WrestlingNews.com

Major Return To WWE Expected, Tons Of News On Brock Lesnar’s Status, Wade Barrett Negotiating Contract, Another WWE Broadcast Departure, Roman Blasts Critic, Mysterio Has Serious Injury, Why Austin Theory Returned On NXT, Early WrestleMania 37 Plans Revealed, The Rock & AJ Stlyes Test Positive For COVID-19, Jericho On Whether Or Not He Would Leave AEW, Renee Young To AEW?, Bitter Relationship In WWE Exposed

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Welcome to the WrestlingNews.com Insider Weekly Newsletter!

This week’s issue, Issue No. 8, includes news from Saturday, August 29, 2020 to Friday, September 4, 2020. Stories were written by Richard Gray and CJ Blaze with final editing done by Richard for clarity. Exclusive behind-the-scenes information was added, with content exclusive to WNC Insider Members.

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WWE News

– A push awaits Naomi on WWE television, PWInsider hears. Naomi lit up social media with the #NaomiDeservesBetter hashtag earlier this summer. WWE embraced this the following week on SmackDown with a MizTV segment. They have since given her wins over Lacey Evans (who squashed her on 7/17, triggering the outrage) and WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley in a “Beat The Clock” challenge match on last week’s SmackDown. She has two losses since the hashtag trended, one in the No. 1 contender Battle Royale and another in the “Beat The Clock” challenge against Sasha Banks. However, despite the .500 record since #NaomiDeservesBetter, rumors suggest WWE hears the message “loud and clear” and they are planning a push for her as a direct result of the negative feedback from fans. Naomi was not featured on this week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown.

– Roman Reigns is now aligned with Paul Heyman following both of them returning to SmackDown on this week’s episode. The current plan is for Reigns to be booked as the top heel on SmackDown as the newest “Paul Heyman Guy,” per a report by PWInsider. Braun Strowman will also be a heel on the blue brand moving forward. WWE plans to book Universal Champion “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt as a babyface, apparently leading SmackDown as its top babyface. Wyatt will defend the WWE Universal Championship in the main event of WWE Payback tomorrow night in a triple threat match involving both Reigns and Strowman.

– Kenny Omega was in the virtual audience at this week’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown at the ThunderDome. Images circulated social media after he was spotted but he later confirmed the images were him just after midnight. “I was just trying to have a good time, I honestly didn’t think anyone would notice,” Omega tweeted.

– WWE NXT Superstar Karen Q is engaged. She made the announcement over the weekend on social media that she will be marrying independent wrestler Bison. They announced earlier this month they bought a house together. “I love you @BisonUnbranded,” Karen wrote. “Can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you! 2020:Engaged.” Karen Q made her NXT debut in February 2019 and competed in the 2018 Mae Young Classic.

– There is a lot of discussion surrounding Keith Lee headed into his match against Randy Orton at WWE Packback on Sunday. WWE botched Lee’s debut on last week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. The company brought him in with generic theme music and ring attire and paired him in a forgettable match against Randy Orton. The match ended when Drew McIntyre pulled Orton out of the ring. Lee has been dealing with criticism from his debut all week. He even took to Twitter to tell fans music is out of his hands. Lee urged fans to have patience. Some believe WWE wants Lee as a top babyface on the Raw brand but it sure did not feel like it on Monday. It is no secret that Vince McMahon does not view NXT success as a main roster success.  He often demands accomplished NXT talent capture his attention before they are booked with any type of promise. Lee is currently favored -170 over Orton +130 in their match tonight at Payback.

– WWE Payback will take place tonight from the ThunderDome at Awmay Center in Orlando, FL. The final card has eight advertised matches. Bet Online have released the betting odds for the show.

Roman Reigns is currently favored to win the WWE Universal Championship and Bobby Lashley is favored to win the WWE United States Championship.

Keep in mind these are for entertainment purposes only and the only document that will reveal true match outcomes is the run sheet

No Holds Barred Triple Threat for the WWE Universal Championship
– “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (c) (+150) vs. Roman Reigns (-250) vs. Braun Strowman (+550)

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
– Bayley & Sasha Banks (c) (-170) vs. Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler (+130)

WWE United States Championship Match
– Apollo Crews (c) (+200) vs. Bobby Lashley (-300)

Singles Match
– Keith Lee (-170) vs. Randy Orton (+130)

Tag Team Match
– Dominick & Rey Mysterio (-225) vs. Seth Rollins & Murphy (+160)

Singles Match
– Matt Riddle (-170) vs. King Corbin (+130)

Singles Match
– Big E (-400) vs. Sheamus (+250)

Tag Team Match (Kickoff)
– The Riott Squad vs. The IIconics

– This week’s episode of WWE NXT will air Tuesday night at 8 PM ET on the USA Network.

As previously reported here on WrestlingNews.com, the reason the show is being preempted is due to the 2020 NHL Playoffs. NXT will remain on Tuesday nights the following week on September 8, 2020, according to the USA Network.

Finn Balor, Tommaso Ciampa, Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano will face off in a Four-Way 60-minute Iron Man Match to crown a new NXT Champion on this week’s episode. The NXT title was vacated by Karrion Kross due to a severe shoulder injury.

– Roman Reigns will challenge for the WWE Universal Championship in the main event of tonight’s WWE Payback pay-per-view in a triple-threat match also involving “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman.Reigns returned to the company in a surprise appearance at SummerSlam last week, taking out both Wyatt and Strowman. On SmackDown, he was aligned with Paul Heyman. As we reported here on WrestlingNews.com, the plan is for Reigns to work as the top heel on SmackDown with Heyman as his manager. The latest on Reigns is he goes into Payback as the -250 favorite to win the title, compared to underdogs Wyatt +150 and Strowman +550. While WrestlingNews.com cannot confirm WWE plans to change the title again tonight, the original plan was for Reigns to win the WWE Universal Championship from Goldberg at WrestleMania 36 earlier this year. After Reigns opted out due to COVID-19, Strowman ended up getting the rub. He held the title until last Sunday when he dropped it to Wyatt. Reigns was criticized following his return to WWE, going straight into the title picture when Kevin Owens, who also opted out, has been off the past couple of pay-per-views aside from a Kickoff match. WWE may opt to hot shot Reigns back as the champion, as they look to book The Fiend as the blue brand’s top babyface.  Stay tuned to WrestlingNews.com for the latest.

– Former WWE SmackDown Executive Director Eric Bischoff had a strong reply when asked about current WWE storylines during an interview with Sports Keeda.

“Storylines suck right now. They suck. Storylines are getting worse and worse,” Bischoff emphatically stated. “This the one thing that I feel adamant about. You look at what WWE did at SmackDown (at) ThunderDome over the weekend. Such a phenomenal job from a production point of view.”

Bischoff, who was briefly in charge of SmackDown, is no longer with WWE. He most recently made a surprise appearance with All Elite Wrestling to appear on Dynamite. He has been a fan of WWE’s ThunderDome and believes their production is unmatched.

“I knew that WWE would knock the ThunderDome concept out of the park. Better than anybody, including the NBA. I knew they would – because they’re so good at that,” said Bischoff. “What they’re not good at is basic fundamental storytelling. They’re just not. I love them and I have many friends there, who I love dearly. It doesn’t change the fact that their storyline, the architecture, their approach to stories, their discipline with stories, sucks. Until somebody comes along and takes an honest look at storytelling and the structure of storytelling and the formulas that are used, it’s going to be hit or miss forever.”

– World heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury posted a video on social media over the weekend calling out WWE Champion Drew McIntyre.

“Been sitting on the train on my own after a long busy weekend and I’m thinking about the people that I want to punch in the face. The first one that springs to mind is a big fella called Drew McIntyre. Now Drew, you’ve been having quite a bit to say about me lately. I love to punch your face in honestly. So grow a pair, step up to the plate. Like I say to your mate AJ, and come and fight the master, me. This is an official challenge video to Drew McIntyre, the WWE heavyweight champion. I already knocked your pal out, Braun Strowman. I’ll do the same to you. Bring it.”

Wilder worked for WWE at Crown Jewel last year when he went over Braun Strowman via countout.

– Bobby Lashley beat Apollo Crews tonight at WWE Payback to win the WWE United States Championship. The finish saw Crews tap out in the Full Lashley. After the match, Lashley celebrated with The Hurt Business before Crews recovered and attacked him. Crews got out of the ring before MVP and Shelton Benjamin could fight back.

– WWE has new Women’s Tag Team Champions. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler defeated Sasha Banks and Bayley tonight at WWE Payback in a back and forth contest that saw Shayna Baszler tap out the reigning SmackDown Women’s champion, Bayley. Shayna managed to lock up Sasha Bank’s leg and then lock Bayley in the Kirafuda Clutch and used Bank’s arm to choke Bayley and make her tap out. While there is certainly no love lost between Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler, there has been tension bubbling under the surface between Sasha Banks and Bayley for months now. Losing their tag team championships certainly won’t help things between them.

– Roman Reigns is the new WWE Universal Champion. The title change occurred during the main event of WWE Payback which was a No Holds Barred Triple Threat Match for the WWE Universal Championship. Reigns was not in the match until the end as “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman did battle with one another. Reigns came out after the ring had imploded, ropes collapsed and all, and signed the match contract handed to him by Paul Heyman. Reigns was equipped with a steel chair but ended up pinning Braun Strowman following a spear.

– WWE Clash of Champions will take place on Sunday, September 27, 2020.

An incorrect graphic at last night’s WWE Payback pay-per-view listed the pay-per-view date as September 20, 2020. The corrected date aired right after that.

WWE Clash of Champions 2020 will emanate from the ThunderDome at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. We’ll have exclusive live coverage here at WrestlingNews.com.

– Matt Riddle went over “King” Baron Corbin clean at last night’s WWE Payback pay-per-view, however, that was not the story coming out of the show.

The story was WWE incorporating aspects of Riddle’s past personal life into his character. Alyse Ashton interviewed Corbin backstage prior to the match where she brought up a tweet Corbin made earlier in the night. The tweet read as follows:

“Tonight, I prove that Matt Riddle is a failure in a WWE ring. By the way…he’s already proven that he’s a failure at home”

Riddle did not respond when asked in the interview.

Apparently the tweet was in reference Riddle’s infidelity, which he had already previously admitted to. The reason fans were critical, however, is Riddle was also accused of sexual assault and harassment by a woman named Candy Cartwright.

Riddle admitted to being unfaithful to his wife but denied the allegations in the following video last month:

https://twitter.com/SuperKingofBros/status/1280894471257890817

WWE conducted an investigation and did not find any wrongdoing, thus Riddle’s call-up to the main roster happened and his push continues.

– WWE has removed all of Brock Lesnar’s merchandise from their official website.

It is unknown what this means, if anything, at this time. Currently, if you search the name “Brock Lesnar” on WWEShop.com the following is returned:

Oops! Your search generated no results! Try your search again using these tips:

Double check the spelling. Try varying the spelling. Limit the search to one or two words. Be less specific in your wording. Sometimes a more general term will lead you to the similar products.

There were plans at one point for Lesnar to return to WWE at SummerSlam, however, it did not happen. The thinking at the time was it was due to WWE not wanting to waste a Lesnar appearance without a live crowd. Brock has not worked for WWE since dropping the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36 back in March.

It should be noted instead of Lesnar returning at SummerSlam, it was Roman Reigns who is now aligned with Paul Heyman.

Lesnar’s official Superstar profile remains online at this link. Stay tuned to WrestlingNews.com for the latest.

– For those that missed it, dot com provided the following update on WWE Champion Drew McIntyre shortly before Payback on Sunday:

UPDATE (Aug. 30 – 6:15 p.m. ET)

Ahead of WWE Payback, WWE Digital has learned Drew McIntyre sustained a hairline jaw fracture as a result of the three kicks to the skull from Randy Orton on Monday Night Raw.

Charly Caruso reported on Raw that medical staff were fearful of a skull fracture and potential brain bleeding to Drew McIntyre after Randy Orton delivered the vicious attacks to thee WWE Champion. The medical officials did also express concern the injuries could potentially be career-threatening.

McIntyre was eventually loaded into an ambulance and transported to a local medical facility for further testing.

Stay locked in to WWE digital and social platforms for the latest updates on McIntyre’s condition.

We have more on McIntyre remaining WWE Champion in the latest installment of Ask WNC available exclusive to WrestlingNews.com Insider members at this link.

– As reported here at WrestlingNews.com, boxing champion Tyson Fury posted a video on Twitter calling out WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. Fury and Triple H have remained in touch since Fury’s last appearance for WWE at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia last year. Both sides are very interested in having Fury wrestle at WrestleMania 37 next year, if not sooner. Tyson Fury vs. Drew McIntyre is one of the top matches WWE has been discussing for WrestleMania next year. WrestlingNews.com will have more information on how the WrestleMania 37 card is shaping up later in the week.

– We are currently watching a situation involving WWE and Brock Lesnar. As noted, Lesnar’s merchandise has been removed from WWE’s website. In an update, we’re told his contract with the company expires before WrestleMania 37 next year. However, everyone was told to proceed if he is staying. As of press time, the exact date of when his contract expires is not known.

– PWInsider is reporting that former EVOLVE talent Josh Briggs, Curt Stallion, and Brandi Lauren have signed with WWE. This comes after WWE signed Leon Ruff and Anthony Greene earlier this summer. Lauren recently appeared in Raw Underground segments, and has worked as an extra for a number of WWE NXT tapings. Briggs is a former EVOLVE Champion, while Stallion was a 2017 ROH Top Prospect tournament semifinalist. As previously reported, WWE acquired EVOLVE earlier this summer, and subsequently, its content library. Several EVOLVE events and match compilations (featuring Drew McIntyre and Keith Lee) have already made their way to the WWE Network.

– As reported earlier, Brock Lesnar’s merchandise has suspiciously been removed from WWEShop.com.

In an update, PWInsider is reporting that Lesnar is no longer under WWE contract, and the two sides have yet to come to a new agreement. This isn’t an unusual occurrence as Lesnar has reportedly become a free agent in the past, but he ended up signing a new deal by the time a major pay-per-view rolled around.

Such is not the case this year as Lesnar has been out of action since losing the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36. It was expected that Lesnar wouldn’t compete as long as there wasn’t a live audience.

At this time, Lesnar would be available to receive offers from other companies such as UFC or AEW if the rumors are true. Many expect him to return to WWE, as exclusively reported earlier today by Wrestling News Insider, but that cannot be confirmed at this time.

– As noted earlier, the expiration of Brock Lesnar’s WWE contract was not known in public or private. We heard from a WWE source earlier today the deal was up before WrestleMania 37 next year but to operate under the assumption that he is coming back.

We heard rumors earlier this summer Lesnar’s contract was up in May or June, however, based on how WWE has negotiated with Brock behind-the-scenes, that could never be confirmed.

WrestleVotes hears that once Lesnar is ready to work again, he will let Vince McMahon know or vice versa if WWE is interested in his services.

Lesnar’s contract status came to the forefront on Monday when WWE pulled his merchandise from their website.

– Sonya Deville’s ex-girlfriend, Ariana Johnson, testified the WWE Superstar has been receiving threatening and vulgar messages from Phillip Thomas since May 2019.

Thomas is the 24-year-old who broke into her Florida home earlier this month and attempted to kidnap her. He also threatened Johnson, apparently with the hope that if he got her away from Deville, they would have a chance at a relationship.

Deville was apparently so distraught with some of the messages she had received from Thomas she deactivated her account. As the stalking progressed, Deville never saw many of the messages due to her significant amount of followers and direct messages she gets on a daily basis.

Thomas remains jailed as he awaits trial. Meanwhile, investigators are looking into a threat from another person who allegedly promised to “finish off” what Thomas started and made claims such as, “my knife is sharper than Phillip’s.”

Deville was written off of WWE storylines after losing a “Loser Leaves WWE” match at SummerSlam to Mandy Rose. Ironically enough, Rose was with her the night of the attempted abduction. It is not known how long she will be away from WWE.

– Wade Barrett and WWE are negotiating a deal for him to return permanently as a member of the NXT broadcast team, PWInsider hears.

He will return for tomorrow’s NXT on the USA Network, which will conclude his two-week “feeling out” period. Should a deal be reached, it would be strictly in a non-wrestling capacity. However, as we have seen, these type of opportunities usually open up the door for more.

Barrett came up through WWE’s developmental system in the mid-2000s as a member of the Ohio Valley Wrestling and later Florida Championship Wrestling roster. He caught his first big break on WWE television as the leader of The Nexus faction in 2010.

He was released from WWE in 2016 and had been quiet on the wrestling front for a few years before joining the NWA as a broadcaster in December 2019.

– Mauro Ranallo confirmed on Facebook he has agreed to part ways with WWE. Below is his full statement:

Mauro Ranallo & WWE part ways.

Ranallo, “I appreciate the opportunity I had to realize my childhood dream of working in sports entertainment, and I wish WWE well in the future. Now I want to direct my focus and devote my time to my other projects and to my mental health charitable activities and the well-being of my mother and myself.”

Learn more about Mauro’s journey by watching the Showtime documentary BiPolar Rock N’ Roller at www.bipolarmovie.org

WWE also confirmed his departure with the following on dot com:

WWE and Mauro Ranallo have mutually and amicably agreed to part ways.

Mauro’s passion and enthusiasm left an indelible and exciting mark with WWE and its fans, and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.

As reported here on WrestlingNews.com, WWE and Wade Barrett are negotiating a contract for him to return permanently as a member of the NXT broadcast team.

Ranallo missed NXT TakeOver XXX and last week’s show on the USA Network, following a family matter. He will be replaced by Barrett on tomorrow night’s show on the USA network.

Ranallo has been with WWE since 2015. He was on SmackDown until he essentially quit the brand following bullying allegations against John “Bradshaw” Layfield in 2017. The allegations resulted in depression as Ranallo has been public about his issues with mental illness as he suffers from bipolar affective disorder. He and WWE agreed to part ways in April 2017, with Ranallo saying his departure had nothing to do with JBL.

In June 2017, he returned as NXT’s lead commentator, a position he held until a couple of weeks ago.

– Netflix has canceled The Big Show Show after one season, Deadline reports.

The streaming service did not order a second season of the family sitcom starring the WWE Superstar along with Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love. Both shows will end with special Christmas episodes that were commissioned earlier in the year.

Big Show starred in the series created by Josh Bycel and Jason Berger. It premiered in April. Berger commented on the cancelation.

“on behalf of the staff, cast, and crew of #thebigshowshow…thank you to everyone who watched either with your fam or alone in your basement,” Berger tweeted. “Netflix was a dream to work with AND we had a blast making the show. Rare air! Please take care of each other!”

– WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns declared himself the best performer of this generation Monday night on social media.

Reigns was responding to a fan who commented that Reigns is once again being “forced down people’s throats” after winning the WWE Universal Championship one week after his return to the company. Reigns opted out of working for WWE in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Roman being forced down people’s throats again…..such an overrated performer. The belt has changed hands has so many times it just has no prestige. Rubbish,” the fan tweeted.

“Only reason I’m down your throat, is because you keep your mouth open. I’m the best performer of this generation period and the title is finally in the right hands for it to hold true value,” Reigns responded.

As previously reported by WrestlingNews.com, Reigns is scheduled to work as SmackDown’s top heel with Paul Heyman as his manager. He went over “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman in a No Holds Barred Triple Threat match in the main event of WWE Payback last night.

– Rey Mysterio suffered a torn triceps at WWE Payback, dot com confirmed on Monday night.

Mysterio teamed with his son Dominik as they went over Seth Rollins and Murphy in a tag team match at the pay-per-view on Sunday night. He was scheduled to face Seth Rollins in a singles match on Raw but was replaced by Dominik due to the injury.

Below is WWE’s update in its entirety:

Rey Mysterio suffered a torn triceps during his match at WWE Payback Sunday night, WWE.com has learned.

Mysterio teamed up with his son, Dominik, to defeat Seth Rollins & Murphy at the live WWE Network special. He was originally scheduled to face Seth Rollins on Raw in a match where the winner would advance to a Triple Threat Match later in the night, which would determine WWE Champion Drew McIntyre’s opponent at WWE Clash of Champions. Dominik will replace his father in the bout.

Stick with WWE’s Digital and Social platforms for more on Rey Mysterio’s status as it becomes available.

Mysterio recently re-signed with WWE and rejoined his son Dominik in the program with Seth Rollins after “losing his eye” at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules.

There is no word on how long Mysterio will be out but this is a serious injury that usually requires surgery and several months of rehabilitation.

– Randy Orton will challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at Clash of Champions on Sunday, September 27, 2020. The number one contender was determined in a triple-threat match main event on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. There were qualifying bouts leading up to the match, where participants had to win their respective singles match to enter the triple threat. It ended up being Keith Lee vs. Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins, with Orton going over. As for McIntyre, the storyline update on him is he suffered a “hairline jaw fracture” last week as the result of Orton’s punts to his head. He did not suffer what they were “fearing” as a skull fracture or brain bleed. McIntyre will be able to defend the title at the pay-per-view.

– As noted here at WrestlingNews.com, Rey Mysterio suffered a torn triceps during his tag team match at WWE Payback on Sunday. It’s typically a serious injury that requires surgery and several months of rehabilitation.

In an update, Dave Meltzer is reporting that Mysterio will not have surgery at this time. He is expected to recover via rehab and only be out of action for two months.

Rey had been working without a contract earlier this summer, but he’s been rumored to have resigned given Dominick’s recent debut and the continuation of their storyline together.

– WWE’s latest faction known as Retribution is expected to stay exclusively on Raw, according to POST Wrestling.

The masked group was mysteriously absent from both SummerSlam and Payback, as well as last week’s go-home SmackDown. They made their presence known on last night’s Raw by interfering in The Street Profits vs. Andrade & Angel Garza.

It still remains to be seen who will end up as the real faction members, though fans were quick to point out that Dominik Dijakovic and Mia Yim were recognized on Raw. Both have been rumored for call-ups.

– As seen on last night’s Raw, The Riott Squad beat The IIconics. Per the stipulation, The Riott Squad will receive a WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match in the future, while The IIconics have to disband. Billie Kay and Peyton Royce have been a team for five years since their days in NXT. They captured the Women’s Tag Team Championship once last year at WrestleMania 35. Unless there’s a change in plans, it looks like WWE will explore their singles careers going forward.

– WWE’s internal investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct by Austin Theory has been concluded and Theory returned to WWE NXT on August 26.

Before the #SpeakingOut movement, Theory had been set for a big push on Raw, but WWE decided that after all of the controversy, it was best to bring Theory back with a soft return.

Theory had been accused on social media by an underage girl of sending inappropriate messages of a sexual nature on Snapchat back in 2018. The accuser admitted she did not have the alleged messages saved.

WWE concluded there was no evidence a crime had been committed and Theory has been allowed to return. There is some concern that other accusers could come forward at some point, so the company was uncomfortable bringing Theory back with an immediate big push on one of the main rosters.

– Mustafa Ali continues to be used as an undercard worker on the WWE roster, pretty much exclusive to WWE Main Event. He was not on Raw again this week but taped another match for Main Event.

“I can do it all, even when I’m doing nothing at all. Catch me on this week’s episode of #WWEMainEvent,” Ali tweeted during the airing of this week’s Monday Night Raw.

Ali has been used sparingly on the red brand since being traded from SmackDown over the summer. He has had a lot of fan support and considerable support from Mick Foley. Foley believes Ali has huge potential for international attention.

– The Hurt Business were on this week’s episode of Raw Talk where they teased expanding the faction.

Lashley explained they wanted all of the titles across all of the brands. MVP added no one is safe, while Shelton Benjamin explained a business has to expand.

The Hurt Business lost to Cedric Alexander and The Viking Raiders in a six-man tag team match on this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw but dominated against Cedric, Ricochet and Apollo Crews on Raw Underground.

– Ahead of tonight’s Super Tuesday edition of NXT, Triple H took to Twitter to reveal NXT UK’s new “state of the art” arena at BT Sport’s studio in London. NXT UK is slated to return to the WWE Network with new episodes on Thursday, September 17. The brand hasn’t been able to tour since the pandemic forced shutdowns and travel bans in the spring.

– The four-way 60-minute Iron Man match to crown a new NXT Champion ended inconclusively with Finn Balor and Adam Cole tying at two wins apiece. As a result, William Regal announced Balor vs. Cole will take place next Tuesday in a one-fall match to officially determine a new champion.

Next week’s “Super Tuesday II” show will also feature Rhea Ripley vs. Mercedes Martinez in a Steel Cage match.

We have complete NXT results online at this link, and we’ll have complete coverage once again next Tuesday right here at WrestlingNews.com.

– A new report from WrestleVotes suggests that WWE NXT could be moving away from Wednesday nights.

A decision isn’t expecting to be made right away, but talks are said to be ongoing. With NXT airing on Tuesday this week and next due to NHL playoffs, those numbers could play a part in a decision being reached.

NXT transitioned to USA Network with a live, two-hour show just one year ago. The black and yellow brand has gone head-to-head against AEW Dynamite on TNT, with AEW “winning” the viewership and ratings battle more often than not.

In recent weeks, NXT has garnered over 800,000 viewers without Dynamite airing in the same slot. Their highest number was 1.179 million viewers for a one-hour broadcast on September 18, 2019.

– WrestleMania 37 is scheduled to take place March 28, 2021 in Inglewood, California and although the event is seven months away, WWE has been working more lately on a preliminary card.

Typically Vince McMahon starts to focus more on loose WrestleMania plans as soon as SummerSlam is over.

As we reported earlier in the week, one match being discussed is Drew McIntyre vs. Tyson Fury, the current world heavyweight boxing champion.

In addition to Drew McIntyre vs. Tyson Fury, also on the books as of this moment is Randy Orton vs. Edge.

Another interesting possible match involves AJ Styles. Styles has begun lobbying to be the opponent of none other than WWE legend Goldberg. A WWE source familiar with current plans stated that McMahon hasn’t decided yet who he’d like Goldberg to face at Wrestlemania 37, but that Styles has taken it upon himself to pitch himself as Goldberg’s WrestleMania 37 opponent.

– The Rock revealed Wednesday on Instagram he has recovered from COVID-19 after testing positive three weeks ago.

Not only did he catch the virus, but his wife, Lauren Hashian, and his two young daughters, ages four and two, were also COVID-19 positive. The children only exhibited mild symptoms.

“I can tell you that this has been one of the most challenging and difficult things we have ever had to endure as a family,” he said h/t CNN. “And for me personally, too, as well, and I’ve gone through some doozies in the past.”

“But I am happy to tell you guys that we as a family are good. We are on the other end of it. We are on the other side. We are no longer contagious. And we are — thank god — we are healthy,” he said.

It is believed they contracted the virus from family friends who did not realize they were infected.

“I’ve gotten knocked about and gotten my a– kicked a little bit in the past with some challenges, but testing positive for Covid-19 is much different than overcoming nasty injuries or being evicted or even being broke, which I have been more than a few times,” he said. “The reason why I feel this is different is because my number one priority is to always protect my family and protect my children, my loved ones.”

His Instagram video is embedded below:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CEppiNRlpvs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

– WWE SmackDown Superstar AJ Styles revealed on his Twitch stream on Wednesday he tested positive for COVID-19 last month.

Styles made the announcement after The Rock went public with this recovery from the virus.

“I also tested positive [for COVID-19] a couple of weeks ago, probably almost a month ago,” Styles confirmed.

Styles confirmed he did not have many issues with the virus and said it is not good for anybody.

WWE has not been immune to COVID-19 as they have operated throughout the pandemic. Renee Young went public with her diagnosis and ended up getting heat for it.

Other WWE names that went public they tested positive include producer Adam Pearce and interviewer Kayla Braxton.

WWE had previously asked talent to not go public with their results. Names believed to have tested positive but did not go public include Apollo Crews and Austin Theory.

– Renee Young finished up with WWE at SummerSlam and is now going public with the company’s reaction to her announcing she tested positive for COVID-19.

“Yeah. I generally just like to be transparent about everything. I like to just be honest. There’s no shame in having got it. Again we don’t know what’s going on with anything. We’re all trying to figure it out. So when I tweeted that I had it, I wasn’t doing it as, like, “I GOT COVID.” That was not my MO when I tweeted,” Young stated on this week’s SI Media Podcast. “It was mostly, ‘Hey, I have it.’ Also, in case there were people that could’ve been around me and maybe seen that I had it, I felt a responsibility to make sure people knew that I was sick. But, yeah, it was NOT well received.”

“They weren’t even even like ‘You shouldn’t have posted it.’ But it was like, ‘We wish you gave us a heads up.’ It was bad for PR and whatnot. But again, I wouldn’t have even thought to be like, “Hey guys, I’m gonna tweet that I have COVID, ha, ha. Like, that was just not what I was thinking about when I posted it.”

Since Young, along with producer Adam Pearce and interviewer Kayla Braxton went public they tested positive for COVID-19, WWE told talent to not share test results with the public.

When asked if she felt like WWE should have shut down, she responded with:

“Listen, anything I say on this is gonna end up seeming like controversial or like I’m shitting on it or whatever,” she said, “but, yeah, did I feel a little slighted? I didn’t really feel like anyone was all that concerned that I got sick. That bothered me for sure.

“But, you know, it’s hard to say. Again, it’s like, shit, the show goes on and now they’re working at the Amway Center and they’re essentially doing the best that they can NOW. Now doing the proper tests. I think that was something that should’ve been implemented from the beginning. Since everything that’s gone down and however many people ended up getting sick, now it feels like a much safer environment. Even when I was there for SummerSlam, I was definitely less concerned about it knowing that everyone in the building has been properly tested with the nose swab and whatnot.”

There were a lot of backstage rumblings early on with WWE’s COVID-19 testing and the way they were handling the virus. When Kevin Owens returned in early July, he threatened to go home if more was not done to prevent the spread of the virus. This is when WWE instituted a mask wearing policy.

– Wade Barrett will return to the NXT broadcast team on next week’s episode on the USA Network, marking his third consecutive week on the call.

“There’s no way I’m missing this one,” Barrett tweeted “This is fast becoming a habit.. see you next week for another #NXTSuperTuesday! #WWENXT”

This comes after we reported here on WrestlingNews.com Barrett and WWE a contract for him to become a permanent member of the NXT broadcast team. The past two weeks were seen as a “feeling out period,” as the company looks to replace the departed Mauro Ranallo.

– NXT UK is set to tape a new batch of episodes from BT Sport Studios in London on Thursday. This is the first NXT UK taping since March 6 in Coventry.

Several members of the media were granted a tour of the new facility. TalkSPORT‘s Alex McCarthy shared several video clips and images of the set-up.

It was also noted that Shawn Michaels will lead the tapings virtually from the United States. Nigel McGuinness is expected to call the show virtually as well, with Andy Shepherd working in-studio. McGuinness has reportedly been furloughed since April.

New episodes of NXT UK are slated to air on the WWE Network on Thursday, September 17. WWE has aired “best of” match compilations and never-before-seen UK matches in the months leading up to the brand’s return.

Storylines will likely be reset following the six-month absence. UK Champion Walter, UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray, and UK Tag Team Champions Wolfgang & Mark Coffey are expected to resume their roles. It will be interesting to see if Jordan Devlin and Joe Coffey are used as they were investigated and suspended, respectively, amid #SpeakingOut accusations. Travis Banks, Ligero, and Jack Gallagher were released.

Stay tuned to WrestlingNews.com for the latest on NXT UK.

– Brock Lesnar has not re-entered the USADA testing pool in order to be eligible to return to Mixed Martial Arts. He would have to be tested for six months before being allowed to fight.

While Lesnar has been granted an exemption before, this is an indication he is not looking to return to Mixed Martial Arts.

UFC legend Jon Jones set MMA Twitter abuzz when he tweeted the following earlier this week:

“Brock I’ll beatcho ass too”

Marc Raimondi hears from people who know Lesnar, he wants a Jones fight. He does not like him and it could be the fight that brings him back.

Nevertheless, we explained the most-likely scenario for Lesnar and what was being talked about prior to the news he was a free agent here on WrestlingNews.com Insider.

– Kevin Nash revealed on Twitter he and his family had COVID-19

His announcement came in response to The Rock revealing he and his family have recovered from the virus.

“Welcome to the team. Very sorry you’re family is infected,” Nash tweeted. “I was tired for a while didn’t train for the 4th day. My wife still hasn’t got smell or tastes back. Son was asymptomatic. Pray you heal up quickly. Thank you for making people realize it’s real”

Rock responded: “Welcome to the team. Very sorry you’re family is infected. I was tired for a while didn’t train for the 4th day. My wife still hasn’t got smell or tastes back. Son was asymptomatic. Pray you heal up quickly. Thank you for making people realize it’s real”

– Nigel McGuinness is returning to WWE NXT UK to provide commentary alongside Andy Shepherd, Alex McCarthy reports. McGuinness will do his lines from the United States, while Shepherd will work from a booth above the studios. McGuinness was furloughed by WWE in April. He had been doing work for NXT, NXT UK and 205 Live.

– Braun Strowman remains entrenched as one of the top WWE superstars on SmackDown, even after dropping the WWE Universal Championship to Bray Wyatt at SummerSlam and failing to regain it at Payback on Sunday.

He has a new shaved head look and is primed to continue as one of the blue brand’s top heels. However, Strowman is opening up about an issue much more serious than his professional wrestling character.

On a recent episode of WWE Chronicle, Strowman revealed he contemplated taking his own life.

“I got to the point where I was on the verge of I had enough,” said Strowman h/t The Sun. “I kind of busted in on Vince one day in a meeting and I was like ‘I need to talk to you’ and he kicked everybody out of the production meeting and he sat down and talked to me.

“Not like boss to employee but like man to man, almost like a father son talk thing.”

Strowman, whose real name is Adam Scherr, explained had it not been for his relationship with Vince McMahon, he might not even be here.

“I’m very thankful to have a relationship with him like that because I might not even be here. I don’t even like talking about this out loud but I was thinking about killing myself a couple of times,” Strowman revealed. “That I got to that point, I should have talked to somebody sooner. I never knew how much he cared about me. I thought I was just a number in a system. That day he made me realize that I’m more important than a number I can’t thank him enough for doing that.”

– The speculation surrounding Brock Lesnar’s future continues to run rampant following reports he could not agree to a new contract with WWE and is now a free agent.

There have been varying accounts of when exactly Lesnar’s WWE contract expired. He had not worked for WWE since his to loss to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36 back in March. Some believe his deal expired in May or June, while I have heard other sources that do not believe it expired until the end of August.  At one point there were discussions about bringing him back for SummerSlam but they did not get far due to the fact it was another show without a live audience.

Once WWE officially pulled his merchandise, it was clear he was a free agent and his contract status became public.

Recently, Lesnar’s name was brought up as a possibility to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 37 next year. The general belief is when WWE wants to use Lesnar again they will be able to work out a deal for him to return. Based on the fact he has not entered the USADA testing pool, it would not appear a return to UFC is on the horizon.

Given AEW’s significant financial resources, they cannot be ruled out as suitors for Lesnar but Chris Jericho downplayed that in a recent interview. Obviously given the nature of this business, people will accuse that of being intentional but there are no indications there have been discussions between AEW and Lesnar.

Tony Khan was asked about Lesnar’s status during a media conference call ahead of AEW’s All Out pay-per-view and refused to comment. He did put Brock over as one of the greatest working big men he has ever seen.

– Paul Heyman and AJ Styles are reunited once against on WWE Friday Night SmackDown.

Heyman officially returned to the brand on last week’s episode when Roman Reigns was revealed as his latest client.

The development is interesting considering the history between Styles and Heyman. Styles considers Heyman to be a liar due to his role in the WWE releases of his friends Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson back in April.

Styles first found out about the releases of Gallows and Anderson while they were taping the 2020 Money in the Bank match at WWE Headquarters. Allegedly, Heyman told Styles he had nothing to do with their releases and even went as far as saying he fought for them when he knew they could be on the block. It is believed Heyman actually pushed for their releases, including the idea they were too expensive.

Styles found out what happened and was moved to SmackDown because he was so angry he couldn’t even stand to look at Heyman. He even expressed his disdain for Paul on his Twitch channel.

Heyman of course will not be calling the shots on SmackDown as he remains an on-screen character only after being replaced by Bruce Prichard as the Executive Director of Raw in June. However, the two are sure to cross paths.

Styles has gone on record as to saying he hasn’t forgotten what Heyman did but he is also not going to be the guy that holds the grudge. He has made it more than clear he does not trust Heyman but is happy for Gallows and Anderson now that they are doing well in Impact Wrestling.

– As NXT UK prepares for its return to the WWE Network on Thursday, September 17, WWE is teasing a “huge announcement” will air on next Thursday’s final filler episode.

It remains to be seen what exactly the announcement is, but there are still rumors that TakeOver: Dublin will take place in October after it was called off in April.

Additionally, next week’s NXT UK will feature an announcement on when Kay Lee Ray will next defend the NXT UK Women’s Championship. Ray recently hit the one-year mark as champion.

– WWE announced on Friday that the company has come to terms on the release of Akam and Rezar of AOP.

“WWE has come to terms on the release of Akam and Rezar (AOP). We wish them all the best in their future endeavors.”

AOP are former NXT and Raw Tag Team Champions. The duo has been off TV since March after Rezar suffered a bicep injury.

– WrestlingInc reports that Vince McMahon recently sent out an edict threatening WWE talent who work with third party companies such as Cameo and Twitch.

WWE is cracking down on the matter to protect the brand as part of their “rebuilding phase” because the company apparently owns talent’s real names and not just their character names.

Per the report, talent has 30 days to stop engaging with the third parties.

“Some of you are engaged with outside third parties using your name and likeness in ways that are detrimental to our company,” McMahon wrote. “It is imperative that these activities be terminated within the next 30 days (by Friday October 2). Continued violations will result in fines, suspension, or termination at WWE’s discretion.”

Several top WWE stars such as Roman Reigns, Sasha Banks, and Charlotte Flair use Cameo, while AJ Styles frequently streams and talks about WWE on his Twitch channel.

We’ll be following this story closely right here at WrestlingNews.com. Stay tuned for the latest.

– Bayley turned on Sasha Banks on this week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown. The turn happened after Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax beat Bayley and Banks to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. Medical personnel came out to check on Banks after the match but Banks pushed them away. Bayley helped Banks up and took her out of the ring. As they were on their way to the back, Bayley attacked Banks and worked her “injured” leg. Bayley took her back to the ring and continued the assault. Bayley attempted to put Banks’ leg in a chair but Banks countered. Bayley was able to trap Banks’ head in the chair and she jumped off the middle rope and stomped on the chair. After a commercial break, Banks was shown being loaded into an ambulance.

Jey Uso will face Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship at Clash of Champions later this month.

Uso won a Fatal Four-Way Match on this week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown that also involved Matt Riddle, Sheamus and “King” Baron Corbin.

Uso replaced Big E in the match, as he was taken out with an injury angle following a beating from Sheamus. The finish saw Uso hit a big Uso Splash on Riddle, followed by pin.

The following matches are set for WWE Clash of Champions on Sunday, September 27, 2020:

WWE Universal Championship Match
– Roman Reigns w/Paul Heyman (c) vs. Jey Uso

WWE Championship Match
– Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Randy Orton

AEW News

– AEW has announced Countdown to All Out will air on TNT at 5:30pm ET on Saturday before All Out goes live on pay-per-view.

The All Out card currently has seven matches on tap:

AEW World Championship Match
– Jon Moxley (c) vs. MJF

AEW Women’s Championship Match
– Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Thunder Rosa

AEW Tag Team Championship Match
– Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (c) vs. FTR

Mimosa Mayhem Match
– Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy

Casino Battle Royale for AEW World Championship shot
– Darby Allin, Lance Archer, Brian Cage, Ricky Starks, Eddie Kingston, The Lucha Bros, The Butcher & The Blade confirmed

8-Man Tag Team Match
– Dark Order vs. Matt Cardona, Scorpio Sky & Natural Nightmares

Tag Team Match
– The Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express
OR
– SCU vs. Private Party

All Out will emanate from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL and will air live on pay-per-view on Saturday, September 5. We’ll have complete coverage right here at WrestlingNews.com.

– Talks between All Elite Wrestling and WarnerMedia have resumed regarding a second one-hour program for the promotion, per F4WOnline.com. The new program was originally agreed upon when AEW extended their deal with WarnerMedia earlier this year through 2023 with an option for 2024 but talks were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan is for the show to launch before the end of the year. Specifics as to where and when the show will air remain unknown. There has been talk of taping it on Wednesday night before or after Dynamite and having it air on another night. The show is believed to be coming to TNT but could go to any property owned by WarnerMedia, including the HBO Max streaming service.

– AEW has officially booked Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara for All Out, and Hardy says he’ll leave if he loses. During a new Road to All Out episode on YouTube, it was confirmed that Hardy and Guevara will do battle again in a “Broken Rules” match. This comes after their feud has hit a few roadblocks along the way with Guevara being suspended over the summer, and their Tables Match last week suffering from a time cut.

– AEW has added a few more items to the All Out card for Saturday.

Britt Baker vs. Big Swole will finally take place in a “Tooth and Nail match” on the Buy In pre-show, which will air on YouTube at 7pm ET.

Elsewhere on the card, The Young Bucks will face Jurassic Express. Additionally, Shawn Spears, Jake Hager, Best Friends, Santana & Ortiz will compete in the 21-man Casino Battle Royale for a future World Title shot.

Chris Jericho was asked about Brock Lesnar being a free agent and the possibility of him coming to AEW in a new interview with Sports Keeda.

“The only reason why the rumor’s there is somebody said “free agent”. I don’t think he’s really a free agent at all. I think it would take so much money to pry him away from Vince McMahon on Brock’s end and then for Vince to approve that…

I mean, Vince has two billion dollars in the bank. What are you going to spend on Brock Lesnar that Vince isn’t going to match? And Vince and Brock have a strange love affair, to begin with.”

Tony Khan refused to comment on whether or not AEW had spoken to Lesnar during a media conference call ahead of Saturday’s All out pay-per-view.

“So would Brock fit in at AEW,” Jericho questioned. “Would he pay back his salary that you would pay him to be in AEW? Who’s to say, but I think UFC, AEW… I think it’s just another one of the dances that Vince and Brock like to have where Brock’s contract expires, Vince lets it expire, and then they stay away from each other until the next Saudi Arabia show or the next show that has people in the crowd, or WrestleMania, whatever it may be. So I don’t think Brock is really a free agent in the sense of the word, I just think he’s like currently not under contract right now.

The amount of money it would take him to tear him away from from the world of WWE would, A, be astronomical, B, Vince will never allow it to happen and, C, I don’t know if you could make that investment back, or if it would even be worth it for AEW at this point in time or UFC, or any company other than WWE.”

Jericho’s complete interview with Sports Keeda is online at this link.

– Chris Jericho will face Orange Cassidy in a Mimosa Mayhem match at AEW All Out on Saturday.

One year and a half into his run with AEW, Jericho spoke with Sports Keeda to discuss his future with the promotion.

“I never put a time limit on anything that I do wrestling-wise,” said Jericho. “I mean, I thought, back in 2015, it was time to wrap it up and then I got into the angle with Kevin Owens and things became fun again – which led to me going to Japan, which made it even more fun, which led to me coming to AEW, which is the best time I’ve had the business in 10 years, 15 years maybe.

Jericho signed a three-year contract with All Elite Wrestling in January 2019. He is the promotion’s most well-known star and is a former AEW World Champion.

“So I won’t go anywhere,” Jericho explained. “I have no intention of leaving AEW and I have no intention of not wrestling – but even if I don’t wrestle ever again, I’ll just be a commentator after that – which is something that I never really thought about until I had to do it where we filmed four weeks of TV in one day and I just said, “Well, just put me on commentary. That way we don’t have to worry about angles,” because I really had no storyline to talk about at the time, “so let me just do commentary.” Suddenly, that became a thing. So yeah, there’s no reason for me to go anywhere.

I’m very happy in AEW. I’m very creatively stimulated here and I enjoy coming to work every time, every week, every month, whenever it may be, and to me, the fact I’m having as much fun as I’m having and doing the work that I’m doing now after almost 30 years in the business is a testament to the longevity that I have and also to the great environment that AEW is providing for me.”

You can read Jericho’s complete interview with Sports Keeda at this link.

Make sure to join us here at WrestlingNews.com on Saturday for exclusive live coverage of AEW All Out.

Kris Statlander continues to recover from the torn ACL she suffered back in June.

The AEW women’s division star provided an update on her status on Friday.

“For everyone that’s expecting me to come back to @AEWrestling soon. I just started walking with my brace on without crutches on Tuesday. There’s still a long way to go but I’m on my way,” Statlander tweeted.

The injury occurred on the June 10, 2020 episode of AEW Dynamite. She had surgery in July.

Statlander remains out indefinitely.

– AEW World Champion Jon Moxley was on Busted Open Radio this week where he was asked about his wife Renee Young, whose real name is Renee Paquette, working for All Elite Wrestling.

Young gave her notice to WWE shortly before SummerSlam and finished up at the pay-per-view. She has a 90-day non-compete clause that was attached to her WWE deal, so she will not be able to work elsewhere for a few months.

Moxley stated on Busted Open Radio that “anything” could happen and she is more or less decompressing right now.

Young has multiple opportunities outside of professional wrestling with FOX and ESPN both said to be fans of her work in WWE. FOX in particular was very impressed with Young and wanted her to be included on WWE programming on the network when they landed Friday Night SmackDown. She also has interest in the NHL, cooking and fashion.

We have heard there have been talks between Young and AEW officials although it is unknown how official those talks were. AEW would love to sign her at the conclusion of her non-compete but it will ultimately be up to Young as to whether or not she signs.

Stay tuned to WrestlingNews.com for the latest on Renee Young.

– After heavy criticism on social media, Tony Khan announced on Friday that Britt Baker vs. Big Swole in a Tooth and Nail match will now take place on the main All Out card. The match was previously announced for the Buy In pre-show, which airs for free on YouTube.

The Tooth and Nail match will have cinematic aspects as it will air from Baker’s dental office. The match will be competed under no disqualification, Falls Count Anywhere rules.

In its place, the Buy In will now feature Private Party vs. Dark Order’s Alex Reynolds & Jon Silver in a tag team match.

Below is the updated All Out card:

AEW World Championship Match
– Jon Moxley (c) vs. MJF

AEW Women’s Championship Match
– Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Thunder Rosa

AEW Tag Team Championship Match
– Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (c) vs. FTR

Mimosa Mayhem Match
– Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy

Broken Rules Match
– Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara

21-Man Casino Battle Royale for AEW World Championship shot
– Darby Allin, Lance Archer, Brian Cage, Ricky Starks, Eddie Kingston, The Lucha Bros, The Butcher & The Blade, Shawn Spears, Jake Hager, Best Friends, Santana & Ortiz confirmed

8-Man Tag Team Match
– Dark Order vs. Matt Cardona, Scorpio Sky & Natural Nightmares

Tag Team Match
– The Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express

Tooth & Nail Match
– Britt Baker vs. Big Swole

Tag Team Match (Buy In Pre-Show)
– Private Party vs. Dark Order’s Alex Reynolds & Jon Silver

All Out will emanate from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL and will air live on pay-per-view this Saturday at 8pm ET. We’ll have complete coverage right here at WrestlingNews.com.

– Pentagon Jr. will now be referred to as Penta El Zero M in AEW.

According to Dave Meltzer, the change was made because AAA owns the rights to the Pentagon Jr. name, and AEW didn’t want to run into legal trouble when it comes to merchandising. Similarly, AEW has referred to his partner as Rey Fenix instead of just Fenix.

Pentagon was called Penta El Zero M on Dynamite commentary on Wednesday, and the change has since been reflected on AEW’s roster page.

Both Penta El Zero M and Rey Fenix will compete in the 21-man Casino Battle Royale this Saturday at All Out. We’ll have complete coverage right here at WrestlingNews.com.

– – As noted, Britt Baker and Big Swole are set to face-off in AEW’s first “Tooth and Nail” match during the Buy In pre-show before All Out on Saturday.

As for how this match will go down, Tony Khan revealed during the latest episode of AEW Unrestricted that the match will emanate from Baker’s dentist’s office with Falls Count Anywhere rules.

And for those wondering what the rules are for Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara in a “Broken Rules” match, Khan says it’s basically a Last Man Standing match with Hardy’s career on the line.

Nine matches have been confirmed for the All Out card:

AEW World Championship Match
– Jon Moxley (c) vs. MJF

AEW Women’s Championship Match
– Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Thunder Rosa

AEW Tag Team Championship Match
– Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (c) vs. FTR

Mimosa Mayhem Match
– Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy

Broken Rules Match
– Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara

Casino Battle Royale for AEW World Championship shot
– Darby Allin, Lance Archer, Brian Cage, Ricky Starks, Eddie Kingston, The Lucha Bros, The Butcher & The Blade, Shawn Spears, Jake Hager, Best Friends, Santana & Ortiz confirmed

8-Man Tag Team Match
– Dark Order vs. Matt Cardona, Scorpio Sky & Natural Nightmares

Tag Team Match
– The Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express

Tooth & Nail Match (Buy In Pre-Show Match)
– Britt Baker vs. Big Swole

All Out will emanate from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL and will air live on pay-per-view this Saturday at 8pm ET. We’ll have complete coverage right here at WrestlingNews.com.

Impact Wrestling News

– In the main event of this week’s Impact Wrestling, Eric Young defeated Eddie Edwards to become the new Impact World Champion. EY returned to the company in July at Slammiversary following his WWE release in April. This is Young’s second World Title run after capturing the TNA World Championship in 2014.

– Tenille Dashwood returned to storylines during Deonna Purrazzo’s Black Tie Affair. Dashwood has been away during the pandemic due to being immunocompromised. Her sights are being set on the Knockouts Championship once again.

– The guests of Wrestle House made their return to the Impact Zone during this week’s show. Everyone was able to come back following the engagement of John E. Bravo and Rosemary.

– A few items have been announced for next week’s Impact:

  • Madison Rayne’s Locker Room Talk with Kylie Rae & Susie
  • Chris Bey vs. TJP
  • The Rascalz vs. Motor City Machine Guns (c) – Impact Tag Team Championship Match

We have complete Impact results online at this link.

NJPW News

– New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced multiple matches for their New Japan Road tour that begins on September 3, 2020.

  • IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito will team with Shingo, Takagi and SANADA to face EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi and Jado on September 5th and September 6th.
  • The promotion will hold a four-team round robin tournament to crown new IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions. Participants include Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI, and El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru. The finals will take place on September 11, 2020 at Korakuen Hall.
  • Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI will defend the NEVER Six-Man Tag Team Championship against Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, and SHO on September 11, 2020.

New Japan Road is the final tour before the G1 Climax.

– New Japan Pro Wrestling star YOH is out due to a torn ACL. He is expected to miss the remainder of the year. YOH’s tag team partner, SHO, appeared at a press conference on Monday to officially relinquish the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship. As previously reported here at WrestlingNews.com, NJPW will hold a four-team round robin tournament to crown new champions.

Ratings News

– WWE Friday Night SmackDown did 2.181 million viewers on FOX in the overnight numbers. That is slightly down from the 2.198 million viewers the show did in the final number last week, which was adjusted up from the overnight number that was 2.168. Friday’s show did 2.210 million viewers the first hour and went down to 2.151 million viewers the second hour. SmackDown helped FOX finish first place in the men 18-49 demographic and first in the adults 18-49 demographic for the night with a 0.6 rating.

– Last week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown ended up doing 2.144 million viewers on FOX. That is down from the 2.181 million viewers the show did in the overnights that were released over the weekend. Friday’s show, which featured the fallout of SummerSlam and final build for Payback, did a slightly lower viewership than the week prior, which garnered 2.198 million viewers. SmackDown helped FOX finish first place in the key demos for the eighth week in a row.

– This week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw did an average of 1.896 million viewers on the USA Network, down from the 2.028 million viewers the show did last week.

Here’s how the show did by hour:

Hour 1: 2.104 million viewers
Hour 2: 1.882 million viewers
Hour 3: 1.703 million viewers

Raw ranked #5 on the Top 150 and drew a 0.58 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

– This week’s WWE NXT drew 849,000 viewers on the USA Network for their “Super Tuesday” episode without head-to-head competition from AEW Dynamite. This is up 3% from last week’s 824,000. The first Tuesday show ranked No. 10 in the 18-49 demographic with a 0.26 rating. It is now the third-best viewership number of the year.

– This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite did an average viewing audience of 928,000 viewers on TNT. The show ranked No. 8 in the 18-49 demographic with a 0.36 rating. The audience was up from the 813,000 viewers last Thursday. Dynamite returned to its normal slot on Wednesday this week after being preempted by scheduled NBA games on TNT the last two weeks. In comparison, NXT’s unrivaled episode on Tuesday drew 849,000 viewers on USA Network.

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