At Extreme Rules 2022, Bray Wyatt made his return to WWE, the culmination of the much-acclaimed ‘White Rabbit’ series of cryptic messages. Not long after, the WWE Universe was introduced to the enigmatic Uncle Howdy, as played by Wyatt’s real-life brother Bo Dallas, but there was reportedly another person planned to be introduced.
Like Wyatt and Dallas, Eric Young returned to WWE in late 2022 after being cut from the company in April 2020. Speaking to Chris Van Vliet of Insight, the former Sanity member shared what WWE had intended for him.
“The original idea was me, Bray, and Bo as a trio. That’s what was told to me from Hunter basically. Obviously, I’m gonna jump at that, I’m friends with both of those guys. Creatively, it would’ve been just an unbelievable opportunity.
“Working there, working on the main roster, wrestling all over the world with two guys that I get along with well. Obviously, a huge part of the show at that point, The Fiend and Bray was one of the most popular things at that time.”
Tragically, Wyatt’s return to WWE was cut short as he was pulled from programming in early 2023 due to health issues and passed away aged 36 in August. Young would part ways with WWE in 2023, having never returned to programming. On the podcast, Young shared that he departed WWE as he refused to work under Vince McMahon, who had strong-armed his way back into the company in January.
While plans for Wyatt, Howdy, and Young never made it to TV, the Wyatt Sicks, as led by Uncle Howdy, serves as a tribute to the late wrestler and as a formidable quintet on Monday Night Raw. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest from the Wyatt Sicks and the work of Uncle Howdy.
Non-disclosure agreements became a hot topic in pro wrestling, thanks to the hush money scandal that led to Vince McMahon’s WWE departure. The company’s practice of NDAs extends past that scandalous situation, as even Eric Young agreed to sign a non-disclosure agreement with WWE.
Eric Young requested and was granted his release from WWE in April 2023, shortly after re-signing with the company in November 2022. At the time, it was reported that his decision came after Vince McMahon returned to an official capacity in WWE as part of the deal with Endeavor.
Speaking to Sunday Night’s Main Event, Eric Young revealed that when he rejoined WWE, he never physically left his home for work. He signed a non-disclosure agreement, which still restricts him from naming specific people, but he did acknowledge that he refused to return due to someone who was around.
I actually never left my house (after agreeing to return to WWE in 2022). I mean, the whole story’s wild. Again, I had to sign an NDA, and I’m not allowed to say names… (Host asked if Young’s NDA is as ironclad as Janel Grant’s NDA) I don’t know. It depends if it goes federal or not. I mean, I might be able to say everything here within a few months but, the truth is, I don’t need to talk badly on it.
It is what it is and I talked to Hunter and he hired me back and wanted me back there and I was and another person came back and I won’t work for that person, I won’t be around that person and I said that when I left there the first time when I got fired and I meant it and you know, for me, there was tons of professional reasons.
WWE’s Non-Disclosure Agreements
On January 25th, Janel Grant, a former WWE employee, filed a lawsuit against Vince McMahon, alleging sex trafficking and sexual assault. McMahon resigned from his position on the TKO Group Board of Directors after Slim Jim pulled their sponsorship on the day before the 2024 Royal Rumble event. He has since denied the allegations, stating his intention to clear his name.
The lawsuit led WWE to distance itself from McMahon, who had previously led the company for over 40 years. In the summer of 2023, McMahon was served with a grand jury subpoena for documents related to allegations of sexual misconduct against current or former WWE employees.
Additionally, it was revealed that Janel Grant and at least four other women had previously entered into Non-Disclosure Agreements with McMahon regarding similar allegations. Grant’s legal team has since said that the amount of people coming forward to issue their own complaints about McMahon is overwhelming.
Eric Young’s Impact Wrestling Exit
Young expressed confidence that he could still work at WWE today. He remains in close contact with Triple H and holds him and the majority of the WWE staff in high regard.
Regarding his departure from IMPACT, Young disclosed that he had no plans to return after signing a four-year contract with WWE.
In 2022, Eric Young concluded his time with IMPACT Wrestling, as he exited their television stories after he was stabbed by Cody Deaner. This angle was designed to write him off as he was transitioning back to WWE, a move that never truly materialized.
On February 7, TNA Wrestling announced that Scott A’Dmore, the President of the company, had been terminated from his contract. Anthony Cicione was then named as his replacement.
In the wake of this news, several TNA talents came together to compose a letter to their parent company — Anthem Sports & Entertainment — urging them to boast a solution that would bring D’Amore back into the company. While it remains unclear if D’Amore will be reinstated in some capacity, the TNA locker room continues to stand in solidarity. And per the words of Eric Young, it seems there be no surrender any time soon.
Eric Young’s Powerful Speech
Ahead of tonight’s TNA No Surrender event in New Orleans, former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Eric Young delivered a powerful message to the live audience in attendance.
While Young acknowledged that change can be “tricky,” he also recognized the importance of adapting and pivoting with that change. In the case of TNA Wrestling, Young noted that many followers of the company were doubtful that it would stand the test of time. And yet, as Young pointed out, TNA is still alive and thriving.
“This is an amazing place filled with amazing people,” Young said. “And sometimes you lose something. You lose someone, and the next step is grief. And then after that, after a while, the next step is you got one of two choices. You could be lost with them or you can move forward. And that’s what we’re going to do. That’s what we’ve always done. We’re going to move forward because that’s what we need. That’s what they would want. That’s what is necessary.”
“This place, this world, this universe, it’s bigger than all of us. And we all want the same thing. We want this place to thrive. We want it to be seen. We want it to be respected. We wanted to be loved. So I say this: to anybody that stands in our way, to anybody that would oppose us, anybody asking for our unbiased surrender … This place, these people, you guys, TNA — there will be no surrender.”
Following his speech, Young kicked off the main No Surrender card with a number one contenders match victory over Frankie Kazarian. With this win, Young will now move on to challenge for the TNA World Championship at the Sacrifice event on March 8.
Eric Young led the TNA locker room to address the crowd ahead of No Surrender. Here's the full video pic.twitter.com/RzGWMg3c99
TNA Wrestling has been making an impact in recent weeks, and the latest tapings saw allies of a popular WWE faction face off.
During the latest aired episode of TNA iMPACT, Frankie Kazarian attacked Eric Young, turning heel on the former World Champion. The pair had previously lost to the Grizzled Young Veterans. During the most recent tapings, the angle continued and Kazarian told EY that he’d only face him once Young had banished a ghost of his past. This brought out Big Damp, better known to WWE fans as Killian Dain. Despite his best efforts, Damp would lose to Young.
Scoop #20: Eric Young out to wrestle
Frankie Kazarian says EY doesn’t get to decide when they wrestle, he does, and he’s not in the mood tonight
But EY has ghosts in his closet, and tonight he will face one
Damo and Young were part of SANITY in WWE, which was formed in 2016. The group would capture the NXT Tag Team Championships before being called up to the main roster in 2018 (sans Nikki Cross.) The faction’s time on the main roster would be underwhelming and the members were released in the coming years. The faction recently reunited in PROGRESS Wrestling and was represented by Damo, Young, and Axel Tischer (Alexander Wolfe in WWE.)
Big Damo in TNA Wrestling
Big Damo is no stranger to TNA, having had two matches for the promotion during their 2016 tour of the UK. Ironically, both of Damo’s matches for TNA would see him face Young. EY bested Damo in a singles match in their first encounter. Their second encounter saw Young retain the King of the Mountain Championship in a King of the Mountain match against Damo, Jimmy Havoc, Bram, and Will Ospreay.
When Bray Wyatt returned to WWE last year, there were rumors of a “Wyatt 6” faction. It would be his “Firefly Funhouse” characters come to life as actual characters.
Fans have been introduced to “Uncle Howdy”. Rumors have been running rampant that Wyatt’s real life brother, Bo Dallas, would be portraying him. After last night’s SmackDown, there is a new theory on the person behind the character.
Former WWE Superstar with Bray Wyatt
WWE
During the “Firefly Funhouse” segment, there was a voiceover that said, “welcome everyone to America’s favorite game show. Can you keep a secret?”
Some fans speculated that the voice belonged to former NXT Superstar, Eric Young. Young had been leading a faction in IMPACT Wrestling, Violent By Design. His character was killed by his stablemate last December. It was reported then that the former SAnity leader was WWE bound.
In the same segment, a box that “Evil Alexa” used in the “Firefly Funhouse” was also featured. A woman’s hands were seen playing with action figures. Could that have been Bliss’s hands?
Would you like to see Eric Young with the “Wyatt 6”?
Eric Young is returning to WWE. He was written off of Impact on tonight’s episode on AXS. The 42-year-old won the NXT Tag Team Championships with former WWE star Alexander Wolfe. SAnitY defeated the Authors of Pain at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II. SAnitY members Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain were released last year. Nikki Cross is currently on the Raw roster.
According to a new report by PWInsider, the former SAnitY faction leader will be returning to the company. There are currently no details as to Eric’s role with the company, start date, or whether he will be on the main roster or in NXT.
Young was released by WWE in April 2020 in their first wave of COVID-19 releases. Eric returned at Slammiversary 2020 and went on to win the Impact Championship later in the year on the September 1st edition of Impact later that year.
Young appeared to be killed in a vignette featuring fellow Violent By Design member Deaner. The vignette was taped in prison and they were fighting over a shiv. Deaner won and Young shouted at him to “eliminate the sickness!” at the end of the video below.
Eric Young was interviewed by Chis Van Vliet following his release from WWE and had some harsh words for the former CEO. Young stated Vince failed as a leader because he had nothing for him.
If you have a 3-hour television show, pro-wrestling television show, and you can’t find something for me to do then you are failing as a leader.
Plain and simple. You failed your company. You failed the shareholders, you failed the fans and you failed yourself.
A former WWE Superstar once told Vince McMahon to his face, “If you have a three-hour wrestling show and you can’t find five minutes for me to do anything, you’ve failed. You’re a failure.”
Eric Young was used as a top star as the leader of SAnitY in WWE NXT under the leadership of Triple H. However, once called up to the main roster, he was used sparingly. He was eventually let go in 2020.
Young believes that his run would have gone differently, had Triple H been in charge of creative as he is now.
Eric Young Stands up to Vince McMahon
Eric Young spoke about his frustrations in WWE while speaking with Jim Alexander of Reel Talker.
“I went to a meeting with Vince to pitch him some ideas and I told him to his face, if you have a three-hour wrestling show and you can’t find five minutes for me to do anything, you’ve failed. You’re a failure. I’d say that again to his face, because that’s what it is.”
Young then recalled producing as a favor to Triple H. At the time, he wasn’t being used and was being paid to be there, so he was thankful to have something to do.
With Vince McMahon out of power, Eric Young looks back and thinks he would have fared better in WWE if Triple H running creative/talent relations when he was there.
“Things would have been way different for me,” said Young. “I would do anything for him. I’d run through a wall. Help him hide a dead body (laughs), whatever he asked me to do. I respect him that much.”
Eric Young returned to Impact Wrestling in 2020 after leaving WWE. He still wrestles there today and actually held the Impact World Championship from August-October 2020.
As a wrestler of over 30 years, Eric Young is no stranger to championship gold, but one prize that has alluded him is the NXT Championship.
In 2016, Young signed with WWE after a lengthy run in Impact Wrestling and formed the group Sanity alongside Killian Dain, Alexander Wolfe, Nikki Cross, and briefly Sawyer Fulton.
The group did hold the NXT Tag Team Championships, but Young never captured the brand’s top prize, despite at least one of his Sanity cohorts thinking he was ready.
Speaking to the Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast, Dain said there was a window of time when he felt Young could’ve feuded with Shinsuke Nakamura who at the time held the NXT Championship.
That feud never transpired which remains a sore spot for Dain who said (via Bodyslam):
“WWE were idiots for not putting the NXT Championship on Eric Young while we were in NXT.”
Killian Dain on Young’s push in WWE.
Young after WWE
Young captured his second Impact World Championship upon his return to the company following his April 2020 WWE release.
Eric Young’s career in WWE may not have gone as he (or Dain) may have hoped, but the Canadian wrestler has done well for him since.
At July 2020’s Slammiversary event, Young returned to Impact Wrestling and captured the promotion’s World Championship in September that same year.
Young’s reign would end the following month when he lost the title to Rich Swann.
At next weekend’s Slammiversary, Young will once again challenge for the Impact World Championship, now held by fellow Canadian Josh Alexander.
Impact Wrestling on 3/30 featured James Storm’s 1000th match in the promotion as he faced Eric Young. We also saw some important matches booked for April 10th’s Hardcore Justice event.
Impact Wrestling 3/30 Quick Results:
Fire N Flava (Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz) defeated Havok & Nevaeh
Sami Callihan defeated Larry D
Brian Myers defeated Suicide
Ace Austin & Madman Fulton defeated TJP & Josh Alexander
James Storm defeated Eric Young
James Storm Defeats Eric Young In His 1000th Impact/TNA Match
In a pre-match interview earlier in the show, James Storm dedicated this match to Bob Ryder, who co-founded the company and passed away in November. Storm was then joined by his old tag-team partner Chris Harris for a quick reunion as Chris Sabin and Jake Something looked on.
Storm would need his allies’ help to fend off Young’s Violent By Design faction during the match. The end of the match came as a giant brawl erupted on the outside, while inside the ring Young attempted to use his old-school hockey goalie mask as a weapon but Storm landed his Last Call Superkick and got the win.
Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers Attack Rich Swann, Willie Mack, & Eddie Edwards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh0h-a-uYy0
When Impact Wrestling makes the move to Thursday nights next week, Kenny Omega will wrestle on the show for the first time. It will be Omega and the Good Brothers going up against Rich Swann, Willie Mack, and Eddie Edwards. We got a preview of the match this week. Don Callis had approached Willie Mack in the back and was showing him a video of Kenny Omega using the 1-Winged Angel. This brought out Rich Swann who confronted Callis. Swann was then attacked from behind and Omega and the Good Brothers took it to Swann and Mack. Eddie Edwards then came in to fight on the babyface side, however, and sent the heels packing.
Jazz To Put Career On The Line In Knockouts Title Match
Tommy Dreamer is putting the match card together for Hardcore Justice on April 10th. He announced this week that Jazz will face Deonna Purrazzo for the Knockouts title on the show. Dreamer said that Jazz needs to put something up in the match to which Jazz suggested her career. Dreamer said she didn’t need to do that but Jazz insisted. With that, we have a career vs title match between Jazz and Purrazzo at Hardcore Justice.
Dreamer also announced that there will be a multi-woman scramble match with the winner earning a Knockouts title shot. All weapons will be legal, Dreamer mentioned, though Alisha Edwards still had trouble understanding.
Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone Run Down Dynamite Lineup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM46uVo5NgU
The two Tonys were back this week. They ran down the lineup for AEW Dynamite but also made special mention of the match between Christian Cage and Frankie Kazarian as the two had several matches while with Impact/TNA. The rest of the lineup for tonight’s Dynamite is below:
Exhibition Match Referee: Arn Anderson Cody Rhodes vs. QT Marshall
Christian Cage vs. Frankie Kazarian
Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy vs. Kip Sabian & Miro(w/Penelope Ford)
Hikaru Shida & Tay Conti vs. Nyla Rose & The Bunny(w/Vickie Guerrero)
The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) & Kenny Omega (w/Don Callis) vs. The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) & Laredo Kid
MJF gives a present to the Pinnacle
Nevaeh Turns On Havok
Havok and Nevaeh dropped their 3rd match to Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz this week. Fire N Flava defeated the team in the finals of the Knockouts tournament, then again in a Texas Tornado match at No Surrender, and now again on last night’s show. After the match, Nevaeh evidently was fed up with all the losing. After weeks of teasing, the team finally imploded when Nevaeh attacked Havok from behind. She was heard yelling “I thought I was the weak link” during the melee as the segment came to a close.
Trey Miguel Doesn’t Return the Favor For Sami Callihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCXnyv-fJAE
Last week, Sami Callihan rescued Trey Miguel from a beatdown from Team XXXL. This week, Sami Callihan defeated Larry D in singles action. After the match, Acey Romero attacked Callihan from behind. Trey would not return the favor for Callihan, however, and simply allowed the 2-on-1 to take place. Callihan seems pleased with this for some reason.
Later in the show, Callihan confronted Trey in the back. He said he wants the two of them to team against Team XXXL and that he wants to be Trey’s mentor.
Brian Myers Turns Down Matt Cardona’s Challenge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yux_DAv6_Is
Brian Myers picked up a win this week over Suicide. After the match, he got on the microphone to address Matt Cardona challenging him to a match last week. Myers turned down Cardona’s challenge and said that despite their long history together, Cardona isn’t part of Myers’ plans in Impact Wrestling.
TJP and Josh Alexander Can’t Get Along In Loss To Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHrkZZhysY4
Ace Austin and Madman Fulton picked up the win in tag action this week over TJP and Josh Alexander. TJP and Alexander had difficulty working with each other throughout the match and that would ultimately cost them. TJP hit a Mamba splash on Austin but then he and Alexander began arguing over who the legal man was. This allowed Austin to roll up TJP for the win.
Coming Up In Impact Wrestling
Next Week (Thursday, April 8th)
Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers vs Willie Mack, Rich Swann, & Eddie Edwards
Hardcore Justice (April 10th)
Career vs Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Jazz
Multi-Woman Scramble Match For Knockouts Title Shot
Rebellion (April 25th)
AEW World Championship vs Impact World Championship Kenny Omega (AEW) (c) vs Rich Swann (Impact) (c)
Impact Tag Team Championships FinJuice (Juice Robinson & David Finlay) (c) vs The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows)
Impact Wrestling’s Eric Young will be out of action for quite a while, possibly for the remainder of 2021. He revealed recently on the Wrestling Perspectives podcast that he has a torn ACL. Young is hoping to be back in six months, but typical recovery times from such an injury is 6-9 months.
The match he suffered the injury during is scheduled to air tonight on AXS TV. He wrestled James Storm on the show in what was Storm’s 1000th match for the promotion.
“At the last tapings I tore my ACL,” Young said on the podcast. “It’s the first time I’ve ever been injured. I missed my first wrestling show this Friday that I was booked on in 24 years of doing it. So, it’s frustrating, man. I’ve never been injured. I’ve been hurt lots, but I’ve never been injured. I have to have surgery in like a week and a half. And it’s going to be a long, long road. So, we’ll see, man. It’s going to get real interesting for me.”
Unfortunately, Young was the leader of a new stable in Impact. Along with Joe Doering, Rhino, and Cody Deaner, the faction is known as Violent By Design. It’s possible he’ll remain on television as the mouthpiece for the group.
“My ACL is completely torn, which I didn’t know,” Young continued. “That happened on Monday during the match with Storm. I finished it like nothing happened. I wrestled a hardcore war eight-man tag the following day, then I wrestled Eddie Edwards on Tuesday in a singles match. It was like 20 minutes — on one leg. And I would put that match against anything that airs anytime, for any wrestling company, anywhere in the world, and I did it on one leg. And I’m very proud of it.”
IMPACT Wrestling Star Rich Swann will be challenging for the company’s World Title this Saturday. The former 205 Live Superstar will be taking on Eric Young for the IMPACT World Championship at the Bound For Glory PPV.
Swann recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio to discuss his upcoming Title match as well as his horrific ankle injury. Rich Swann has previously described his near career-ending and life altering injury as his Achilles being“crushed like a soda can.”
Ankle Injury
“Once I started going after the surgery to the doctor and they saw how severe it was? I showed him some of the videos of my work” Rich Swann began on Busted Open Radio. “I showed him some of the things [I do] and some of my matches, you know? How I would perform. He [the doctor] looked at me and he said ‘oh boy, if you think you’ll be doing this? You might have another thing coming!'”
Rich Swann’s injury took place in January of this year. In a previous interview with F4W, Swann stated “my fibula was broken clean and it was broken to the point where the bone was just sticking at the skin. It was almost a compound fracture.” Swann suffered the injury at Impact’s Bash at the Brewery 2 back in January as mentioned.
Different Profession
Swann would also mention that the severity of the injury meant he might’ve had to find another career outside of wrestling. “And then he [the doctor] started getting a little bit more serious. He was like ‘you know you might have to think about another profession? You might not even be walking, you know?'”
Rich Swann would finish by stating that the injury could’ve left him struggling to walk for the rest of his life. “‘You might literally have a limp for the rest of your life'” Swann continued. “And to hear that, you know? It was like….man, I go from being told that I’ll never be able to make it in this industry? To doing it? To it all potentially being taken away with one simple move?”
Do you think that Rich Swann will beat Eric Young for the IMPACT World Title this weekend? Let us know in the comments.
The current Impact Wrestling World Champion Eric Young recently appeared on Sitting Ringtside with David Penzer podcast where he talked about his WWE release and more.
Many believe WWE missed a big opportunity with the Sanity faction led by the current Impact Champion when they made their debut on the main roster back in June 2018.
During the interview, Young revealed that the original plans for the group’s debut were different and they were originally going to debut a week earlier:
“We were supposed to be with New Day and during the show which was our debut. The main event was an 8 man or a 6 man, I can’t remember, but it was 3 guys vs New Day.
New Day was going over and then our music would hit and we would stand at the top of the ring to end SmackDown and that would be the first time you see us. SmackDown would go off the air with the three of us standing there.”
However, the match involving the New Day went longer and according to Eric Young, producers then decided to nix their planned debut because they didn’t have enough time.
Sanity ended up debuting a week later, attacking the Usos before their match but the company did not have any long term plans for the group and they got disbanded less than a year later in April 2019 during the drafts.
The North and Ace Austin & Madman Fulton defeated The Motor City Machine Guns & The Good Brothers
Impact World Championship Match Booked For Bound For Glory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U6IOak49bA
Rich Swann will face Eric Young for the Impact World Championship at Bound For Glory on October 24th. Scott D’Amore made the match official for the PPV this week. Swann came out on crutches to cut a promo. He said he wanted to face Young for the title which brought out D’Amore. The co-Vice President of Impact said if Swann faces Young he could end up crippled but Swann was undeterred. Young came out to confront Swann and a melee ensued after Young shoved D’Amore. As Young retreated up the ramp, D’Amore made the match official for Bound For Glory.
Tag Team Controversy Headlines Show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdsSqsggG5Q
The Rascalz were replaced in the night’s main event by the Good Brothers. Wentz and Dez had been attacked in the back earlier in the show by the North and Ace Austin & Madman Fulton. The match seemed to be more every team for themselves rather than 4-on-4 at times and this was noted on commentary.
The finish of the match came when The North delivered a double-team move onto Sabin but Ace Austin got the pin off the blind tag. The North looked annoyed at Austin after the match. The Good Brothers and MCMG also seemed to take issue with each other after the match’s conclusion.
Moose has been searching for EC3, who stole the TNA World Heavyweight title from him and has been threatening to destroy it. Moose called someone on the phone this week looking for help. He referred to this person as “Demo God” and asked them what they did that time they lost the World Championship belt, something Jericho did shortly after becoming AEW World Champion. Moose thanked the person on the other end of the phone for some advice the audience was not privy to and then said the next time they see each other, that the “Bubbly” would be on him.
Kiera Hogan Scores Huge Victory Over Taya Valkyrie Thanks To Tasha Steelz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubeGqmIAnoM
Taya Valkyrie was perhaps more concerned with Rosemary and John E Bravo’s upcoming wedding than she was with this match. Valkyrie told Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz last week that they would not be involved in the wedding leading to this match.
With the referee distracted, Steelz kicked Taya in the head and allowed Hogan to hit a fisherman suplex for the win. One has to wonder how this match would have gone if Rosemary had been in Taya’s corner, however. Rosemary was seen approaching Havok backstage this week. She needs Father James Mitchell to officiate her wedding as she is a demon and all, but to bring him back she either needs a virgin sacrifice or Havok’s help. Havok seems unwilling, however.
Jordynne Grace Confronts Tenille Dashwood During Photoshoot
Anyone else sensing a little jealousy here!? I have multiple jobs! The people know how hard I work! Plus, we’ve all seen @JordynneGrace try to follow in my food steps with the photoshoots and all.. It’s not my fault she hasn’t been as successful as me! 🤷🏻♀️ #IMPACTonAXSTVhttps://t.co/Ip25UVuLpz
Tenille Dashwood was in the middle of a photoshoot with her own personal photographer this week when Jordynne Grace confronted her about “showing up to work.” A match between the two has been scheduled for next week.
Willie Mack Gets Measure Of Revenge On Brian Myers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6FMuQmuS_8
Willie Mack came into this one having dropped 5 straight singles matches. He lost two in a row for the X-Division belt to Chris Bey, then he lost to Eric Young and recently he had dropped two in a row to the debuting Brian Myers.
Mack kicked out of Myers’ big DDT and then threw him into an uncovered turnbuckle that Myers himself had exposed before then giving him a Stunner for the win. Willie Mack is back in the win column and Brian Myers suffers his first loss in Impact Wrestling.
Trey Miguel Makes Case For X-Division Title Shot, Rascalz Attacked
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY1ruRdYiFI
Trey Miguel was seen challenging X-Division champion Rohit Raju in the back for a title shot this week. He then went out and had a great match with TJP, scoring the victory with a Meteora from the top rope.
Unfortunately, while Trey was out in the ring wrestling TJP, The North and Ace Austin & Madman Fulton attacked his Rascalz teammates in the back. Wentz & Dez had been scheduled to team with the Motor City Machine Guns later in the show but “Dr” Ross Foreman was unable to clear them to compete. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows then volunteered to replace the Rascalz.
Later in the show, Chris Bey, TJP, and Trey Miguel confronted Raju. The champion then suggested the 3 contenders face each other to determine the next contender.
Susie Channels Su Yung To Score Victory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abQnEW9m7cg
This week’s episode kicked off with Susie and Kylie Rae teaming up to take on Deonna Purrazzo and Kimber Lee. It would be Susie picking up the win for her team on Kimber Lee but the innocent Susie seemed to channel some of her darker Su Yung persona to close the match.
Susie would use a modified hurricanrana out of the corner followed by the Panic Switch on Kimber Lee to score the pin. Those two moves are more associated with her Su Yung persona than Susie. It seems possible that the former undead bride and Knockouts Champion Susie could be returning.
Team XXXL Picks Up Win Over The Deaners
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51C3xHxtAzs
This week a story appeared on SI.com covering Acey Romero’s astonishing weight loss. Perhaps Team XXXL will have to drop one or two of the “Xs” in their name soon.
The heavyweight team also picked up a big win this week over Cody Deaner and Cousin Jake. It was Larry D, who gained so much confidence in himself on Wrestle House as Lawrence D, picked up the win for his team when he knocked out Cousin Jake with a big right fist.
Next Week On Impact Wrestling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R23lknFOQNc
The following matches have been confirmed for next week:
Trey Miguel vs TJP vs Chris Bey (X-Division #1 Contender)
Eric Young is the new Impact World Champion. He defeated Eddie Edwards last night on Impact’s weekly show. Young hit Edwards with a hockey mask as the referee was distracted and then hit a piledriver for the win. After the match, Young continued the attack on Edwards’ leg, much like he has done to Rich Swann recently.
Young returned to the promotion at Slammiversary and was entered into the 5-way match for the world title that night. After getting eliminated, Young assaulted Rich Swann, causing the injured former X-Division champion to retire (in storyline).
Eddie Edwards’ second reign with the belt ends after just 28 days. His first title reign came in 2016 when he defeated Bobby Lashley. Edwards would then drop the title back to Lashley in early 2017.
This is the second time that Young has won the title. His first reign came when he defeated Magnus (Nick Aldis) in 2014. Young would drop the title to Bobby Lashley 70 days later.
Young begins the 50th reign in the title’s lineage. Overall, 27 wrestlers have won the title throughout its history dating back to 2007. Prior to 2007, Impact/TNA used the NWA World Heavyweight Championship as its major title.
Eric Young was one of the guys Triple H had signed to NXT. He found success in the development territory of the company but couldn’t replicate the same after being called up to the main roster in 2018.
After making sporadic appearances for the company for a couple of years, the former TNA Champion was released in April earlier this year and according to him, HHH did not even know about his firing beforehand.
Young recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet. During the talk, the former leader of Sanity revealed that The Game was the first person to call him after his release and that the DX member did not know about his firing:
“I can tell you now Scott D’Amore was the second person I heard from when the news came out. This is going to sound weird, but Triple H was the very first. He was unaware that it was happening. He’s in a different position in the company now. [We] have always had a very good relationship.”
After being released from WWE, Eric Young has returned to his roots in Impact Wrestling and he made his surprise return to the company during the Slammiversary PPV last month.
Young took part in a 5-way match for the Impact World Championship during the show and he established himself as a heel during the bout.
Eric Young gave some interesting insight into the system that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon has created now that he’s no longer under contract with the company.
He did so while making an appearance on SiriusXM’s Busted Open. Although he felt like he had a part in the creative direction of his character in NXT while working with Triple H, that quickly changed once he moved to the main roster.
He talked about how his transition to the main roster didn’t go very well and part of that is due to him not wanting to be a political person in pro wrestling. He admitted that might be a bit of a hindrance to his career.
“We don’t need to go on and on about it, but the system is broken. It’s hard to get a word in.”
He stated that even when a wrestler isn’t doing anything, it feels like your trying to fix the mistakes made by other people.
“There is no creativity. They want everyone to do things the same and be the same and bump the same and sell the same. There’s millions of rules, which I’m sure you guys have all heard and talked about on the show at length, and people talk about on the internet. The secret rules. Those change daily and it’s just really hard to understand what’s going on and why it’s going on. The system is flawed. And I would say that to anyone there. I would say it to Vince himself.”
He stated that he’s not the first person that McMahon has made a mistake on and he won’t be the last person.
“I don’t think it’s anything personal. Anytime me and him were in a room together, or we spoke, he was always respectful. We had two pretty decently long conversations and I thought they went well and he understood where I was coming from.”
Young stated that as a man, he refuses to stand around and wait on McMahon to talk to him. While he thinks that could be wrong or stubborn on his part, but he just won’t do it.
“I’m a forty-year-old man and I’m not gonna wait in the hallway like a child to maybe get five minutes to talk to him. I said my peace to him. He seemed to be responsive to it. And nothing ever came from it. I don’t take it personally. He made a mistake and, as a leader of the company and the person that decides everything, it’s a massive mistake to pass on somebody with me.”
He added, “You have a three-hour television show and you can’t find five minutes for Eric Young? Your show is broken. It’s as simple as that. I’ve proven that I can do whatever. Any role. I’m not saying I can do it. I’ve already done it and I’ve proven that I can do it and do it very well.”
He considers that a huge miss and mistake. He now sees it as a gain for somebody else. Young stated that his soul hadn’t felt good in a long time and that he didn’t exist for two years while on the main roster.
He stated that everyone in wrestling is creative and to have your hard work be discarded is hard to deal with and a huge blow to the psyche.
“I never thought, ‘Oh, this is my fault.’ The system is just broken. It’s flawed. All the flaws are created by one person and that’s not gonna change, unfortunately.”
Young stated that a lot of people who are creative and talented are never going to be able to fully do what they can do because of the way the system is organized.
He called it super frustrating when you’re in it. He added that he can smile now because he doesn’t have to deal with that anymore.
EC3, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and Eric Young have all joined Impact Wrestling.
Eddie Edwards vs. Trey Miguel vs. Ace Austin vs. Rich Swann vs. Eric Young in an Elimination Match for the vacant Impact World Championship was booked as the main event of Saturday’s Slammiversary pay-per-view event from Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.
Edwards defeated Ace Austin to win the title. Post-match, Madman Fulton began to beat down Edwards and Austin joined in. The Good Brothers walked down and made the save. They all stood tall together.
All of these stars were released from WWE in April when the company decided to make mass firing of staff and talent. The wrestlers who were released were under a 90-day non-compete clause until July 15th, which at the time had prevented them from officially signing a deal with any promotion.
Over the last few weeks, it was reported that Anderson and Gallows had agreed to signing with Impact. The promotion made it official earlier on Saturday. They also agreed to a separate deal with another promotion, which will allow them to work for New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Before this event, the promotion had been teasing the return of EC3 to Impact as his entrance music was played on an episode of Impact.
IMPACT Wrestling have reportedly looked to the free agency market to bolster their roster over the coming weeks.
Fightful recently reported that the AXS TV hosted brand are specifically looking at recently released WWE talents. With former NXT Superstar Deonna Purrazzo having already debuted there’s a chance that other released Superstars aren’t far behind.
Gallows and Anderson to IMPACT
Arguably the two biggest names, already somewhat confirmed, are Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. The former Bullet Club and OC stablemates have teased heading to AXS TV over the last few weeks, with a return to New Japan Pro Wrestling also on the horizon for the two. There have been teases for the two on IMPACT recently, with Scott D’more stating that he was on a call to some “Good Brothers.”
As we reported recently, EC3 has sent a stark warning to the AEW roster; seemingly showing his intent to debut for the TNT hosted company in the near future. IMPACT themselves have teased the arrival of EC3 over the past month, and there’s a good chance that Ethan Carter III makes his way back to the brand that elevated him to main event status.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MieE1M_b5o
Eric Young
Another name that is being considered is Eric Young. EY was once viewed as a stalwart an ‘lifer’ at TNA/IMPACT, having been a lower to mid card level comedy act with Team Canada before rising the ranks and winning the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in 2014; defeating now NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis.
There has not been any confirmation on whether Heath Slater will be heading to IMPACT in the near future. Slater’s former tag team partner Rhyno teased that he had a tag team partner who’s “got kids.” So there’s a more than good chance he’ll be coming into the fold.
There’s not much opportunity of these talents ‘moving the needle’ for IMPACT if they’re brought to AXS TV. However, all five are competent performers who have the benefit of being ‘underutilized’ by WWE over the past few years. This gives IMPACT the opportunity to really highlight the abilities of Gallows, Anderson, EC3, Young and Slater and it not feel like they’re purely taking scraps from WWE’s table.
Who would you like to see IMPACT bring into the company in the coming weeks? Let us know in the comments
Former WWE Superstar Eric Young has reacted to his WWE release. The former Sanity leader took to Twitter to thank fans for their words of encouragement following the announcement on Wednesday.
Young explained that it was difficult to explain just how much the support he’s received means to him. He added that it’s more appreciated than people could know. Taking a positive approach to the release, Eric Young added how he’s excited about the possibilities and choices that are now ahead of him. Notably, he stressed he is also excited to “right others wrongs.”
Young tweeted, “Thanks for all the kind words everyone! It’s hard to explain what they mean to me so I won’t even try. Know it is appreciated more than you could ever know! EXCITED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES! EXCITED ABOUT MY CHOICES! EXCITED TO RIGHT OTHERS WRONGS! #WORLDCLASSMANIAC”
Eric Young & Other Released Talents
Eric Young signed with WWE back in 2016. He was one of several Superstars who were released from WWE earlier this week. The decision to let them go was made due to the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on business.
He joined fellow in-ring talent such as EC3, Zack Ryder, Rusev, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson to name a few. Alongside wrestlers, a number of backstage personnel were furloughed.
Discussion: Where do you expect Eric Young to end up next?
The Superstar Shake-Up has seemingly brought about the end of WWE’s oft-overlooked and forgotten SaNITy stable. Its members were separated across both RAW and SmackDown, with the group’s former leader, Eric Young, ending up as one of the newest members of the red brand.
Posting on his Instagram account, Eric Young addressed his move to Monday Night RAW, claiming he has “never been one of the chosen,” before promising that this move will allow him the opportunity to show the WWE Universe what he’s capable of.
“I have never been one of the chosen! My path has never been easy! History will show you I ALWAYS END UP ON TOP! I have done it all and will DO WHAT I WANT WHEN I WANT! Time to show the world AGAIN! #worldclassmaniac”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwaCM1OH7RB/
Finding Sanity
Since the Shake-Up took place earlier this week, his fellow SaNITy members have also commented on the situation.
Both Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe took to their social media accounts to express their feelings on the matter.
Despite not being officially disbanded, the way that all three Superstars address the situation gives the unmistakable impression that SaNITy is done.
During their time on NXT, the group would not only win the NXT tag team championships but also be recognised as the NXT Tag Team of the year in 2017. The initial impact the group enjoyed during their tenure in NXT was never replicated during their main roster run.
The first night of WWE’s 2019 Superstar Shakeup saw 17 SmackDown Live stars moved to the Raw brand.
Most of the moves were impactful, with Raw newcomers such as AJ Styles, Andrade, The Usos and Lacey Evans picking up impressive wins. Others such as Rey Mysterio and EC3 had rough nights, getting beat up by the likes of red brand monsters Lars Sullivan and Braun Strowman.
Cedric Alexander got a video package announcing his move to Raw, while Sanity leader Eric Young got a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ inclusion on an on-screen graphic.
As the leader of the SaNITy, Eric Young’s move to Raw effectively disbands the faction that was hot in NXT but never quite found its footing on the main roster.
SaNITy member Killian Dain commented on the situation on Twitter, telling former partners Eric Young and Alexander Wolfe that he will miss them both terribly. He called both men phenomenal inside and outside the ring and thanked the fans for supporting them while they were together.
SAnitY leader Eric Young had been promising fans that he would give a special message during WWE RAW. Obviously, this message didn’t air on this week’s episode of the red brand due to Young being featured on SmackDown Live but did release the message in an Instagram video. He also brought up how he plans to release part 2 of his message on Tuesday night during SmackDown Live.
“PART 1. Kept in a cage! HEAR MY MESSAGE JOIN THE RIGHTEOUS! #SANitY #WWE #RAW #SMACKDOWN #WORLDCLASSMANIAC.”
“Part 2 during #smackdown tomorrow! #SANitY #WWE #worldclassmaniac.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bso0vbBHFct/
Cedric Alexander On Finding Out About 205 Live Schedule Change
It turns out that former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander wasn’t informed about the decision made by WWE officials about 205 Live returning to the 10 pm time slot on Tuesday’s on the WWE Network after airing on Wednesdays since last fall due to the airing of the Mixed Match Challenge. Instead, he found out by seeing the news posted on Twitter.
He wrote the following, “I seem to find out a lot of things through twitter 1st these days……. Back to killing it after SD I guess”
I seem to find out a lot of things through twitter 1st these days…….
– This past Tuesday on SmackDown LIVE, The Bar beat Gallows, Anderson and The Colons in a Triple Threat Match to move one step closer to a SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match against The New Day at the WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event on September 16.
WWE.com has announced that Sheamus and Cesaro’s opponents will be determined in a Triple Threat Match on next week’s episode of SmackDown LIVE. The teams that will be facing off are The Usos, SAnitY and the tandem of Rusev and Aiden English.
– Tino Sabbatelli, who is currently sidelined after tearing his pectoral muscle during a match in April, revealed on his Instagram Story earlier this week that he underwent another procedure.
There’s no word on how long the NXT star will be out of action, but this type of injury generally requires a six to nine month recuperation period following the initial surgery.
On another note, Sabbatelli turned 35 years old on August 24.
Last month, NXT star Eric Young was part of the first-ever WWE branded War Games match in Houston, Texas during Survivor Series weekend. The match went over extremely well and was a pleasure to watch, and Young described the backstage reaction to the bout after its conclusion.
Young recently did a piece for ESPN in which he detailed reactions from names such as Triple H and Shawn Michaels, and you can check out what he had to say here:
“One of the coolest moments of all was walking backstage after the match, and there’s Hunter and Michael Hayes, Shawn Michaels, Matt Bloom and a bunch of the other coaches. Pat Patterson’s there, and Michael Cole’s there. These are guys who, in the end, decide whether it was good or not — and they’re all standing there clapping. Doing a match like that, it gives you this adrenaline rush, but that moment afterward hits you in a much different, but also very meaningful, way.
“When you set something in motion and then it goes off the way you intended it to be, that feeling can’t be duplicated. Having these people that you looked up to, idolized and in some ways even feared, clapping and shaking your hand — it doesn’t get better than that professionally. That’s the mountaintop, the absolute top of what wrestling is, as far as an accomplishment goes.
“Titles are incredible, but no matter what you’re doing, having the people who you work for, who pay your salary, be standing and shaking their head and they can’t believe how good it was — that’s the ultimate”
Former TNA star and current NXT Superstar Eric Young was recently a guest on former WWE Tag Team Champions Edge and Christian’s podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, to talk about his experience in the developmental program. Here are some of the highlights (quotes via Wrestling Inc.):
How his NXT experience has been:
“It has been cool, man. It’s like nothing but respect. Everyone treats us both great and coming in from the outside, you never know how that’s kind of going to be and working on TV for 12 or 13 years, like, you’re not sure how they’re going to look at that. Yeah, they’ve been really awesome and it has been great. It’s making me really like wrestling again.”
Bobby Roode growing out his beard because of a dream:
“In the dream he had this like huge beard, like, giant, full beard and he was like, ‘well, I can’t do that.’ So he grew this [five] o’clock shadow thing or whatever that he has and he [has] had it ever since.” Young recalled, “I sat up like The Undertaker and I was like, ‘dude, you’ve got to grow a beard’ and he was like, ‘what are you talking about?’ And I was like, ‘I had this dream. I’m dreaming about you. I’m five feet from you and you grew a beard and now you have no choice but to grow a beard.'”
On dodging the ‘bullet’ of OVW:
“I think Ohio Valley had just opened, like it had just started, and we were hoping they would maybe send us there. I was working at a brass foundry in Cambridge [Ontario], like, living on a mattress on milk crates in the basement of this house I owned.” Young continued, “and we were asking just to go there, pay us whatever and let us wrestle for a living and be there and [Laurinaitis] said to me and Bobby, the problem was we were TV ready and they were viewing OVW as a place where they would hire NFL players and bodybuilders and train them to learn their system. And there were a few guys that could work that there there, but I think they were more body-doubles for the guys that they wanted on TV to learn, so in a way we kind of dodged that bullet.”
Training Tye Dillinger:
“We first met in Cambridge, Ontario. I had a wrestling school there and I had a wrestling school at the time because I wanted to have a ring to stay sharp because I was starting to do a lot of tryouts with the WWE, and dark matches, and stuff like that.”
“I ended up having a bunch of really good students. Crazzy Steve from TNA is actually one of my students. He has done very well. Jake O’Reilly, a lot of guys in Ontario that are doing very well. And Tye was living in Cambridge, going to the fake Hart Brothers [school] in Cambridge and came in and said he was leaving there. He had only been there for a couple of months. There was no one there training, really. They kind of just took his money. You guys know the story of all that. So he said, ‘I want to come to your gym’ and he started coming to my school. And he was living with this girl at the time and they got into this big fight. He got kicked out, so he called me and said, ‘hey man, can I come to your house?’ So I went and picked him up. He lived in my room. He bought a futon and I put it in the corner of my room. Me and him lived in the same room for like a year while he was at my school.”
Nearly crying seeing Dillinger enter the Royal Rumble:
“I was backstage at Royal Rumble when he was in the Rumble and [got] like this huge pop. It’s cool kind of seeing everyone come around and congratulating him. I liken it to like he’s my child. Not in that way, but in wrestling, I’m kind of his dad. It’s like your kid going to Harvard, getting drafted to the NFL, or something. Yeah, it’s cool. I almost cried in front of The Undertaker. I didn’t, I didn’t, but I almost did. I’m a pretty emotional person and that was pretty cool to see.”
You can listen to the full episode of the podcast by clicking here.
