on the same page, he never hated my guts. I think he’s going to come down to Los Angeles whenever he wants to and we’re going to do the podcast together.”
Jon Moxley has admitted that he wouldn’t have hesitated to have hung up on any other interviewer. But because it was Austin, it gutted it out.
If, and when, the two sit down once more in the future, the end result will probably be dramatically different.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) intend to live up to their core value that AEW is for everyone.
The promotion signed Nyla Rose to a full-time contract earlier this year. This signing saw her make history, becoming the first out transgender competitor to be signed by a major U.S. wrestling company.
Speaking with SI.com, Rose discussed her journey to AEW, and what it means to her to represent the trans community on such a large platform, claiming to be willing to shoulder the backlash that may come.
“As much negativity that I do see, I do see much more love and acceptance,” Rose said. “It’s just that sadly negative things seem to get highlighted more than positive things.”
She continued, “”If I can bear the weight, if I can hold up all the hatred and everything and carry that on my back, I know that I’m strong enough to do it,” she said. “If the people out there need to beat me up and I need to absorb that so that the next generation, the youth, can have an easier time, I gladly welcome that.”
“AEW Has Felt That I Am Worthy Of A Chance”
Looking to the future, Rose hopes to be able to set the tone, inspiring future wrestlers to pursue their dreams no matter their gender or sexuality.
“I’m really hoping to set the tone and set the pace and create that environment that’s going to fuel the next generation,” she said. “Not just trans people, but inspire anybody to say, ‘Hey, these women lit that on fire. I want to be that. I want to do that.’”
“AEW has felt that I am worthy of a chance. All I can ask is that some of the people out there, the fans who might be a little bit tight-minded, just give me a chance to show you what I can do in the ring. That’s all.”
Despite signing and booking a transgender wrestler, All Elite Wrestling never made a point of it. None of their advertising or marketing revolved around Rose being transgender, focusing instead on the matchup at Double Or Nothing itself.
Jon Moxley spoke openly with Chris Jericho during his interview on Talk Is Jericho. One of the things addressed was his hatred of WWE’s scripted promos.
One script, however, was just too much for him, and so he pushed back. This promo, intended for an LA audience, contained the now infamous phrase “pooper scooper.” The note he got back from creative when he questioned them informed him that he needs to “read his promos verbatim and not try to rewrite them.”
It was noted by Dave Meltzer, of Wrestling Observer Radio, that this week’s Monday Night RAW featured the promo that Moxley had issues with.
With WWE returning to LA, Meltzer postulated that either WWE’s creative team or Vince McMahon himself liked the promo and simply wanted to use it.
The Superstar chosen? Elias.
Elias opened the show, insulting the Los Angeles audience with terms and insults seemingly lifted straight from the Moxley script.
A few things were tweaked or changed in order to modernize it—such as a reference to LA Laker, Anthony Davis—but the crux of the piece remained the same, with Elias calling the people “pieces of garbage” and “more toxic than the air.”
Elias was attacked by Seth Rollins before he had the chance to mention a pooper scooper.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman, better known as MJF, has shared his thoughts on Cody’s symbolic decision to smash a throne at All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) recent event, Double Or Nothing.
In an interview with the WINCLY podcast, MJF addressed his friendship with Cody being a contributing factor in his being hired by AEW, in addition to his thoughts on Cody’s sledgehammer antics. He also spoke highly about Cody’s matchup with Dustin Rhodes and their storytelling ability.
“I think the statement Cody was making was for himself, and if you listen to the post-fight interview, he wasn’t digging anyone. He wasn’t trying to stir the pot. That was for himself and was a cathartic thing for him. …Cody Rhodes bared his soul at that PPV, and that’s why everyone in that audience was standing at the end and bawling their eyes out.”
He continued, “There is nothing in pro wrestling more important than drawing in an audience emotionally. Sure, you might get an ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ every couple of minutes. But if you can have somebody hook, line and sinker from the first bell to the second bell, that is the art of what we do. That is pro wrestling.”
Friendship aside, MJF made his intentions clear, stating emphatically that he intends to, and will become, the face of AEW.
It appears as though WWE NXT Superstar Bobby Fish has been pulled from a number of upcoming EVOLVE shows.
WWN Live shared that Fish would no longer be actively involved with either EVOLVE 129 or EVOLVE 130. The shows take place on June 29th from Queens, and June 30th from Brooklyn, respectively.
The NXT Superstar will, however, still be in attendance for his scheduled meet and greets.
Undisputed Era
Fish’s Undisputed Era stablemate and tag team partner, Kyle O’Reilly, will compete against Josh Briggs at EVOLVE 130.
Other NXT Superstars are also scheduled to appear, with Babatunde Aiyegbusi also seeing in-ring action for the company.
There is no word at the time of writing as to why Fish has been pulled from the events, given he participated in last week’s NXT TV tapings.
Both Fish and O’Reilly are slated to take part in a tag team match for TakeOver: Toronto II. This TakeOver show will coincide with WWE’s SummerSlam weekend on August 10th.
Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly will also be joined by fellow Undisputed Era member, Roderick Strong.
Strong will be featured prominently, wrestling in a tag team match with O’Reilly during EVOLVE 129, and a non-title match against Austin Theory at EVOLVE 130.
Kenny Omega isn’t just one of All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) top wrestlers. He also happens to be one of the promotion’s Executive Vice Presidents.
In an interview with Gamespot.com, “The Best Bout Machine” discussed the new duties he has shouldered in his EVP role, admitting that a lot of the day-to-day is new to him. These responsibilities extend from dealing with creative ideas and behind-the-scenes decisions to sorting out visas for foreign talent.
“It’s the stuff that you don’t really see. I mean the tech stuff. Some of the set design. Those are things that are new to me, and even agenting matches or working on foreign visas, things like that, these are all things that are very new in my world, and these are the things that keep me awake at night.”
“So, I mean, when we’re thinking about how to plan the show, what order things should go in, how to produce a show, timing-wise and all that, working on sponsorships, selecting the arenas, working on the advertising aspect of it,” he said.
“And then, you know for me, kind of being the sole Japanese liaison right now, not only am I having to do that during the day, during normal North American hours, I have to be awake for the Japanese time zone. And I have to work with our ladies and men up there to get their visas sorted out, to make sure that they’re feeling comfortable, make sure their flights and their travel’s squared up, hotels, et cetera, et cetera.”
“Right Now, We Are Understaffed”
Omega admits that the entire process has been incredibly mentally draining, divulging that he has been under-rested before confessing that AEW is currently understaffed.
“[…] right now, we are understaffed. But every week that goes by, we’re finding new talented people. We’re configuring this team and building a team that really wants to join this project and be successful with us.”
Despite this, Omega believes that by the time AEW debuts on television, their core crew will be assembled, “ready to just hit it home.”
