The post WrestleMania episode of Monday Night Raw saw the NXT star Bianca Belair confirming her call up to the main roster and now another NXT team has been called up, though this time on SmackDown.
This week’s episode of SmackDown saw the team of Wesley Blake, Steve Cutler and Jaxson Ryker, collectively known as the Forgotten Sons officially joining the Blue Brand’s roster.
The newest members of the SmackDown roster went up against Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik of Lucha House Party in a tag team match which they won.
Out of these three, both Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler have pretty much started their careers in WWE. Blake reported to the Performance Center in July 2013 while Cutler made his NXT debut in June 2014.
Ryker on the other hand, first made his name while working for Impact Wrestling. He was known as Gunner in the company and he won a number of championships during his stint with the promotion from 2010 to 2015. He joined NXT in 2017.
It was Wesley Blake who first formed the tag team The Forgotten
Sons with Steve Cutler in 2017 and the two were later joined by Jaxson Ryker in
August 2018, making it a stable in the Black And Yellow brand.
It appears that WWE’s hope of expanding in the Japanese market might have increased due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It was noted by Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE’s place in Japan has once again changed because of the virus. In fact, this time, the virus might cause them to benefit from it.
Last year it was documented that WWE had been making moves in the country because they’re planning to launch the next NXT brand there and opening up the Japan Performance Center just like they did in the UK.
The original goal was for WWE to launch the brand this year but with the coronavirus taking over the world, there’s no word yet on how it will impact the plans.
However, it was noted in the report that it seems to be inevitable that WWE will have the NXT Japan brand and Performance Center. Now, it all comes down to working everything out.
Prior to the virus, no promotion wanted to sell to WWE but now some companies in Japan are suffering from tough financial times due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Thus, it’s turned into a buyers market. Promotions are more willing to do so now, which could see WWE buy a local infrastructure in order to be a competitive force in the market.
Finally, Meltzer stated that with MMA no longer being a threat to NJPW, the only thing able to threaten New Japan Pro Wrestling would be WWE. Meltzer added that the odds are significantly higher for a deal to be made.
WWE was in talks with Pro Wrestling NOAH to buy the company last year and WWE was still having talks with All Japan Pro Wrestling as of early March.
Charlotte Flair won the NXT Women’s Championship for the second time this past weekend at WrestleMania 36. She defeated NXT Superstar Rhea Ripley to reclaim the gold. Although the accomplishment would be forced to take place in front of zero fans, Flair stressed that WrestleMania 36 was still an opportunity for all involved. The event was relocated from Raymond James Stadium to the WWE Performance Center due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Flair told TVInsider how in the run-up to WrestleMania 36, she kept to herself and wasn’t really socializing. She did this in order to stay as focused as possible, noting that “this year was no different.” The relocation to the WWE PC didn’t bother her as she still viewed her match as an “opportunity to prove to the world I’m one of the greatest WWE superstars of all-time.”
To her, this year’s WrestleMania had the potential of becoming the most-watched ‘Mania of all time. She explained how people were wanting content and entertainment during this tough time. With this in mind, she viewed the event as an opportunity to demonstrate that “you don’t need a live audience to bring that intensity.”
Charlotte Flair’s Return To NXT
Having won the championship, Charlotte Flair is now set to return to the black-and-gold brand. With WWE having done a lot of work to establish NXT as their third brand, Flair isn’t concerned some might feel it is a demotion. She talked about how she didn’t consider her future if she won the title. Instead, she wanted to focus on wrestling “the next big thing” and delivering a memorable story. Her mentality was focused on stealing the show. “I always say it’s not the title that makes the woman, it’s the woman that makes the title. What that could mean moving forward? Paying it back.”
With her return to NXT imminent, Flair already has her eyes set on some top NXT talent. She named Mia Yim and Candice LeRae as Superstars she’d like to work with. She also noted how Bianca Belair would probably want a rematch with her. Charlotte Flair confessed she hadn’t given future rivals too much consideration just yet but remains excited over new competition. She added how “Everyone knows that I’m probably the most competitive person in the locker room, so I’m going to want to have the best division.”
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War. NXT didn’t make the top 50 shows on cable for the night but did win in total viewers.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 693,000 viewers, which is up from 590,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.19 rating, from the 0.15 rating that the show did last week.
The episode featured a Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano in a singles match that served as the headliner, Chelsea Green vs. Mia Yim vs. Tegan Nox vs. Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae vs. Dakota Kai in a Women’s Ladder Match to figure out #1 contender to WWE NXT Women’s Title, and Indus Sher (Rinku & Saurav) (w/Malcolm Bivens) vs. Ever-Rise (Chase Parker & Matt Martel).
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 692,000 viewers, up from the 685,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.26 rating, up from the 0.25 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured such as Shawn Spears vs. Cody in an AEW TNT Championship Tournament Match, Hikaru Shida vs. Britt Baker, Best Friends vs. Kenny Omega & Michael Nakazawa, and Brodie Lee and Lance Archer in squash matches.
Devlin is unable to travel to the United States to defend his title due to the current coronavirus pandemic. WWE’s decision to crown an interim champion, however, has seemingly rankled Devlin.
Taking to Twitter, Jordan Devlin called WWE’s decision shocking and disrespectful. He then stressed how they can crown a new champion and give them a replica of his title, but the WWE Universe all know who the real champion is.
Devlin wrote: “First things first, absolutely shocking and disrespectful decision by @WWE management. Secondly, you can crown a fraud champion and give him a little replica of my title, but everyone around the world knows who the REAL NXT Cruiserweight Champion still is.”
First things first, absolutely shocking and disrespectful decision by @WWE management.
Secondly, you can crown a fraud champion and give him a little replica of my title, but everyone around the world knows who the REAL NXT Cruiserweight Champion still is. https://t.co/rIA7AJZwod
At the time of writing, there is no indication as to when this new tournament will take place. Regal shared that he would be revealing further details in the next few days.
He also intends to provide an update on the NXT Tag Team Championships, currently held by Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne. Much like Devlin, Dunne is presently stuck in the United Kingdom and is unable to travel due to worldwide travel bans.
Newly crowned NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair has commented on her new number one contender. Last night on NXT, a six-woman Ladder Match took place to determine who would be the first to challenge Flair for her title. Io Shirai would emerge victorious. She defeated Tegan Nox, Dakota Kai, Mia Yim, Candice LeRae and Chelsea Green.
Taking to her Twitter account, Flair acknowledged Shirai’s win. However, she didn’t seem too sure she should be congratulating her. She suggested that all Shirai has won is an opportunity to experience her Figure-8 submission finisher.
Charlotte Flair was reacting to a post from WWE’s official account, which featured a picture of Shirai holding a briefcase emblazoned with the NXT logo aloft. Flair accompanied her response with the caption, “A ladder match where the prize is a figure-8. Congratulations?”
Charlotte Flair defeated NXT Superstar Rhea Ripley this past weekend at WrestleMania 36. Her victory makes her a two-time NXT Women’s Champion.
The decision was reportedly made in order to help boost NXT viewership during their Wednesday ratings war with All Elite Wrestling. Triple H recently explained that NXT is in it for the long-term and that he isn’t phased by Dynamite’s string of ratings victories over the black-and-gold brand.
At the time of writing, there is no indication as to when Charlotte Flair will defend her championship against Io Shirai.
Rhea Ripley addressed reports that she is no longer in the United States due to work visa issues. In a video uploaded to social media, the former NXT Women’s Champion clarified that she’s still in the US. As seen below, she accompanied a clip of herself at home with a message reading, “Yo wrestling world…still in America…”
*reports*: "Rhea Ripley lost to Charlotte because her visa expired and is back in Australia"
However, separate reports suggested that her loss may have been related to her work visa needing renewing. According to these, Ripley was set to renew her visa in Australia. She would then travel back to the United States for further TV tapings. With the coronavirus pandemic shutting down production of most shows, WWE is instead readying plans to pre-record several episodes. They intend to continue delivering their flagship shows RAW, SmackDown and NXT.
If there was truth to these visa issues, Rhea Ripley would not have been able to participate in these subsequent tapings. Although that doesn’t seem to be the case right now, if Ripley needed to travel back to Australia, she may have a hard time returning to the States due to the travel restrictions currently in place.
The April 8, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from the Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
The show was headlined by Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano.
WWE NXT Results (4/8)
Io Shirai def. Chelsea Green, Mia Yim, Tegan Nox Candice LeRae, and Dakota Kai – Ladder Match
Rinku Singh and Saurav Gurjar def. Ever-Rise
Johnny Gargano def. Tommaso Ciampa
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Rinku & Saurav In-Ring Debut
After making their television debut a week ago by attacking Matt Riddle, Rinku and Saurav made their in-ring debut.
They did so when they took on Ever-Rise in a tag team match that served as the second match of the night.
As expected and rightfully so, Rinku and Saurav went over in a dominating performance. They’re the latest tag team in NXT and one to see who will get a big push in NXT.
Malcolm Bivens, who is best for his time in EVOLVE, is the manager of the team made up of two big men. The tag team division in NXT is in need of some new blood as the latest feud had seen Riddle and Pete Dunne go up against The Undisputed Era.
It will be interesting to see if Rinku and Saurav get over with fans in attendance once things get back to normal.
The continuation of the slow build for the program between The Velveteen Dream and NXT Champion Adam Cole continues.
WWE had Cole cut another promo from the poolside at his home. Cole talked about how Dream went through one of the baddest stars on the NXT roster in Bobby Fish and he called it a lucky win.
Cole talked about how unfortunately for Dream, lightning never strikes twice especially when the lighting is the greatest NXT Champion, which is him. Cole stated that Dream is a guy who doesn’t deserve a title shot because Dream is a pretender and he’s the real deal.
Cole stated that if Dream keeps pushing then he’ll end the experience or shatter Dream’s spotlight because Dream can’t do anything about it. It was another great promo to further their program.
WWE still has yet to announce when the match will take place but it’s likely sooner rather than later.
After weeks of build-up, WWE held a Ladder Match to determine the top contender to WWE NXT Women’s Championship.
The competitors in the contest were Chelsea Green, Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, Io Shirai, Candice LeRae, and Dakota Kai. It ended up being Io Shirai who won the match.
It was a wild match with several high spots. If you’ve seen one ladder match in WWE, the same formula is the same. It had a table crash spot as well as Knox going through a ladder off the middle rope. This was a nice way of building up a new #1 contender for the title.
Charlotte Flair beat Rhea Ripley to win the NXT Women’s Title at WrestleMania 36. One would think that Ripley would get an automatic rematch. Time will tell whether that happens.
In the meantime, WWE can have Flair feud with the new #1 contender if they wanted to hold off on Flair vs. Ripley 2.
In the main event of the show, as expected, Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano took place. It was held in an unknown location that wasn’t the Performance Center or Full Sail University with a ring and a referee.
It was exactly what you thought it would be as it was a brawl. WWE shot it in a cinematic way somewhat like the Boneyard Match was between The Undertaker and AJ Styles from WrestleMania.
There were no commentators for the match. It was just the sound of the ring and the wrestlers reacting to moves. At one point, Ciampa brought out a crutch and they even brawled outside.
The finish saw Candice LeRae, who is Gargano’s wife, hit a low blow to Gargano then to Ciampa. Gargano pulled out a cup afterward and laughed. Gargano hit his finisher for the win.
These two have been feuding with each other off and on for a few years now under the WWE NXT banner. The stipulation going into the contest was that after this bout, this would be the final one-on-one encounter between them in NXT.
Now, it’s pro wrestling and that could change at any time but with both guys making it known that they would like to stay in NXT for the rest of their careers. It appears that this might be the last match that we see with them going against each other. Time will tell.
The next challenger to WWE NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair will be Io Shirai.
During Wednesday’s episode of NXT on the USA Network in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University, WWE held a match that would determine who is next line for a title shot.
A Ladder Match that saw Chelsea Green, Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, Io Shirai, Candice LeRae, and Dakota Kai took place with the winner becoming the next challenger to the title.
It was a lengthy match that had a table crash spot as well as Knox going through a ladder off the middle rope.
Io Shirai was victorious, earning the right to challenge Charlotte Flair for the NXT Women’s Title.
WWE hasn’t announced exactly when this contest will take place as it will go down but it’s likely to be featured on an upcoming episode of NXT TV on the USA Network.
This match was supposed to take place at the NXT TakeOver: Tampa Bay event during WrestleMania 36. However, due to the coronavirus outbreak, the event was canceled.
Thus, WWE made the decision to air matches planned for the show to take place on NXT TV.
Flair beat Rhea Ripley to win the NXT Women’s Title at WrestleMania 36 – Night 2 this past Sunday night.
The arrival of Killer Kross in NXT appears imminent. Triple H was recently interviewed by SI.com and he commented on the potential of the 34-year-old from Las Vegas.
“The first time you see him, you know right away that he’s something special,” Triple H said about Kross. “It’s been a long path for him to get where he is. He is a unique talent that combines what he does in the ring with his charisma and his intelligence. I’m excited for him to be here.”
Kross debuted in Impact Wrestling in the summer of 2018. He would be with the promotion for a year until various conflicts arose between him and the company. He was finally released from his contract last December after not appearing on television for several months.
Recently, Kross performed for Major League Wrestling at a show in Philadelphia at the 2300 Arena. In storyline, he was attacked in the back by King Mo and Team Filthy.
A video teasing Kross’ arrival in NXT begins at the 4:21 mark of the below video:
Triple H’s full interview with SI.com can be read here.
The NXT Cruiserweight Championship has been vacated. Former Jordan Devlin is stuck in the UK due to Coronavirus and is unable to fulfill his duties as champion.
A tournament will be held to crown a new Cruiserweight champion, as announced by NXT General Manager William Regal on Wednesday’s edition of WWE’s The Bump web series.
Details on the tournament, including the entrants and the full bracket, will be revealed in the coming days.
Devlin commented on the situation on Twitter. As seen below, he is not happy. Devlin calls it an ‘absolutely shocking and disrespectful decision’ to crown a new champion in his absence. He went as far as to label the tournament winner a ‘paper champion’ and claims NXT fans know who the real champion is. Devlin is setting up a potential unification bout down the road, which could generate a lot of fan interest.
First things first, absolutely shocking and disrespectful decision by @WWE management.
Secondly, you can crown a fraud champion and give him a little replica of my title, but everyone around the world knows who the REAL NXT Cruiserweight Champion still is. https://t.co/rIA7AJZwod
NXT has been in somewhat of a limbo state as a result of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. In recent weeks, WWE moved all television tapings to the WWE Performance Center. This included WrestleMania 36 this past weekend. It also resulted in the cancelation of NXT Takeover: Tampa Bay. Matches that were scheduled for that show are airing on NXT TV over the next several weeks.
Triple H is apparently unfazed by All Elite Wrestling’s recent string of ratings victories over NXT. The two shows compete head-to-head on Wednesday nights in what many have dubbed the Wednesday Night Wars. Speaking with Sports Illustrated, “The Game” explained why he isn’t concerned, noting that he believes it’s a long game.
“I’m a believer in the long-term game,” Triple H said. “You create the right product, and over time, people will find it. I think back to Monday nights years ago, and it looks different now, but there were periods of time when WWE was putting on much better shows and the content was much better, but we were still getting beat. We were not winning ‘the war,’ but we stayed true to who we were.”
Triple H stated how fans are attracted to a flashy, exciting product that can’t maintain its momentum, then “it loses that pizzazz.” According to him, it’s the determination to commit to the long-term that will see a true winner. He stressed how he’s not concerned by the week-by-week numbers. Instead, all he cares about is putting on the best NXT show possible every week.
NXT General Manager William Regal is set to appear on WWE show The Bumplater today to reveal some breaking news regarding NXT. This week’s episode will see Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano compete in an empty arena match. Triple H made the matchup official during last week’s episode of NXT.
WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray has praised the NXT Women’s Championship clash between Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair. The two battled for the gold this past weekend during WWE’s WrestleMania 36 event. Flair would end up reclaiming the championship, making her a two-time NXT Women’s Champion. Speaking on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray shared his thoughts, noting how Ripley stepped up for the confrontation.
“Bravo to Rhea Ripley. Man, did she step up,” Bully Ray said. “Man, did I enjoy that match, and I enjoyed it for the in-between. […] the little things that those two women did. The physicality of that match. Charlotte and Rhea are some stout women, they are athletic, they are physical, and they were throwing some shots at one another. Punches, slaps, stuff was landing.”
Bully Ray On The “In-Between”
Bully Ray explained how he was impressed by the “in-between” moments between the two Superstars. He described how everything was earned between the two, and nothing was simply given.
According to him these details gave the match a much grittier, realistic aesthetic. To him, it felt like he was watching a fight. He added how it was like watching two Amazon warriors do battle: “Just tall, impressive fighters, impressive warriors just beating the s–t out of one another.”
If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.
NXT General Manager William Regal will reveal some breaking news regarding the black-and-gold brand Wednesday morning.
Regal will be joining WWE show The Bump as one of their scheduled guests. Other guests for the episode include WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray and impromptu WrestleMania 36 host Titus O’Neil.
At the time of writing, there is no indication as to what William Regal’s reveal will be related to. It could be connected to this week’s episode of NXT. The show airs on the USA Network tonight. This episode was pre-recorded last week during the tapings that saw WWE record RAW and WrestleMania 36 itself.
Tonight’s episode of NXT has a scheduled six-woman Ladder Match. The winner of this bout will become the new number one contender to the new NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair. NXT Superstars Io Shirai, Tegan Nox, Mia Yim, Candice LeRae, Chelsea Green and Dakota Kai will all vie for the opportunity.
The main event of the show will be the highly-anticipated clash between long-time rivals Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano. Their match takes place in an empty arena.
WWE’s The Bump airs at 10AM ET on Wednesdays. Fans can watch the show via the WWE Network and WWE’s Digital Platforms.
Former NXT women’s champion Rhea Ripley is reportedly back in Australia and there is no timetable for her return to the United States. According to a report from PW Insider, Ripley’s work visa has run out and she has traveled back to Australia in order to start the process of getting it renewed.
As a result of the quarantine regulations involved with travel into each country, it is likely not possible for her to return in time for the upcoming set of tapings for WWE programming.
Ripley’s match against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 36 opened the main show portion of night 2. It is also being reported that the producer for the match was Adam Pearce and that he put together the match with both Flair and Ripley’s input.
WWE is said to begin filming content for upcoming shows beginning this Friday and going until next Thursday.
Rhea Ripley In WWE
Real name Demi Bennett, the 23-year-old has already achieved the following in her young career:
NXT Women’s Champion
NXT UK Women’s Champion
#7 Ranked women’s wrestler in 2019 by Sports Illustrated
#35 top women’s wrestler by PWI in 2019
CBC Sports Breakthrough Wrestler of the Year for 2019.
Charlotte Flair made history at WrestleMania 36 when she became the first woman to win the NXT Championship at the PPV after defeating Rhea Ripley for the title.
The new champion had an interview with TV Insider after the Show Of Shows where she talked about things like the backstage environment on NXT and more.
When asked which NXT women she is looking forward to competing against, the Queen took the names of Mia Yim, Candice LeRae, and Bianca Belair:
“Mia Yim, Candice LeRae, and I’m sure Bianca Belair wants a rematch. I haven’t really thought about that yet. It’s crazy, a whole new group of girls. Everyone knows that I’m probably the most competitive person in the locker room, so I’m going to want to have the best division.”
Fans are curious about Flair’s status on the WWE roster
after her title win and when asked if she will be working Raw or NXT moving
forward, she said that it’s up for debate:
“I guess that is up for debate. Do I need to be drafted
to NXT? [Laughs] How is this going to work? I hope I get to work at all three
brands. “
While the long term plans for Charlotte Flair are not known, reports suggest that she will be working both Raw and NXT for at least the foreseeable future. You can check out a report revealing the reason behind her title win at this link.
NXT star Bianca Belair has made some main roster appearances in recent weeks and she has now officially confirmed her call up to the main roster on Raw.
This week’s episode of Monday Night Raw saw the team of Angel Garza and Austin Theory with Zelina Vega challenging the RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits in a rematch from night two of WrestleMania 36.
The match ended in the same fashion as their match at Mania and the heels were disqualified after Zelina Vega interfered in their favor.
Vega attacked Montez Ford once again but Belair made the
save for her husband, as she had done during the same spot at the Show Of Shows
as well.
Though what’s interesting to note here is that after the match was over, Bianca announced her official call up to the main roster and the NXT star confirmed that she is now part of the Raw roster alongside The Street Profits.
After this announcement, the now-former NXT star faced Vega in a singles match. However, the two teams got involved again and the bout was then converted into a 6 person mixed tag match.
The team of Bianca Belair and the Raw Tag Team Champions picked up the victory in this match after the female star used the KOD on Zelina Vega and pinned her for the win.
The Queen Charlotte Flair managed to beat the now former NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley for her title at the second night of WrestleMania 36.
Her championship win excited fans but it also left them wondering on what the future holds for the new champion and if the title win means that she is now part of the NXT roster.
Dave Meltzer talked about the event on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio and confirmed that Flair will indeed start appearing on the NXT television in the months ahead. However, this doesn’t mean that she will be leaving Raw. The current plan is for her to work both the shows each week.
The reason Charlotte is being sent to NXT is the competition
from AEW and WWE is hoping that her appearances will help NXT in the rating war
with Dynamite.
There is no word yet on how this arrangement will work after
the company resumes their live event schedule which would make it impossible
for Charlotte Flair to work events of both brands.
However, it shouldn’t be an issue with the current limited schedule and it would be interesting to see if Flair’s appearances help the brand’s ratings as the company intends.
It turns out that it wasn’t the night of WWE NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley as she was dethroned by Flair.
Ripley dropped the title to the former RAW and SmackDown Women’s Champion at the WWE WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event in Orlando, Florida.
This marks the second time that Flair has held the NXT Women’s Title. It was a back and forth affair that opened the show.
It all started back on the February 3rd episode of RAW when Flair came out for the second straight week to reveal who she would be challenging at WrestleMania 36.
Ripley interrupted by walking out to the ring. Ripley cut a promo about how Flair has beaten many top stars but never defeated her. In fact, Ripley brought up how she holds a win over Flair.
Flair won the 30-Woman Royal Rumble Match at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in Houston, Texas at the Minute Maid Park. As a result, she had the right to challenge for any title in WWE such as the RAW, SmackDown, and NXT Women’s Championship.
Ripley retained the title over Bianca Belair at the WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland event from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. Post-match, Flair made her way through the crowd and attacked Belair. She cut a promo about how she would see Ripley at Mania.
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War. AEW won in total viewers. Both shows were down from last week.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 590,000 viewers, which is down from 669,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.15 rating, down from the 0.20 rating that the show did last week.
The episode featured a Second Chance Gauntlet Match to qualify for #1 contender Ladder Match, Dexter Lumis vs. Jake Atlas, Kushida vs. Joaquin Wilde, The Velveteen Dream vs. Bobby Fish, and NXT North American Champion Keith Lee vs. Damian Priest vs. Dominik Dijakovic.
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 685,000 viewers, down from the 819,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.25 rating, down from the 0.34 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured such as Kenny Omega vs. Trent, Lance Archer’s in-ring debut, Cody and Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara and Shawn Spears. There was also a segment with Chris Jericho at his home where he tried to get Vanguard 1 to join the Innercircle by offering him a t-shirt.
Rhea Ripley is scheduled to face Charlotte Flair for the NXT Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 36 this weekend. The match was supposed to take place inside Raymond James Stadium in front of a packed crowd. Instead, the match has already been filmed in front of no live crowd at the WWE Performance Center.
During an interview with Fox Sports Australia, Ripley admitted to being disappointed about the change.
“The main reason I was bummed was that I knew my family wasn’t going to be there. It made me really sad to think I wasn’t going to be able to share that special moment with them and not see them at all, because I haven’t seen them for a long time,” she said.
“So to not have them there with me on the day, it made me really sad, and I had to remind myself that they’d be watching from home and cheering me on.”
Ripley would continue to say, however, that she knows fans will be watching from home as well and that provides motivation for her to do well.
“Even with the zero people in attendance, there’s still a crowd that’ll be cheering us on, and even if we can put a smile on someone’s face in this critical time, that’s me doing my job.”
She also commented on how even though WrestleMania this year is taking place at the WWE Performance Center, it’s still WrestleMania.
“So I need to think of the bigger picture sometimes. It’s still WrestleMania, and it’s still an amazing accomplishment. Even if it is at the Performance Center, it doesn’t take away the fact that it’s WrestleMania.”
The full interview with Ripley from Fox Sports Australia can be found here.
Triple H has addressed the current status of WWE’s black-and-gold brand amidst the current coronavirus outbreak. During an interview with PWInsider, “The Game” noted how the brand is doing well despite the global situation forcing them to perform in front of zero fans.
“Again, we’re like everybody else trying to deal with very stressful circumstances and trying to do the best with circumstances that are changing on a minute by minute basis,” Triple H explained. “If you go back a month ago and tell people that you’re in the situation that you’re in today, it’s almost unthinkable. But here we are.”
He continued, “Over the last few weeks we’ve gone to doing all our shows without fans out of the Performance Center to the point of even, for the most part, doing WrestleMania that same way. The decision to shift NXT slightly to not doing a Takeover separate and bringing Takeover and putting them onto the weekly episodic series really just came down to, I think, a decision of amount of content that needed to take place in a very short period of time leading into WrestleMania and everything else, and it just made sense for us to do it in a different factor.”
Taking TakeOver To NXT
NXT TakeOver: Tampa Bay was due to take place this Saturday, April 4. Coronavirus concerns, however, forced WWE to cancel all their WrestleMania week plans. TakeOver included. Rather than delay the event, WWE instead set all matches scheduled for TakeOver for future NXT episodes.
Triple H argued how, given TakeOver was a separate event from WrestleMania 36, it made sense to approach their matches from a different angle.
“When you take into consideration the fact that it’s a separate event, but really no one’s going to be there to see it live anyways, it really made sense for us to do it this way.”
He continued, “We’ll start tonight with Keith Lee defending the North American Championship against Dominik Dijakovic and Damian Priest and continue into next week. Not all the matches, at this point, will be able to take place, but we’ll get there down the line and continue to create the content that we can.”
Delivering Entertainment During COVID-19
Triple H then stressed how WWE is committed to providing entertainment to people worldwide. He noted how their programming can help people forget the real-world situation, if only for a few hours.
“And it won’t be perfect, it won’t be exactly what everybody wants it to be, maybe in some manner,” Triple H said. “But if they can forget about that and just tune out and turn it on and just let themselves been entertained, hopefully we can do that for you and let you forget about it for a brief period of time.”
WrestleMania 36 will air on the WWE Network this weekend on April 4 and April 5.
NXT Superstar Keith Lee has opened up about whether he ever considered taking a break from wrestling during the current coronavirus pandemic. Speaking with CBS Sports, Lee stated how, although it may have been a consideration for many, he felt confident in the protocols WWE has put in place to ensure the safety of their Superstars.
“[…] with the protocols that we’ve had, it’s kind of made it possible for us to get it done. I think that for me, it never was really a thought [in my head] because I knew of what the protocol would be and the things necessary in order to even be okay and cleared to enter the building and things of that sort. So I was fairly confident in the circumstances that were set forth before us.”
Keith Lee On Empty Arenas, Missing The Crowd
His commitment to performing has led Keith Lee to wrestle in front of an empty WWE Performance Center. He compared this experience to wrestling in front of a live crowd. Lee acknowledged how “there is definitely a certain level of adrenaline that the crowd offers.”
He talked about how the crowd being there sometimes helps things hurt less. Lee then reflected on how he would get in the “zone” after coming out of the back and embracing the atmosphere.
“[…] based on last week’s episode and there being nobody there, the first punch to my ear really rocked me, and that’s not a normal thing for me. So that’s something that I’ve taken note of, and I’ve tried to prepare myself going forward. Things are going to hurt more and that’s okay. All I can do is absorb those and use those instead to hopefully reset adrenaline levels where I can push forward.”
Current Fitness Regime
Keith Lee then detailed how he’s staying fit now that he cannot work out at the WWE PC. He shared his regime, pointing to “basic things like pushup variations, burpees, squat jumps and lunges, mountain climbers, things of that sort.”
He then shared which YouTube channels he follows that help keeps him motivated and exercising, including Jeff Cavalier, Mike Rashid, and Simeon Panda.
Rhea Ripley is set to defend her NXT Women’s Championship at this weekend’s WrestleMania 36 event. Despite the surreal circumstances surrounding their clash, Ripley has stated she remains excited for the opportunity to wrestle Charlotte Flair.
“To be knowing that I’m going to WrestleMania 36 to face Charlotte Flair and put my NXT championship on the line is just absolutely insane, I’m so, so excited,” she explained to the New York Post. “Man, I’m going to be in tears afterward. I know it.”
Rhea Ripley Draws Strength From Scars
Giving the interview a poignant, introspective angle, Ripley opened up about how she draws strength from her personal scars. Looking at them helps to remind her of what she has previously overcome. This reminder subsequently helps to resolve her and keep her pushing forward.
“I still feel myself slipping there from time to time, but I find that if I do look at the scars that I have from that time it helps me to remind myself that I’ve been through all of this and I was able to overcome it.”
She continued, “[…] I think that that’s really special in the way that I know that I can keep going and keep doing what I love and I have people in my life that are going to help me overcome whatever I need to overcome at that point in time. … I have fans there for me and I’m legitimately working the job I dreamt about since being a child and I have to remember that sometimes.”
Ripley’s Unique Look
Rhea Ripley also spoke about her unique look. Ripley stressed how she loves her punk aesthetic and that if someone isn’t a fan, she “couldn’t care less.” For her, it’s about being able to be true to herself.
“I’m being me and that’s what I’m trying to put forward. I’m trying to put forward that everyone should be comfortable in their own skin and they should be happy being themselves.”
Rhea Ripley attempts to defend her NXT Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair this weekend at WrestleMania 36. The two-day event will air on the WWE Network on April 4 and April 5.
The April 1, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from the Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
The show was headlined by a Triple Threat Match for the NXT North American Title with Keith Lee defending against Damian Priest and Dominik Dijakovic.
WWE NXT Results (4/1)
The Velveteen Dream def. Bobby Fish
Dexter Lumis def. Jake Atlas
Dakota Kai def. Shotzi Blackheart, Deonna Purrazzo, Xia Li, Aliyah and Kayden Carter
KUSHIDA def. Joaquin Wilde
NXT North American Champion Keith Lee def. Damian Priest & Dominik Dijakovic
Here are the 4 takeaways from this week’s NXT show:
Second Chance Gauntlet Match
Dakota Kai
WWE held a Second Chance Gauntlet Match in order to determine who will get the final spot for the six-woman Ladder Match.
The Gauntlet featured Aliyah, Kayden Carter, Deonna Purrazzo, Shotzi Blackheart, Dakota Kai, and Xia Li. As seen in the contest, Kai ended up going over.
Other competitors in the Ladder Match include Io Shirai, Candice LeRae, Chelsea Green, Mia Yim, and Tegan Nox. The winner of the match will become the new #1 contender to the NXT Women’s Championship, which is currently held by Rhea Ripley.
The new #1 contender will earn a future title shot in a match that will take place after WrestleMania 36 due to Ripley defending the title against Charlotte Flair at this show.
Dexter Lumis, formerly known as Samuel Shaw, took on Jake Atlas in a singles match which marked the second contest of the night.
Lumis went over in the contest. This marked the television debut for Atlas.
Lumis was under contract with TNA (now known as Impact Wrestling) from 2010 – 2015 where he won the Gut Check competition.
He was announced as part of the Performance Center recruits by the WWE that started training at the facility in Orlando, Florida back in March 2019.
Trevor Lee, 3.0, Elliott Sexton, Nick Comoroto, Rachael Ellering, Karen Q, Jonah Rock, Ricardo Miller and Omari Palmer were also part of this class.
This comes a week after a vignette aired promoting Lumis’ return was aired on the program.
Lumis competed in a tournament named NXT Breakout Tournament last July. This marked his TV debut but he lost in the first round of the tournament to Bronson Reed.
The Velveteen Dream vs. Bobby Fish in a singles match is in the books as the match took place on this show.
It was a fine match but not as good as Dream’s bout with Roderick Strong that also took place on NXT TV. Dream went over in the contest.
Since Dream came back from being on the shelf with an injury, he hasn’t found his groove that he was in regarding his in-ring work for whatever reason. Perhaps, he’s not 100%.
Either way, he makes up for that with his character and promo work, which has always been fanatic.
Clearly, WWE is building up to Dream challenging NXT Champion Adam Cole for the strap. When that exactly happens is up in the air due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
A Triple Threat for the NXT North American Title with Keith Lee defending against Damian Priest and Dominik Dijakovic took place. This was the biggest match on the show.
As seen in the match, Lee went over in his latest successful title defense. This was the right call.
Not only due to Lee still having somewhat of a short reign thus far but no titles should change hands in front of no fans in attendance.
WWE has been building up this match involving these stars for a few months now. Lee has had his good share of matches with both stars within this time. Also, Priest and Dijakovic have battled as well.
Perhaps, WWE will move forward with Lee feuding with someone else following this match considering that they don’t have anything to back up as to why they should get another crack at the men’s secondary title on the NXT brand.
