Jon Moxley competed yesterday at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s (NJPW) Dominion event. He would open the show against Young Lion, Shota Umino.
The new IWGP United States Champion didn’t take long in putting away his enthusiastic opponent.
After the matchup, Moxley would get on the mic and declare his interest in being a competitor in this year’s G1 Climax tournament.
Backstage, Moxley reiterated his demand.
“I Speak The Language Of Violence”
Propping up a barely conscious Shota Umino, Moxley complimented his opponent, saying “he did good. He did real good.”
He joked that he liked Shota and that he is his new personal Young Lion, intending to have him act as a spotter in the gym and personal driver going forward before turning his attention to the tournament itself.
“I think tonight, I made my intentions clear,” Moxley said. “The ball’s in New Japan’s court now. See you at the G1.”
As he was leaving, Moxley would turn towards the camera once more after hearing a reporter speak in Japanese, seemingly asking a question pertaining to the G1 Climax.
“I speak the language of violence, but I’m also pretty good with words. Do you understand me? I want in the G1.”
The opening night of the G1 Climax tournament takes place on July 6th from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. It is the first time any G1 Climax show has taken place outside of Japan.
— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) June 9, 2019
Banks’ career in WWE has been a topic of conversation in recent months, with reports coming out that she had attempted to quit the company during WrestleMania 35 weekend. Her and partner at the time, Bayley, lost the Women’s Tag Team Championships to The IIconics at the event.
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This isn’t the first mysterious and purposefully cryptic message that Sasha Banks has uploaded.
She has previously shared an image of herself with a caption claiming that she would finally be able to spread her wings and achieve her dreams, but only if she would be let out her cage. The lines are actually from the Kendrick Lamar song, Dumb It Down.
It’s been reported that “The Boss” has had a recent meeting with her boss, Vince McMahon. It is claimed by Dave Meltzer that after the meeting, “Things are said to be better and she could be back sometime this summer, but nothing is official.”
Despite being primed for a significant heel push, Lars Sullivan picked up a confusing win during WWE’s recent Super ShowDown event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Instead of having Sullivan play the monster heel, demonstrating power and strength by demolishing the Lucha House Party, their match instead ended in a disqualification after the three luchas attacked Lars.
Turns out that the original finish for the matchup was changed, with Vince McMahon instead opting for the three-person beat down, DQ ending instead.
“There’s No Logic Here”
Dave Meltzer, of Wrestling Observer Radio, commented on the situation, saying “[…] the finish got changed, and the original thing that would have theoretically made sense was in fact what they were going to do. Why that changed, I have no idea. I’ve heard that they may be running the match in San Jose [on Monday Night RAW].”
So the logical ending was originally on the table before being unceremoniously switched to what transpired. The lack of logic isn’t lost on many, including WWE staff members.
When Meltzer asked a source about the reasoning behind the decision, he was told “There’s no logic here. There’s no explanation of anything. Why did Shane McMahon win [instead of Roman Reigns]? It’s not like there’s a reason, it’s just weird.”
It’s worth noting that once the match had ended, “The Freak” proceeded to destroy the Lucha House Party in a post-match assault. But it begs the question: why not just have him deliver the same during the matchup itself?
Jon Moxley continues to make an impact since leaving WWE and arriving in both All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). Competing recently for the first time in NJPW, he defeated Juice Robinson and became the new IWGP United States Champion.
A number of key interviews with Moxley have been released in recent weeks, including one with the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast, and another with Talk Is Jericho. His interview with Jericho, in particular, has caught the attention of many within the industry—with people comparing it to CM Punk’s insider interview with Colt Cabana.
Speaking with 25 Years Later, Moxley discussed this comparison to Punk and also touched on WWE buying the indie scene, folding it into their corporate machine.
“The Sum Of Wrestling Outside Of WWE Is Bigger Than WWE”
It was highlighted that, whereas Punk’s interview with Cabana burned bridges, Moxley’s instead simply told the truth. This acted as a key difference between the two former WWE Superstars mindsets.
“A bridge is never burnt in WWE,” Moxley said.”Vince [McMahon] would have me back tomorrow and would love it if I came crawling back to him. I think Punk had a lot more personal animosity towards WWE and specific people. I don’t know every detail of his story, and I haven’t spoken to him since he left WWE. His experience drove him to not like wrestling anymore, I think. For me, I wanted the exact opposite. I just got pro wrestling back after losing it years ago. I’m like “Whoa, I’m back in the game, here we go!’”
Moxley later added, “That’s probably the biggest difference between my interview and the Punk interview. He was basically saying f*** pro wrestling, and I was saying that I got my love of pro wrestling back. I want to wrestle everyone. Let’s drop all the bridges, get all the companies together and have a super show that sells out a stadium right now. Fuck it. The sum of wrestling outside of WWE is bigger than WWE.”
“Buying The Indys”
Looking back at his time on the independent circuit, Moxley expresses that he feels it’s a bad idea that Triple H and WWE are simply “buying the indys.”
“He [Triple H] basically started buying the indys. I remember thinking that it might not be a good idea. Then where are all of these good ideas going to come from? If they signed Daniel Bryan at 21, he never would’ve become Bryan Danielson, and you never would’ve had WrestleMania 30. If they signed Punk before he really became CM Punk, he never would’ve done what he did. If they signed me at 21, I never would’ve become anything good. I had to develop first before getting brought in. Buying up all of the indy scene was the same as Vince buying up all the territories back in the day. There’s nobody left to cherry pick for talent.”
Despite this, Moxley commented on the indie scenes resurgence in popularity, stating that the strength of independent wrestling makes him optimistic about the future of pro wrestling as a whole.
Jon Moxley recently defeated Shota Umino at NJPW’s Dominion event. It was during this show that he declared his intentions to compete in this year’s G1 Climax tournament, which gets started on July 6th from Dallas, Texas.
Like him or loathe him, Enzo Amore made a name for himself thanks to his notable mic skills.
Speaking on the Keeping It 100 With Konnan podcast, the former-WWE Superstar reflected on his start in pro wrestling, saying:
“I was 5 feet, 10 inches, 185 pounds, I was on a frickin’ moving truck here in New Jersey when I was discovered in a YouTube video and next thing you know I’m going to the WWE having no business, just thrown right into the fire. I don’t know how else to explain that. It’s like being taken off from the streets and being in WWE.”
“I Didn’t Ask For Permission”
Adjusting to the WWE mentality took some work for Amore. He admitted that he would go out of his way to avoid the scripted promos WWE’s creative team provided him. Instead, he would attempt to “remix” the script.
“So many times I was handed a script, and the script would change an hour into the show and I would try to remix it, and some of the writers hated that. But when Enzo Amore goes out there and goes off script and he comes back to the curtain he forgets the script,” he said.
He continued, stating that “The only person that really mattered was Vince McMahon, so I never gave a f*** about the writers. If a writer adds something terrible to the script and I wasn’t feeling it, I’m sorry bro. I didn’t ask for permission, I asked for forgiveness, and half the time I went out there and just said what I felt was better because who better than the guy that says ‘My Name is Enzo Amore’? I wrote that, and I hear everybody saying that with me.”
ROH “Invasion”
Enzo Amore and Big Cass “invaded” the ROH and NJPW co-promoted G1 Supercard show back in April. They ran in during the ending of the tag team championship matchup. The segment was met with skepticism and confusion at first, before being revealed to be a work.
It has been reported that they are already done with ROH, despite only having a singular appearance.
Current Ring Of Honor (ROH) World Television Champion, Shane Taylor, has revealed the best advice he has received about the pro wrestling business. Turns out it comes from a WWE legend.
In an interview with ROH’s “10 Questions With…” series, Taylor said that “The best advice would actually be from William Regal, who said, “Go out there and perform like people are always seeing you for the first time.” That stuck with me and is why every match, every city, every venue, the people get the very best of Shane Taylor. No off days, no phoned-in performances. You get me at my best.”
He also claimed that he doesn’t feel he has received any more respect since becoming ROH TV Champion.
“[…] that’s to be expected because Ring of Honor didn’t want me to be champion; the majority of their brainwashed fanbase has only been conditioned to respect a certain few criteria in this sport, none of which I adhere to. […] Whether people like it or not, understand it or not, Shane Taylor is the man in ROH.”
Taylor addressed former champion Jeff Cobb, who is now chasing a World Championship opportunity rather than a rematch for the TV title.
“Cobb is a grown man. He knows what our first two bouts were like, so I’m not shocked. I think this situation is a lot like Frazier/Ali where eventually we’ll have to meet up and I’ll have to prove to him who the man is.”
— RumbleBadManRumble (@shane216taylor) May 23, 2019
Shane Taylor is scheduled to defend his championship against Bandido at ROH’s Best In The World PPV. The show takes place on June 28th in Baltimore, Maryland from the UMBC Event Center.
NXT Superstar, Matt Riddle, has potentially escalated the issues between himself and Hall Of Famer, Bill Goldberg.
Riddle took to Twitter to make fun of Goldberg’s matchup against The Undertaker from last night’s Super ShowDown event, which took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
He recorded himself sarcastically complimenting Goldberg’s attempt at a kneebar as the two competed, stating “What kneebar, bro. What a kneebar. Make me mad. You’re making me mad. Keep it up.”
The tweet was accompanied by the caption “Keep it up bro #WWESSD”.
Goldberg recently blocked Matt Riddle on Twitter—a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by the King Of Bros as he shared it on Instagram with the caption “I can’t wait to watch your match this Friday so I can see how good you are at wrestling”.
The two have had issues before, with Riddle expressing a negative opinion on Goldberg back in 2017.
During an interview with The Sporting News, Riddle criticized Goldberg’s in-ring work and ability.
“Bill Goldberg can’t wrestle. That’s it. He knows it. […] His work in the ring – people always go it’s Goldberg, he can have a one minute match or whatever. Yeah, it’s one minute because he can’t work more than one minute. If he works more than one minute, it could Botchamania, you know? Even with one minute, it’s Botchamania almost.”
There is concern that Goldberg suffered a concussion during his bout with The Undertaker. Not only did he clash his skull against the ring post, knocking himself out and busting him open in the process, he also suffered a nasty Tombstone Piledriver. The match had an abrupt ending via a Choke Slam, giving Undertaker the victory.
SmackDown Live Superstar, Ali, continues to a be a force of positivity amongst WWE’s roster.
The Superstar—who at one point performed double duty as an indie wrestler and active police officer— announced that he will be donating his entire Super ShowDown payday to the Charity: Water organization.
He revealed his intentions via social media, writing: “Earnings received today will be donated to @charitywater. Thank you.”
Earnings received today will be donated to @charitywater. Thank you.
Ali competed during WWE Super ShowDown’s 50-Man Battle Royal. NXT Superstar and Saudi Arabian hometown hero, Mansoor, would emerge victorious from the fray.
Prior to the 50-Man Battle Royal, Ali spoke with WWE.com. He shared that he hoped to inspire those watching as he competes. He intended to connect with “young boys and girls across the world” who are going to “[…] watch a guy just like them, who has a name just like theirs, compete in WWE’s largest Battle Royal in history, and to inspire them.”
There is no information on the amount WWE Superstars earn by competing in Saudi Arabia. It is believed to be a substantial amount.
It has been reported that some of the bigger names receive seven-figure amounts to work these controversial Saudi Arabian events. Even lower and mid-card performers are said to be making high amounts, with some as much as six-figure deals.
If you watched last night’s WWE Super ShowDown event, then you’ll know the main event of the show saw Goldberg take on The Undertaker in what was advertised as a matchup years in the making.
Goldberg ended up taking a nasty shot to the head after ramming himself into the second turnbuckle during a spear spot.
Taking to Twitter, the former WCW and WWE Universal champion explained what happened. He wrote that he knocked himself out when he clashed with the metal ring post.
“Knocked myself out and thought I could finish…. love my fans…..but let u down. Everyone else that found “pleasure” ….. hope ur happy”
Knocked myself out and thought I could finish…. love my fans…..but let u down. Everyone else that found “pleasure” ….. hope ur happy
As soon as the match concluded, Goldberg was escorted to the back of the stadium in order to be checked out by WWE trainers. It is believed that he suffered a concussion.
This didn’t stop the Hall Of Famer from attempting to finish the match.
Although clearly rocked, groggy, and bleeding, Goldberg would try to see his bout with The Undertaker through to the end.
He attempted a dangerous Jackhammer in the process before being hit with a Tombstone Piledriver that saw him take further direct impact to his head.
The match would end abruptly after a Choke Slam to Goldberg. ‘Taker was visibly frustrated in the ring after the match as Super ShowDown came to an end.
WWE Hall Of Famer, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, has revealed the wrestlers he considers his favorite opponents of all time.
Speaking with Dale Earnhart Jr. on Dale Jr, Download, Austin discussed the people he enjoyed working with the most as he recalled some his top moments and matches in the squared circle.
Blood From A Stone
Austin spoke highly of his feud with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, highlighting WrestleMania 17 as a particularly memorable bout. He also reminisced on wrestling Vince McMahon, and how their feud transcended wrestling. He stated that for two years, their rivalry became mainstream water cooler talk.
Other notable legends “Stone Cold” mentioned included The Undertaker, Triple H, and Mankind. He then spotlighted one man in particular: fellow Hall Of Famer, Bret Hart.
Steve Austin believes the trust and respect the two had for one another—a mutual respect he claims was present from day one—allowed them to have truly memorable encounters. Their feud would culminate in a bloody clash at WrestleMania 13.
He considers that match an exclamation point to their feud and spoke about the moment he had to blade for the match, referring to it as a rite of passage based off what he had watched coming up in the industry.
Former WWE Superstar Jon Moxley, previously known as Dean Ambrose, recently debuted for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He would make an impact by appearing during the ending of the event, attacking Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, firmly establishing him as an AEW main event player in the process.
Speaking on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast, Moxley recalled the ending to last year’s SummerSlam event.
According to him, that night was meant to see the return of The Shield, but Brock Lesnar had other plans.
“SummerSlam, the end of the show was supposed to be when the Shield returns,” Moxley revealed. “We were worried about it not being as impactful the next night [on RAW]. It still worked just as good. The end of SummerSlam was Roman vs Brock, Braun comes out, looks like a doofus because he can’t figure out how to cash in.”
“It Made Everyone Else Look Stupid But Brock”
Moxley then divulged that the ending of the main event was changed hours before the show got underway.
“How it went was Brock’s idea. At 6 p.m. before the show, everything was supposed to happen: the Shield coming out, this awesome stuff that the writers have been working on tirelessly to have this perfect ending to SummerSlam that was good,” Moxley said. “Brock comes in at 6 p.m. and changes everything. Vince is like, we are going to go with Brock’s idea. It made everyone else look stupid but Brock.”
He described the shock amongst the writers at that point, stating that they were “just sitting there watching it in the room and they’re like ‘Come on, we had it, we had this great ending.’ Everyone is suffering. Again not my problem, anymore.”
Jon Moxley is scheduled for his first AEW matchup against Joey Janela. The two will face off during AEW’s Fyter Fest event on June 29th from the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida.
This past Saturday, Adam Cole defeated Johnny Gargano in the main event of TakeOver XXV. This victory would see Cole become crowned the new NXT Champion.
Post-TakeOver, Triple H took part in a Facebook Live discussion with Cathy Kelly to discuss the event itself, the bout between Cole and Gargano, and what Cole’s victory means for NXT.
“I think the crowd said it best when they were chanting, ‘fight forever.’ This is one of those things you could see them do this over and over and over again and never get bored with it, never feel like you’ve seen it,” Triple H said.
“They just [have] amazing chemistry. […] Then again, who does Gargano have bad chemistry with? In some ways, you can call him Johnny TakeOver. Almost every time you can make the argument that he’s match of the night. Amazing performance. He walks out of here without a championship, […] but I don’t necessarily think that he lost, I don’t think that he lost any respect from anybody. I think he earned even more tonight.”
“He Is One Of The Hardest Workers Here”
Turning the conversation to the new champion, Triple H said “It was an awesome moment, I’m happy for him. You can say what you want about Adam Cole, he is one of the hardest workers here, much like Gargano, much like so many people here, he puts his heart and soul into everything about this. I’m happy for him.”
Triple H then addressed Gargano’s status after the matchup, revealing that he was seen “hobbling” out of the arena before teasing a potential rubber match between the two NXT Superstars.
“[…] if my math is correct now they’re 2-2 in falls. We’ll see where this goes now. I saw Johnny hobbling out of here. I’m hoping he’s alright. But we will see where this goes, but for now there’s a new champ in town, and his name is Adam Cole.”
TakeOver
NXT isn’t slowing down, and WWE is making efforts to push NXT UK in a similar way.
The company recently announced their NXT UK TakeOver event, which will take place on August 31st from Cardiff, Wales. This date happens to coincide with NJPW’s Royal Quest event in London, as well as All Elite Wrestling’s show, All Out.
Prior to signing with WWE, Ricochet had been establishing himself worldwide on the independent circuit. During this time, he honed his craft and developed the style that would bring him to the attention of WWE and, later, the WWE Universe.
Speaking with the State of Combat podcast, Ricochet detailed the transition he experienced segueing from the indies to WWE.
“It Really Helped Me Out”
“That was actually one of the things that I was looking forward to the most when I was getting signed was to come to the Performance Center to work on some of the parts that I wasn’t really the best at,” he said.
“I was learning from guys like Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Terry Taylor, Norman Smiley as far as character and promos, they would say things that are so obvious, but I just wouldn’t think about it. [….] I felt like it really helped me out. Not even with promos and characters, even in the ring stuff that I thought I had ironed out they would tell me things that would make it even better and I would think how they made my process so much better and how I wasn’t sure why I never thought about it. I have no complaints for my time at the Performance Center. It was great.”
He admits that even before signing with NXT, he felt it was the “place to be” and credits the fact that all the NXT talent pushed and supported one another. This allowed them to grow and develop in a positive environment.
“[…] it was good, a lot of friendly competition, a lot of love. We all knew each other a long time before we got here so it is a new company and would want to grow it as much as possible and try to give it everything we got and help it grow.”
Ricochet recently competed in the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match. He successfully won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic on March 27th with his partner at the time, another NXT alumni, Aleister Black.
Earl Hebner had the honor of refereeing during All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) latest event, Double Or Nothing. He would officiate the personal clash between Dustin Rhodes and his brother, Cody.
Hebner recently caught up with Bill Apter for The Apter Chat during a convention in New Jersey, and was asked about being involved in the matchup and his thoughts on AEW.
He replied that it was a great experience, although there was a lot of pressure on him because of his history with both Dustin and Cody.
“I knew those two boys when they were kids. Matter of fact, their dad’s [Dusty Rhodes] the one that gave me this job. Dusty is the one that gave me a job at the NWA in Charlotte for Jim Crockett Promotions,” Hebner recalled. “Seeing those kids grow up and being with them in Double Or Nothing, it was…it was a great match. I was in there with two great kids, two great friends, and honestly, it was like family. We got it, it was done, and it was good.”
“I was more nervous about those two guys hurting each other than I was in the ring,” he said. “The ring doesn’t bother me. When I got two great kids—well, men now—in the ring, that I’ve loved all my life, and see them grow up from babies, it was a lot of stress on me. It’s like I was the dad there, separating the boys. I’m glad that I got to raise Cody’s hand and leave ’cause I probably would’ve been in tears at ringside.”
Earl called AEW a “great company” and confessed he feels privileged to be working with them before adding that he believes AEW will “wake up a lot of people around the world, in the wrestling business—especially the WWE. It’s gonna be great now they have some competition.”
Ric Flair has divulged the wrestlers that would feature on his personal Mount Rushmore of professional wrestling.
In an interview with Wrestling Travel, the wrestling legend and WWE Hall Of Famer revealed the names that would adorn the mountainside, as well as naming the one talent he would consider coming out of retirement for.
“I’d love to wrestle Roman Reigns,” revealed Flair. “I’d like to be a bad guy against Roman if I was 35 or 40 years old. Yeah, I’d love that. They couldn’t afford to pay me,” he said, laughing.
Insofar as who would be on his Rushmore, Flair admits that he would probably be a part of it, flanked by luminary talent and Hulk Hogan, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to name but a few.
“Well, I think because of time put in, I’m in that category,” he said. “But I’d have to go with Hulk, Stone Cold and The Undertaker. I know everyone’s gonna say I should put Andre the Giant in, but I actually think The Undertaker has had as big a run and as big an impact on the business without having to be the champion and just being the character.”
“No. 1 he’s a great guy,” he explained. “No. 2 it’s the most unique and greatest gimmick in the history of our business. He’s gotten sick of it a couple of times and changed it around but at the end of the day, whether it’s riding a motorcycle or getting out of a coffin, it’s the greatest gimmick I’ve ever seen.”
Flair was recently in the news following complications for scheduled heart surgery. The 16-time world champion has since undergone successful surgery and has returned home to recover, though he has unfortunately had to withdraw from his Starrcast II appearance.
Following NXT TakeOver XXV this past Saturday, WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events, and Creative, Triple H, took part in a media call. During this call, HHH provided a new update on former NXT Champion, Tommaso Ciampa.
He revealed that Ciampa is ahead of schedule post-neck surgery, and has been cleared for “non-contact” activity. Despite this good news, however, HHH clarified that Ciampa is still far from 100 per cent, and still has a way to go before the WWE Universe can see him return to in-ring action.
“Cleared for non-contact means you can’t do anything in this business,” Triple H explained. “[…] He’s ahead of schedule and doing extremely well. Ahead of schedule on all of it and moving along. But with the type of injury he had and the type of surgery he had, especially in this from a physicality standpoint, you’re not doing anything until you’re 100 per cent. It’s not like you can go in there and lightly take suplexes. You have to be 100 per cent. So, he’s still got a ways to go, but he’s way ahead of the curve and the schedule.”
Triple H added that “He’ll be back soon, and I’m sure when he does, he’ll be ready to claim his spot.”
Tommaso Ciampa suffered a severe neck injury back in February before undergoing surgery back in March. This injury, unfortunately, would see him have to relinquish the NXT championship, which he had lovingly nicknamed “Goldie.”
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) are actively trying to provide an alternative with their promotion. This extends to how they are choosing to engage with their fans and how they intend to portray their storylines and promos.
Tony Khan recently caught up with Busted Open Radio. During their conversation, the AEW president stressed the importance of implementing social media strategy, saying that their ability to connect with a younger audience was a purposeful decision.
“I think there is something about social media now where people are more engaged with their celebrities and their sports stars than ever before,” he said. “People can spot a phoney, and I think young people can spot a phoney. I think young people can spot when people believe what they are saying and when people aren’t believing what they are saying, and when I was a kid, I really did believe what Ric Flair and Randy Savage and Bret Hart said in their promos. I think there has to be some believability.”
This believability is an element Khan is adamant AEW bring back to the world of pro wrestling. His plan to achieve that? Not having their talent use scripted promos.
“When you see a guy reading off a teleprompter or a mental teleprompter, just trying to recite a script or trying to look up in the air when you forget a line. It is hard to suspend disbelief when the wrestler doesn’t believe in the real-life situation that is unfolding. So like I said, I am not surprised that we are drawing young viewers; it was part of the plan going in.”
AEW’s next show will be Fyter Fest. The show takes place on June 29th from the Ocean Center, Daytona Beach, Florida.
Jon Moxley successfully debuted for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) during their Double Or Nothing event last Saturday. Appearing during the final moments of the show, he was greeted with a hero’s welcome by the fans in attendance.
Since then, Moxley has appeared on Talk Is Jericho to discuss his reasoning behind leaving WWE. His thoughts on the matter have clearly struck a chord with a lot of his peers.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, former WWE Superstars Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer discussed Moxley’s comments, admitting that they fully aligned with his feelings and creative frustrations, before reflecting on the current feeling amongst the WWE locker room.
“When you know your time is up, you just have to stare down the barrel of that gun and wait out your deal, which is exactly what he [Dean Ambrose] did,” Bully Ray said. “There’s no other way out. A couple of other people got their release and were able to wiggle on out. Nobody’s getting their release anymore. You’re going to have to wait out your contract, and he did it professionally, and he did it the right way.”
Dreamed added that he understands that frustration “because once you reach a certain amount of goals, then what? […] For guys like, even myself, it’s that creativeness, as well as to be able to have a say. I work for a lot of companies, I’m not under contract for any of them, because I don’t want to be married that way to anybody.”
During a time where more WWE Superstars than ever before are openly discussing their unhappiness within the company, Moxley’s reception must have been validating for those who decided to leave—and all the more sobering for those that were not allowed to.
Brock Lesnar made his surprise return to WWE during the recent Money In The Bank pay-per-view on May 19th. He would end up victorious in the ladder match, securing the briefcase containing a year-long championship opportunity.
Since then, Lesnar has appeared on Monday Night RAW in order to tease which champion he will be cashing in against. To some, he has already appeared more frequently on WWE than they might have initially guessed.
In an interview with TVInsider.com, Brock Lesnar’s advocate, Paul Heyman, hinted that the WWE Universe may be seeing a lot more of Lesnar in the future—especially in contrast to the number of appearances “The Beast” made during 2018.
“I think you’ve already seen more of Brock Lesnar than I think people had any right to expect by the middle of May. Certainly, nobody called this shot. Since Brock Lesnar is about to announce the title he is going to focus on, I think you’re going to see more of Brock Lesnar in 2019 than you did in 2018. How much more? Again, why spoil the surprise?”
Brock Party
When asked whether he would prefer to see Brock challenge Seth Rollins or Kofi Kingston, Heyman responded that he would rather see his client take on both Rollins and Kofi in a handicap match.
“Beat them both, unify the titles and hold them both over his head and hop on a private jet to go to the greatest steakhouse in the world—which I will not reveal because I don’t want people bothering us when we go out to dinner. Unfortunately, WWE would like to protect its investment in either Seth Rollins or Kofi Kingston, knowing that Brock is going to F5 and take them to “Suplex City” and conquer at least one of them. Unfortunately, they won’t let us cash in on both at the same time. Knowing the ability of Brock Lesnar, that would be my preference.”
It’s likely that Brock Lesnar will be cashing in against RAW Universal Champion, Seth Rollins, for a championship opportunity at WWE’s next Saudi Arabia show, Super ShowDown—despite apparently just discovering he has a year in which to cash in his opportunity.
Ring Of Honor (ROH) saw the debut of a new faction during the G1 Supercard show on April 6th.
The Allure, comprised of Velvet Sky, Angelina Love, and Mandy Leon, made an impact, attacking Kelly Klein after her match against Mayu Iwatani.
Speaking with Kevin Kellam of WrestleZone, Velvet Sky has now clarified her role within the Allure and ROH. The former Impact Wrestling Knockout has previously stated that she is retired from in-ring competition. She intends to stick to her word, taking up the mantle of manager to Love and Leon.
“That’s Still My Stance”
“I still stand as being retired in the ring. Back when I announced that in 2016, I made it clear that I retired from in-ring action only,” she explained.
Sky would continue, detailing her frustration and unhappiness working for Impact during that time, in particular with management. So when her contract expired, she felt it was the right time to leave.
She had no interest in working the independent scene, saying she didn’t want to just “bump night after night for no reason” before adding “As a professional wrestler, you just have to know your limits and you only have so many bumps on your bump card. Any wrestler will tell you that.”
“[…] So mid-2016 I announced my in-ring retirement, but I made it clear that I would still be around for the fans to do meet-and-greets, autograph signings, just be involved in the wrestling industry in a non-wrestling role,” she said.
“That’s still my stance, and I’m in a non-wrestling role in The Allure. I’m more the managerial mouthpiece, directing traffic, and Mandy and Angelina are going to be the ass-kickers of the group. We’re The Allure as a group, but we also have our own individual identities as Angelina being the badass, me being the brains and Mandy being the bombshell.”
Velvet Sky has previously discussed the differences between The Allure and her former stable, The Beautiful People. Despite debuting in April, the stable has yet to really feature on ROH.
Brian Cage was finally able to call himself a world champion after winning the Impact World Championship at Impact’s Rebellion pay-per-view (PPV) back in April. Unfortunately, Cage would suffer an injury early during the matchup against Johnny Impact after taking a Spanish Fly from off the ramp to the floor. He would ring in his first night as champion in the hospital.
Speaking with the WINCLY podcast, Cage has discussed his injury status and his frustrations of being the champion while injured.
He shared that being Impact Champion is something he still can’t believe is real before adding that “Not being able to compete and defend the title as regularly as I’d like [because of the injury] is a bummer, but it’s awesome. I’m very thankful.”
Looking back at the moment that led to the injury, Cage explains that “It happened during the Spanish Fly onto the floor. We get hurt a lot and I was differentiating between being hurt and being injured. I kept thinking, ‘Maybe it will subside. Maybe it will subside.’ But there was no subsiding.”
Cage allegedly thought he had ruptured a disc, and immediately worried he would need surgery—assuming the injury wasn’t career ending. Despite this concern, Cage was adamant he would finish the match, refusing to stop despite the damage to his back.
With an eye to the future, Brian Cage admits that he isn’t sure about when he will return, though he has set himself a goal to be back by Slammiversary, which takes place on July 7th.
Given that Aleister Black has been wrestling across RAW, SmackDown, and NXT for months, primarily as a tag team partner to Ricochet, he has yet to be utilized in a singles main roster feud.
Now it seems as though Aleister is primed for his first major rivalry since being called up to the main roster. He was finally allocated WWE’s blue brand as his home during the Superstar Shake-Up last month.
“Pick A Fight With Me”
Speaking backstage during last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, Aleister confessed to camera that he is waiting for somebody to pick a fight with him, rather than having to throw a random name out in the hope of a feud.
“If we look at the heretic ways of man and all he has done, isn’t it obvious that—look, I get it. I get it. You are simply waiting for me to throw out a name. To pick a fight with…somebody. Anybody. But there lies our conundrum. See, I am sitting here waiting patiently for somebody, anybody, to pick a fight with me.”
At the time of writing, there is no further information on who Black will be feuding against.
Do you like that Aleister Black wants a rival to come to him rather than challenging someone? Who do you think will be the one to step up to Black?
Fans were reportedly having their signs removed and discarded by security during Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live. The signs taken referenced All Elite Wrestling (AEW) talent and one that read, “Save Us HHH.” The confiscating took place at the behest of WWE, though not until after it had made it on the air.
The sign that read “You Aren’t MJF” (AEW star Maxwell Jacob Friedman) was featured on hard cam during the show’s earlier segments before its removal.
Yea and his other signs. Apparently they were too big or he was blocking people too much
— Wrestling Referees are Wizards (@refsaswizards) May 29, 2019
Given the popularity of AEW’s recent event Double Or Nothing, and the fact that Sami Zayn mentioned the company during his segment on Monday Night RAW, it appears as though WWE has made the decision to censor any reference to the promotion on its product. That’s assuming the Zayn namedrop wasn’t scripted.
Former WWE Superstar, Lance Storm, recently took to Twitter with an observation on the WWE’s website roster lineup.
He pointed out how out of date the website is by highlighting the fact that David Otunga is still listed as an active member of the RAW roster, saying “Seriously David Otunga is part of the RAW roster? When was the last time he wrestled?”
Storm would also lambast the WWE website’s lack of scale within their roster pages. He shared images of smaller WWE Superstars dwarfing their larger peers, such as Sarah Logan towering over Samoa Joe, or Braun Strowman looking much smaller next to Booker T and Bray Wyatt. Jeff Hardy, in particular, is apparently minuscule compared to Luke Harper and Jinder Mahal.
Tyler Breeze recently returned to action for WWE’s black-and-gold brand, NXT. He is currently feuding with the NXT North American Champion, The Velveteen Dream. They are scheduled to face off for the championship this weekend at NXT TakeOver XXV. The show takes place from the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
With All Elite Wrestling (AEW) coming off the back of their Double Or Nothing event, it seems as though the entire industry has turned its attention towards the upstart promotion.
AEW has been on a hiring spree in recent months, snapping up a range of both on-air, in-ring, and backstage talent in the process.
Their intentions to change the world of pro wrestling have clearly been heard, and even wrestlers who have nothing to do with the company are now lobbying for a position.
One such talent is WWE Hall Of Famer, Jake “The Snake” Roberts.
“I’m Ready…”
Following the end of Double Or Nothing, Jake commented on Jon Moxley’s debut and the effectiveness of his DDT finisher. Moxley would lay out Kenny Omega at the end of the show with the move.
He tweeted out the following:
“Jon Moxley does a better DDT than dean Ambrose but would be glad to help either one tweak it to make it spot on.”
Jon Moxley does a better DDT than dean Ambrose but would be glad to help either one tweak it to make it spot on.
Since that innocuous tweet, wrestling fans worldwide have been chiming in, with many seemingly clamouring for Roberts to become creatively involved with the company.
Noticing this trend, Roberts has been re-tweeting fan comments in an effort to get AEW’s attention, claiming to be “ready” for AEW wrestling.
What do you think? Would Jake “The Snake” Roberts be an exciting addition to the AEW creative team? Given how many people they have hired, do you think AEW need to bring in any more talent?
