Welcome to the WrestlingNews.com Insider Weekly Newsletter!
This week’s issue, Issue No. 12, includes news from Saturday, September 26, 2020 to Friday, October 2, 2020. Stories were written by Richard Gray, CJ Blaze and Subroto Mookherjee with final editing done by Richard for clarity. Exclusive behind-the-scenes information was added, with content exclusive to WNC Insider Members.
Jump to section
– WWE News
– AEW News
– Impact News
– NJPW News
– Ratings News
WWE News
– The COVID-19 pandemic caused several plans for WWE to be halted and that includes NXT UK. The brand completely stopped operating for several months. They are six months behind schedule. The NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin special could not be held due to the delay in the schedule. Now it has been rescheduled to a new date. According to a report by o PW Insider, WWE has announced that NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin will be taking place on June 20th, 2021. The belief is that there will be no further delays for next year. The venue for The NXT TakeOver special will be the 3Arena. It was the same venue where the event was originally going to take place on April 26th before the cancellation. It was then postponed to October 25th before finally getting the June 2021 date.
– Jimmy Uso is currently on the shelf and has been absent from WWE television for a while now. Several reports revealed that he suffered a knee injury and required surgery. Now there is a projected timetable for his return. According to a report by Alex McCarthy, Jimmy Uso will be returning next year. The projected timetable for his return is around January to February 2021. He was personally informed of this by Uso himself. From the expected timeline, it is likely he will be returning around the time of the Royal Rumble. So he will be ready for the Road to WrestleMania 37. His brother Jey Uso will be challenging Roman Reigns for the Universal Title at WWE Clash Of Champions this Sunday.
– The Rock announced on Sunday morning the first presidential endorsement of his career.
The former WWE superstar turned actor announced as a political independent and centrist that he is endorsing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the 2020 United States presidential election. Both he and the Biden campaign released video of three talking.
“As a political independent & centrist, I’ve voted for both parties in the past. In this critical presidential election, I’m endorsing @JoeBiden & @KamalaHarris,” Rock wrote. “Progress takes courage, humanity, empathy, strength, KINDNESS & RESPECT.”
– There is some concern that Nikki Cross may not be available for tonight’s WWE Clash of Champions pay-per-view. According to F4WOnline.com, Cross was not at this week’s episode of SmackDown. She is scheduled to challenge Bayley at the pay-per-view for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship. Clearly the speculation is there could be a situation with COVID-19. WWE recently tested talent and anyone who tested positive is required to quarantine for 14 days and will only be cleared after they test negative. WWE is not allowed to release the names of those who test negative due to health privacy laws.
– Former WWE superstar Ryback made a fairly outlandish statement during a Twitter Q&A with fans.
Regarding Vince McMahon, Ryback weighed in:
“It was ALWAYS the talent. He just created a platform as a human circus that he modified from his father,” Ryback tweeted. “The guy is a piece of shit, can’t stress this enough. World will be a better place when he passes. This isn’t wishing death, but stating an opinion I believe to be true.”
He is not a fan of Triple H either.
“P*ssy Paul is not the savior to anything,” Ryback wrote. “He will go down with the ship.”
Ryback worked for WWE from 2004 to 2016. He is a former WWE Intercontinental Champion.
– There are times in WWE when pushes for Superstars get dropped abruptly and sometimes there are reasons behind it.
Indus Sher were on the receiving end of a push in NXT. They teamed up with Malcolm Bivens, who is touted as one of the best promo workers in the Performance Center. Then they were absent from WWE television for a few weeks.
Rinku & Saurav were having a good run until Saurav posted a photo on social media, spoiling Keith Lee becoming a double champion in NXT. During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer talked about the tag team. While he did not mention specifically Saurav’s mistake, he did say that their push has been stopped.
It was also noted that they “weren’t all that impressive,” but in “another era” they would have been far more successful.
– T-Bar continues to defend the Retribution storyline from harsh criticism.
Eric Bischoff was recently critical of the faction during an episode of his 83 Weeks podcast. Bischoff spoke on how the storyline is nonsensical and sucks.
“Thank you @EBischoff,” T-Bar tweeted. “You are a huge inspiration for #RETRIBUTION! We too aspire to one day destroy a billion dollar wrestling company and bury it under fiery wreckage.”
As noted earlier here at WrestlingNews.com, T-Bar also went after Chris Jericho for comments he made about the faction.
Bischoff worked as executive director of SmackDown for approximately four months last year. He was replaced by Bruce Prichard. He stated he knew six to eight weeks in it was not going to work out.
– Two matches have been removed from the WWE Clash of Champions card. Nikki Cross will no longer challenge Bayley for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship. As reported earlier here at WrestlingNews.com, Cross’s status was in question after she was not at this week’s episode of SmackDown. The assumption is it has to do with COVID-19 concerns after WWE conducted testing earlier in the week. Post Wrestling reports the match won’t happen and Bayley will defend her title against a replacement opponent. Additionally, the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match with Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler defending against the Riott Squad is off.
– WWE confirmed on the Clash of Champions Kickoff that Nikki Cross, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler are not medically cleared to compete. The status of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match will be addressed on tomorrow night’s episode of Monday Night Raw, as it was officially removed from Clash of Champions. It is rumored that Bayley will still defend the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship at the pay-per-view against a replacement opponent. WWE did not elaborate on why the superstars were not cleared to compete. Obviously the speculation is the absences are related to COVID-19 concerns but that is not confirmed. There is an active COVID-19 outbreak in WWE NXT and the WWE Performance Center. Our Clash of Champions coverage is online at this link.
– Tegan Nox may have suffered a legitimate torn ACL, which would be her third torn ACL in three years. In the latest NXT injury report video (embedded above), it was said, “Unfortunately, the speculation is that Nox tore her ACL and she will be sent for an MRI.” There was an angle on last week’s episode of WWE NXT where Nox’s knee was attacked backstage by Candice LeRae. It was used to write her out of the battle royal on the show. Nox tore the ACL in her right knee in 2017. She returned in April 2018 but tore the ACL in her left knee. She returned in June 2019.
– Sami Zayn won the WWE Intercontinental Championship at Clash of Champions on Sunday. Zayn went over in a triple threat ladder match that involved champion Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles. The finish saw Zayn and Styles fight on a ladder, with Hardy taking out Styles. Zayn was in handcuffs but this allowed for him to get out and climb up and pull down both title belts, as his Intercontinental title belt was also hung above the ring. Afterwards, Kayla Braxton interviewed Zayn who said he is still Intercontinental Champion.
– WWE confirmed the dates for the upcoming Draft on tonight’s Clash of Champions pay-per-view. The draft will begin on Friday Night SmackDown on October 9. It will continue on Monday Night Raw on October 12. WWE will look to refresh both rosters and also call-up talent from NXT to either Raw or SmackDown.
– Angel Garza suffered what appears to be a legitimate leg injury at Clash of Champions, according to PWInsider. Garza went down following a knee strike to Montez Ford during the Raw Tag Team Championship match. The match finish appeared to be changed as well with the ref counting three despite Andrade kicking out of Angelo Dawkins’ cover. Dawkins seemed upset by the ref’s call as medical personnel checked out Garza outside the ring.
– Big Show, Christian, Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair made surprise appearances in the Ambulance Match for the WWE Championship at Clash of Champions. All of them got back at Randy Orton, with Flair driving off with him in the ambulance after he was defeated by Drew McIntyre.
– WWE Hell in a Cell will take place in four weeks on Sunday, October 25, 2020. The pay-per-view was officially announced during Clash of Champions.
– As reported earlier, The Rock officially announced that he will be endorsing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the 2020 US Presidential Election. While several fans reacted positively to his decision, others were definitely against it.
The Rock’s Twitter timeline was full of negative comments from several people and that also included former WWE wrestler Val Venis. Venis went on a rant riddled with profanity, showing how upset he was at The Rock for his decision.
Following the public backlash, Dwyane Johnson sent another tweet. He said he will not block anyone and that they have work to do by having a very critical conversation.
A critical conversation – voting. Our voice. Our power.
And no matter how strongly your opinion may differ from mine, it’s always ok.
You can yell all you want. I won’t block ya and I won’t even yell back.
We all still have work to do
He also uploaded a video with the Tweet.
A critical conversation – voting. Our voice. Our power.
And no matter how strongly your opinion may differ from mine, it’s always ok.
You can yell all you want. I won’t block ya and I won't even yell back.????
We all still have work to do ????????
VOTE: https://t.co/rZi1mxh8DC pic.twitter.com/Cakow6j6CP
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) September 27, 2020
– WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns debuted his new shirtless look at Clash of Champions. It was a change Reigns confirmed prior to the show that we reported on here at WrestlingNews.com. Reigns went over Jey Uso to retain the WWE Universal Championship. Jimmy Uso returned during the match and threw in a white towel to end the match. We have complete Clash of Champions results available at this link.
– Angel Garza suffered a hip injury at WWE Clash of Champions, not a leg injury as initially reported. PWInsider reports the good news is the injury may not be as serious as initially feared. Garza was injured on a spot during the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship match after he took a knee strike from Montez Ford. The injury caused the referee to go to an abort finish where Andrade kicked out at two following a sitdown powerbomb by Angelo Dawkins but the three count was made anyway.
– Plans for WWE Clash Of Champions had to be changed prior to the pay-per-view starting as Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler and Nikki Cross were removed from the event. Some believed it was due to the COVID-19 virus but that is not the case. During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed that all three of the competitors who were removed from the pay-per-view did not test positive for COVID-19. The three were in contact with a person who had the virus, so WWE was afraid the virus would spread. That is why they were pulled for precautionary reasons. Usually, Superstars are quarantined for 14 days due to possible exposure. We will have to see when they return.
– WWE usually has plans for a Superstar once they have been called up to the main roster, but that might not always be the case. This has happened to many Superstars in the past and now it seems Lacey Evans is in the same position. For the past two weeks, Lacey Evans has been on the receiving end of a beatdown from Alexa Bliss, without being able to do anything. During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer mentioned that Vince McMahon might have given up on pushing Evans again. She was initially on the receiving end of a push, but it seems plans for her have been dropped. Now her purpose is to be used by Alexa Bliss as part of her current storyline. We will have to see whether Evans will receive a push in the future.
– NXT UK made its return to television after a six-month hiatus owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The brand plans on expanding further and signing top talents from various promotions.
According to a report by Inside The Ropes, WWE is looking for “prominent,” but not well-known wrestlers. Former Impact Wrestling wrestler Gursinder Singh was in attendance at the camp and it seems WWE could be signing him.
It was also reported that Sha Samuels was given an offer as well. He was given the offer in January but it was no longer valid due to injury. It was said that Aleah James is in consideration due to her being present at the last set of TV tapings.
The report also suggested that Molly Spartan is under consideration as well. The company also plans on signing new backstage staff and referees.
– Samoa Joe returned to the Raw announce team at Clash of Champions and it’s believed he will work tonight’s show. He had a few weeks off, as did Tom Phillips. It was the first time Phillips, Saxton and Joe had worked together in quite some time. For those that have asked, it remains unknown if Joe has an announcer’s contract or if he is working under his Performer’s Contract. Joe has not been medically cleared since suffering a concussion during a commercial shoot back in February.
– Angel Garza is scheduled for imaging on Monday to determine the severity of his injury. It’s believed he either tore his quadriceps or suffered a hip injury in the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship match. The former would be much more serious and require a prolonged absence. Reports were initially bleak but there was a degree of optimism towards the end of the pay-per-view. The referee was told to go to an aborted finish but he was unable to convey this to Andrade, who clearly kicked out at two. The outcome was not changed as The Street Profits were scheduled to retain.
– Roman Reigns received rave reviews backstage for his match against Jey Uso. His character isn’t being booked as a straight heel but a slow turn, which is something he pushed for in his return to company. Reigns wanted to be paired with Paul Heyman and wanted something different. He could still change his theme music but the shirt-less look was part of his character’s new direction.
– There was some thought Drew McIntyre looked weak in the Ambulance Match for the WWE Championship, needing the help of the legends to finish off Randy Orton. It’s a point that can be made by Orton if WWE chooses to continue the program. McIntyre suffered some lacerations from the match but escaped without serious injury.
– While this is more of a reflection of the enthusiasm surrounding WWE NXT, we can confirm that Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens have all pitched matches that involve the NXT brand. Whether or not Triple H will sign off on them happening remains to be seen.
– WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler were removed from WWE Clash of Champions because they were not medically cleared to compete. The team was set to defend the titles against The Riott Squad.
Jax is telling a different story on social media, explaining that both her and Baszler are healthy.
“Lies,” Jax tweeted in reply to WWE’s breaking news announcement that she and Baszler had not been medically cleared to compete. She followed up by telling a fan the announcement scared some but they were just fine.
“Girl….I could not be better,” Jax tweeted. “I apologize that the announcement scared some, but all is great and healthy on my end & my tag partner’s end as well (not that I speak for her, but I kind of just did)”
WWE is expected to address the situation with the Women’s Tag Team Championship on tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw.
– All five members of Retribution are reportedly off tonight’s Raw due to quarantine measures. Ryan Satin reports the faction members test negative but are taking precautionary measures.
– WWE has announced Big Show, Christian, Shawn Michaels, and Ric Flair will open Raw alongside WWE Champion Drew McIntyre following their interference in the Ambulance Match at Clash of Champions.
– Asuka will defend the Raw Women’s Championship against Zelina Vega again on tonight’s show. Kevin Owens vs. Aleister Black is also booked, in addition to a King’s Court segment with Jerry Lawler, Rey Mysterio and the Mysterio family.
– In an interview with Pro Wrestling Sheet, James Storm revealed that he was all set to officially sign with WWE before the pandemic put a stop to those plans.
“I get home and I see I got an email from Canyon Ceman saying, ‘Hey, we’re interested. Paul Heyman wants me to reach out and bring you to Raw,” Storm said. “I was like, ‘Wait … I think Bobby is going to Raw. Hmmm. This could be interesting.’ Ya know?
Storm happened to miss that email during Royal Rumble weekend while working a NWA show. Then there were plans for him to join WWE after WrestleMania.
“I told them I would work the weekend of WrestleMania shows with Eli [Drake] to drop the NWA belts to whoever they wanted to drop it to. Just go out on good terms. Good business, ya know? Then that show got cancelled for the NWA, and then it kept snowballing.”
Storm is currently NWA Tag Team Champions alongside Eli Drake. It remains to be seen what is next for The Cowboy.
– Mandy Rose appeared on tonight’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw alongside Dana Brooke, who is also now officially a Raw Superstar. You may remember Rose was “traded” to Raw several weeks ago as part of an angle where The Miz got her removed from Friday Night SmackDown to get her away from Otis. Rose and Brooke beat Lana and Natalya in a quick tag team match. There is still no word one what SmackDown received in return for the Superstars.
– Robert Roode made his return to WWE on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. Roode answered Drew McIntyre’s open challenge for the WWE Championship. He went under in the match. Roode was pitched by Dolph Ziggler to producer Adam Pearce earlier in the show. When it came time for the open challenge, Ziggler’s music played but he came out in street clothes and announced Roode to ringside. Roode last worked for WWE at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on March 8, 2020. He has been at home in Canada due to travel restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was a tag partner of Dolph Ziggler on SmackDown. We first wrote about Roode’s impending return to WWE here on WrestlingNews.com.
– One of the top storylines on Monday Night RAW currently feature Seth Rollin’s follower Murphy and Rey Mysterio’s daughter Aalyah being involved in a romantic storyline. The storyline further progressed on this week’s RAW.
Murphy’s real-life ex-fiance Alexa Bliss commented on this. Bliss and Murphy called off their engagement in 2018 and she is currently in a relationship with Ryan Cabrera now. Bliss revealed she is totally behind Murphy ”shooting his shot” with Aalyah.
Bliss took to Twitter and said: “Honestly I don’t blame him lol”
It seems her comments drew a mixed reaction from fans. Some fans went after her for her comments. In response Bliss sent the following tweets:
“Try to make one comment supporting my ex & now I’m the bad guy”
“Do I Know her or her age? No. Was I trying to be supportive of Murphy? Yes. Back off and calm down ppl. Just happy Murphy is getting the success he’s worked for. That’s all
be bothered by something else”
“Absolutely. I agree that I should be held responsible for the storylines my ex-boyfriend receives at work.
Anything else I can take care of as well?”
be bothered by something else”– Retribution was held off of this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw after the five core members of the faction came into contact with someone positive for COVID-19.
As reported here on WrestlingNews.com, all five members tested negative but are required to quarantine for 14 days after coming into proximity with someone who tested positive.
Apparently the exclusion of Retribution from Raw resulted in some fans cheering on social media. This did not set well with T-Bar, who responded on his verified Twitter account.
“If your response to the news that people were potentially exposed to COVID-19 was “Good” then you should probably reassess your morals as a human being,” T-Bar tweeted.
“The amount of people who fail to understand the difference between this post and a post where I pointed out that super-spreading the virus was a negative thing is truly staggering, yet sadly unsurprising.”
– The next pay-per-view for the WWE main roster will be Hell In A Cell, and it will be taking place on October 25th. This will be the final pay-per-view in the Thunderdome before the company changes its venue to somewhere else. It seems they could have already decided on the main event.
According to a report by Wrestle Votes, the main event of the pay-per-view could see Sasha Banks squaring off against Bayley inside the hellish structure. It was not mentioned whether the match will be the final match on the show.
Sasha Banks vs Bayley inside Hell in a Cell is the planned main event as of now for the 10/25 PPV event.
It was certain Bayley and Sasha Banks would get their match as their rivalry has reached a new level which will culminate inside the cell.
– John Cena has a very busy career in Hollywood. He is currently scheduled to play the role of The Peacemaker in Suicide Squad 2 and its spin-off and he has other projects as well. He is no longer an active competitor in WWE.
John Cena made an appearance on The Tonight Show. He was Jimmy Fallon’s first real-life guest in a long time. During the show, the topic of his in-ring career was brought up. Cena simply said that while he is not actively wrestling, he is not done with it.
He said that he has a very young audience in WWE, which includes children and also families. He wants to continue to send messages to those young viewers.
Cena was last seen during the Firefly Fun House match at WrestleMania 36. We will have to see when he returns next.
– Roman Reigns made his return to WWE as a heel and quickly became the top star of Smackdown. He won the Universal Title and has been dominant as a heel champion.
He successfully retained his title at WWE Clash Of Champions against Jey Uso. It seems partnering up with Paul Heyman has certainly helped Reigns.
Roman spoke on the ‘Load Management’ podcast, where he discussed his pairing with Paul Heyman. He revealed that it is “refreshing” that Paul Heyman is not in a position of creative control for the writing team, so he can give more time to Reigns’ creative direction. Just being around him backstage helps Reigns.
Reigns said Heyman’s time as a heel manager has definitely helped make the “power pairing” an even more fearsome force.
He also revealed recently he based his current heel character off of Daniel Day-Lewis’ Butcher character from “Gangs Of New York.”
– Triple H confirmed on a NXT Takeover 31 media call that Tegan Nox did indeed suffer a torn ACL and has undergone surgery to repair the injury. The procedure was a success. This is Nox’s third ACL tear in as many years. As we reported here on WrestlingNews.com, Nox tore the ACL in her right knee in 2017. She returned in April 2018 but tore the ACL in her left knee. She returned in June 2019. She is out of action indefinitely.
– On last week’s episode of NXT, Kyle O’Reilly won the Gauntlet Eliminator match. He received an NXT Title shot at NXT TakeOver as a result, much to the surprise of many fans. He has primarily been a tag team competitor. His last match as a singles competitor was at a Progress show in 2018. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and a recent outbreak in NXT, WWE had to change plans and this included the title picture. During a teleconference to hype NXT TakeOver: 31, Triple H talked about Kyle O’Reilly receiving the title shot. He revealed that the company planned on giving O’Reilly a push for a long time. It “may have” been done earlier than planned due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Triple H certainly implied that. He then praised O’Reilly for his in-ring prowess.
– NXT moved its way to Wednesday nights on the USA Network when AEW Dynamite made its debut on TNT last year. With it started the Wednesday Night Wars, which has been going on since then. A few weeks ago, NXT and AEW Dynamite aired on different nights and this helped both shows receive more viewers. While NXT received more than 800, 000 viewers, Dynamite managed over 1 million viewers. Chris Jericho also said in the past that WWE should shift NXT to Tuesday nights as Dynamite was embarrassing them every week. During a teleconference to promote NXT TakeOver: 31, Triple H was asked by Dave Meltzer if NXT was going to move to Tuesday nights. Triple H revealed that they will not be leaving Wednesday nights and that they are “happy where they are.” This decision was finalized by the company and its partners.
– Jeff Hardy was arrested for DUI in October of last year. He was scheduled to appear before the court today for a hearing, but it seems that might not be happening now.
Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, courts all over the world have been closed and this includes the USA. It seems Jeff Hardy’s court date has once again been postponed to a later date. According to a report by PW Insider, it was said that “all court cases have been pushed back.”
The new date for his court hearing is October 22nd. Following the arrest, Hardy had to go to inpatient rehab. He also had his driver’s permit revoked and will not get it back until this matter is resolved.
His personal problems were also used heavily his feud against Sheamus and King Corbin.
– The Undisputed Era have been the most dominant group in all of NXT for the past two years. Now it seems the members will be going in different directions as far as their characters are concerned.
According to a report by PW Insider, Kyle O’Reilly will be a “full-fledged babyface” from now on and will continue after his match NXT TakeOver match. Adam Cole also started to shift towards the role as a babyface on this week’s NXT, where he defeated Austin Theory.
The report also stated that there are no plans to turn Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong into babyfaces as of yet.
Kyle O’Reilly will be challenging Finn Balor for the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver on October 4th.
– The Rock made headlines when he and his partners purchased the XFL after its reboot was brought to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now Dwayne Johnson will be venturing into new territory with the XFL.
Ever since his purchase was made public knowledge, the Rock has wasted no time in emphasizing his ownership of the XFL. Initially, people hoped it would return in 2021, but it seems that will not be happening.
Dwayne Johnson took to Twitter and officially announced that the XFL will be making its return in the Spring of 2022. He said it is “uphill battle,” but promised no one will ever outwork them.
XFL returns SPRING 2022
As owners, we’re proud to champion our XFL players, coaches, cities and fans into an electrifying 2022 season!
It’s an uphill battle – but we’re hungry, humble and no one will outwork us. A league of culture, passion & purpose.
– As previously reported, Tegan Nox tore her ACL and underwent surgery. This marks the third time she suffered this kind of injury, but it seems this time she might have been injured worse than before.
WWE officially announced that she was injured and Triple H confirmed she had the surgery during a teleconference. During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed her injury. He revealed that her injury did not take place in the squared circle. It took place in rehab, where it was said to have “just popped.”
Dave Meltzer added that they “found something wrong when they checked it, and did the MRI.” Nox’s previous injury took place during the 2018 Mae Young Classic, where she tore the ACL in her left knee following a dive on the ramp.
It is likely she will be on the shelf for a very long time.
– In September, WWE made a rule which banned from using third party sites such as Twitch and others. The reason behind this was Superstars were making money on their own and the company seemingly did not like that. They were initially not allowed to use their real-life names on Twitch and other sites, but that rule was promptly changed.
Any site not owned by WWE would be banned and this includes sites such as Cameo.
It seems WWE Superstars will be leaving Cameo soon, with a few already leaving the platform. Roderick Strong took to Twitter and informed fans that he will terminate his Cameo account. Scarlett has also stopped using the platform. While the price on her profile states $1,000, it is shown as “inactive until further notice.”
NXT Superstar Emily Andzulis’ name has been changed to 1288594 and there seems to be no profile picture. Other Superstars also removed their profile pictures, but their accounts seem to be active for the time being. It is likely that will also change following October 3rd.
– WWE put forward a rule that prevents Superstars from using third party sites such as Pro Wrestling Tees and Cameo for making money. Twitch was seemingly fine as long as the Superstars used their real name and got permission beforehand. However, WWE did not specify they will be allowed to own their channels.
According to a report by Wrestling Inc, Superstars received an email from Vince McMahon, where they were informed that they have until October 2nd to “sever any unauthorized business relationship with third parties.” If any Superstar does not act accordingly, they will be fined, suspended, or fired.
The company also relayed the news that their Twitch accounts will be taken over by WWE in four weeks. The accounts will be owned by WWE and Superstars will “receive a percentage of the revenue” and the money will be counted against their downside guarantees.
– Vince McMahon informed WWE Superstars that the company will be taking over their Twitch and Cameo accounts. He gave them four weeks to go along with this decision, else they might be fined or even released.
Several Superstars thought Twitch would be exempted from this as WWE allowed them to use their legal names. However, it seems that was not the case.
Many Superstars are reportedly upset at WWE’s decision to take over their accounts. According to a report by Wrestling Observer Newsletter, one WWE Superstar was quoted to say the following: “This is amazing because it’s really going to open up the independent contractor issue. All these smart attorneys surrounding Vince and this is the battle he wants?”
The Superstar also revealed that several talents were livid, but that is usually the case in situations such as these. As nobody would speak up about it.
It was also mentioned that AJ Styles’ Twitch account could have caused WWE to make this decision. His son admitting he did not watch WWE and Styles revealing he had tested positive for the coronavirus in the past might have attributed to the fact.
– WWE has been broadcasting NXT for a while now at Full Sail University. However, they will be shifting NXT and 205 Live to the WWE Performance Center soon. WWE might be having other plans in mind as well after they move.
It is likely the company will be moving away from taping their shows following the shift to the Performance Center. According to a report by The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE could be considering making NXT a live show once again.
There has also been talk of going back to live weekly shows from the Performance Center as opposed to Full Sail, every Wednesday as opposed to every other week. At press time there was discussion of that, but we were told it was not yet a done deal
According to past rumors, NXT TakeOver was going to be held in the Thunderdome, but it will no longer be taking place there.
– There is a significant rumor making rounds in that WWE is looking to move next year’s WrestleMania 37 pay-per-view from the new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Jon Alba reached out to WWE regarding the rumor and the company issued the following statement: “We have nothing to report and given the current environment, we continue to monitor locations for all of our potential events.”
According to WrestleVotes, WWE has had Tampa listed as the host city for the show for over a month. There is currently a battle underway with the city of Los Angeles about who can legally cancel the event and when. If there is a traditional WrestleMania, Tampa Bay is scheduled to host.
WrestleMania 36 was supposed to take place from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa but was moved to the WWE Performance Center due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WrestleMania 37 is currently scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 28, 2021.
– Kairi Sane will be doing work for WWE in Japan.
In a tweet posted on Friday, Sane announced in Japanese she was given the role of “a new WWE promotion supporter.” Sane confirmed she will continue to train and support WWE from the country.
Kairi departed as a WWE Superstar on good terms back in July. She wanted to move back to Japan to live with her husband, who she married earlier in the year. WWE looked for ways to keep her under contract, which included positions as an ambassador and/or trainer. It would seem she will do a bit of both.
– WWE and Take-Two Interactive Software are engaged in a lawsuit filed by tattoo artist Catherine Alexander.
Alexander did tattoo work for Randy Orton that was originally used for faux sleeves and later portrayed in a video game. She reached out to WWE to negotiate her work being reproduced but ended up filing a lawsuit years ago.
Earlier this week a federal judge in the state of Illinois issued a partial summary judgment ruling WWE and 2K Games had indeed copied her work. The case has received a trial date, which is scheduled for February 16, 2021. Yuke’s Co., Ltd., and Yuke’s LA Inc are also listed in the lawsuit.
The suit was originally set to go to trial last year but was pushed back because the presiding judge retired. The trial was rescheduled to June 2020 but was delayed at the request of the plaintiffs.
The trial will determine whether or not the defendants had the right to use the work in the game or if Alexander deserves royalty payments.
AEW News
– There was an interesting exchange on Twitter between Retribution’s T-Bar and Chris Jericho.
T-Bar, who is formerly known as Dominik Dijakovic, answered a fan question about why WWE would sign a group that is trying to sign them to contracts. Below was his response:
“WWE offered us contracts because it was financially cheaper than all of the security guards we kept injuring,” T-Bar wrote. “We signed the contracts to pay for our hired guns to do our dirty work. Our goal is still to destroy our current employer, WWE.”
Jericho quoted the tweet with this response: “Huh?”
T-Bar then took a screen shot of articles about a recent Fozzy concert being response for a COVID-19 outbreak with the response: “Huh?”
– Hangman Adam Page and Chris Jericho competed at AEW All Out to crown the first-ever AEW World Champion. Jericho won the match and became the champion. It seems Adam Page believes he should not have been in the match at all.
Page spoke to Wrestling Inc, where he revealed how he felt when he was going after the AEW World Title. While he only had to compete in a battle royal, where he was the last entrant; Chris Jericho needed to defeat Kenny Omega.
To Page, their journey to the AEW World Title “didn’t feel equal.” He does not think he earned it.
“I think about how we got to the first ever title match, and Chris Jericho got there by beating the best wrestler in the world at the time and I might say now as well, Kenny Omega. And I got there by getting to enter into a battle royal dead last and eliminating a lot of people who were largely kind of unknown, under known [or] under successful, maybe.”
“So even our paths to the title match didn’t feel equal. I never felt like I earned it, maybe, in the same way that Chris Jericho did, and then getting to be in that title match, obviously, is huge opportunity. And it’s one that I blew, so here we are.”
Adam Page is now a singles competitor again after losing the AEW World Tag Team Titles with his former teammate Kenny Omega.
– Miro was released from WWE earlier in the year and now he made his way onto AEW, much to the delight of fans. He is currently reinventing himself in the company and he has also changed the name of his finisher. He made his in-ring debut last week in a tag team match. His finisher used to be called the Accolade in WWE and now it has been changed to the Game Over in AEW. It seems Miro drew inspiration from an interesting source for this change in name. During his Twitch stream, Miro revealed that he changed his finisher’s name to the Game Over as a tribute to the Street Fighter movie. It is a reference to Raul Julia from the film. We will have to see how he will be booked in AEW.
– This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite promises to be a solid show. Now it seems the company has announced a match for Jon Moxley.
However, it seems the company will not be choosing a match for him. It will be decided by Eddie Kingston. All Elite Wrestling officially announced that Moxley will be competing on this week’s show against a mystery opponent.
The opponent will be chosen by Eddie Kingston. With Kingston currently teaming up with the Lucha Bros and Butcher and the Blade, it is likely he could choose between them for a match against Moxley.
The match will be a non-title affair and promises to be a physical one, depending on the opponent.
– Matt Cardona made his shocking debut in AEW two months ago on Dynamite, where he saved his friend Cody. He made sure everyone was aware he signed a deal with AEW to only appear a few times and that is what happened.
The former WWE Superstar spoke to the Pro Wrestling Junkies podcast, where he talked about his AEW status. He revealed that his deal with the company expired at AEW All Out. He has not appeared on AEW television since then.
He said that he would love to work with the company again and hopes to make a return someday in the future. He said he wants to come back and make a difference next time.
He mentioned that he wanted to come back and win titles and not simply sell t-shirts.
– Cody vs. Brodie Lee in a Dog Collar match for the TNT Championship has been confirmed for next week’s Dynamite.
Next week.
On @tntdrama pic.twitter.com/jcXhgu994Y
— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) October 1, 2020
– An 8-man single elimination tournament will take place soon to determine the AEW World Championship number one contender. The finals will go down at Full Gear on November 7th with Jungle Boy, Rey Fenix, and Kenny Omega confirmed to compete.
BREAKING NEWS
It's a huge 8-man tournament, single-elimination, the finals will be at Full Gear where the winner will receive a shot at the #AEW World Championship.
1️⃣ @boy_myth_legend
2️⃣ @ReyFenixMx
3️⃣ @KennyOmegamanXWATCH #AEWDynamite NOW on @TNTDrama. pic.twitter.com/orPFc4N9hv
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) October 1, 2020
– Next week’s Dynamite will feature the following:
- Chris Jericho’s 30 year celebration
- Chris Jericho & Jake Hager vs. Chaos Project (Luther & Serpentico)
- Will Hobbs vs. Brian Cage (c) for the FTW Championship
- Cody vs. Brodie Lee (c) in a Dog Collar match for the TNT Championship
We’ll have complete coverage of Dynamite right here at WrestlingNews.com. Click here for this week’s results.
– Next week’s episode of AEW Dynamite promises to be a stacked on. On top of the 30th Anniversary for Chris Jericho, they also have other solid matches in store.
Another 20-minute brush with greatness match for FTR has been confirmed. They will be defending their AEW Tag Team Titles against Angelico and Jack Evans. This is sure to be a solid match.
Brodie Lee will be defending his TNT Championship against Cody Rhodes in a dog collar match. It promises to be a brutal affair.
Brian Cage will be defending the FTW Title against Will Hobbs in a singles match. The title has yet to be officially recognized, so it is interesting to see it being defended.
Chris Jericho and Jake Hager will be taking on Luther & Serpentico in a tag team match as well.
– AEW’s method of writing engaging storylines are different compared to other promotions. It seems Jon Moxley is a fan of the creative process.
Moxley spoke to Bleacher Report, where he went into detail regarding how AEW creates their storylines. He revealed that Tony Khan will call him, where they will throw some ideas out. He also talks to the Star he is working with at that time and they share ideas as well.
This eventually becomes a three-way discussion where everyone gives their input. They briefly discuss the upcoming storylines for the next six weeks. Moxley then shows up for work and the job is done. The plans are never changed on the same day.
Plans can change at any time, especially owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Moxley certainly is content with the creative process currently.
Impact Wrestling News
– Ken Shamrock is best remembered for his time in WWE during the Attitude Era and now Impact Wrestling. He will be inducted into the Impact Wrestling Hall Of Fame and it seems he has someone special planned for his introduction.
Shamrock will be joining the likes of Sting, Kurt Angle, Jeff Jarrett, Team 3D, Earl Hebner, Gail Kim and Abyss in the Hall Of Fame. He took to Twitter and tweeted to The Rock, requesting The Great One for a video message before he is inducted into the Impact Wrestling Hall Of Fame.
@TheRock Hey brother I am being Inducted into the Impact Wrestling HOF I would be very grateful if you could send a Induction greeting. After all I believe my time with you was my greatest memories in Wrestling. Thank you
The Rock accepted his request.
Congrats, my brother. Awesome news. I will take care of this and get it to you by this weekend.
Shamrock certainly helped The Rock out a lot when he was still early into his days as a professional wrestler in WWE. We will have to see what kind of video The Rock will send.
– Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes have departed Impact Wrestling, PWInsider hears.
According to the report, their departures could have been a result of their current storylines coming to a conclusion. RVD had been working on a series of short-term agreements, not a long-term contract, and had a program with Sami Callihan.
RVD and Forbes are welcome to return at a later date. Van Dam returned to Impact Wrestling in April 2019, signing a deal that ran through Bound For Glory last year.
As things currently stand, RVD’s final match with Impact was on last week’s episode where he went over Sami Callihan.
– As reported earlier, Rob Van Dam left Impact Wrestling along with Katie Forbes. He was not signed to the company and now has officially become a free agent.
He recently spoke to The Dropkick Podcast, where among other things, the topic of the WWE Hall Of Fame was brought into the conversation. RVD revealed by whom he would like to be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame.
He said that the obvious answer was Paul Heyman and he thinks Heyman is the right person. He can definitely see it happening. However, knowing how things can be, that might not be happening for a long time.
He wondered if one had to be retired in order to be inducted. The fact that he worked in Impact Wrestling might be a factor as well. He said it would be an honor if he was inducted.
WWE’s relationship with Impact Wrestling seems to be an amicable one as the company previously worked a deal in order to show Impact footage in their documentary specials.
– AXS TV and Impact Wrestling announced the first-ever Impact Week, starting Tuesday, October 20, leading into the Bound For Glory pay-per-view on Saturday, October 24.
Below is the official press release and schedule of events:
AXS TV AND IMPACT WRESTLING JOIN FORCES TO PRESENT THE FIRST-EVER IMPACT WEEK STARTING TUESDAY, OCT. 20, LEADING INTO THE BOUND FOR GLORY PAY-PER-VIEW EVENT ON SATURDAY, OCT. 24.
Highlights Include The Good Brothers & Friends on ‘Talk’n Shop: Full Keg’ (Oct. 20), the Champion Profile Special ‘This Is Bound For Glory’ (Oct. 22) and the Pre-Show Event ‘Live Countdown To Glory’ (Oct. 24)
Los Angeles – (Sept. 29, 2020) – AXS TV and IMPACT Wrestling will break new ground ahead of IMPACT’s biggest event of the year, Bound For Glory©, with the first-ever IMPACT Week on AXS TV. The week-long series of IMPACT specials premieres exclusively on the network from Tuesday, Oct. 20 to Saturday, Oct. 24.
The action-packed line-up kicks off with two of wrestling’s hottest stars, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows, who hit the bar for a special broadcast edition of their top-rated podcast Talk’n Shop: Full Keg on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 10 p.m. ET. Immediately following IMPACT! on AXS TV at 8 p.m. ET, join The Good Brothers as they hang out with their closest friends and welcome a few surprise guests to the special.
Go behind-the-scenes with IMPACT’s champions and challengers, including Eric Young, Rich Swann, Deonna Purrazzo and Kylie Rae, for the original documentary This Is Bound For Glory on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 8 pm ET, with an encore airing on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. ET.
Leading into the Bound For Glory pay-per-view broadcast on Saturday, Oct. 24, AXS TV presents the first-ever, hour-long pre-show Live Countdown to Glory at 7 p.m. ET. The excitement builds as expert panelists weigh-in on all the Bound For Glory championship matches, IMPACT stars walk the red carpet, and IMPACT kicks off the live action with the first match of the night, plus more surprises to be announced.
“IMPACT Week on AXS TV demonstrates the strength of the individual Anthem brands coming together organically under our Anthem Sports & Entertainment banner,” said AXS TV General Manager Frank Tanki. “This first year of IMPACT! on AXS TV proved that IMPACT has some of the most passionate and loyal fans in the world, and we wanted to deliver to them in a big way as we continue to grow the IMPACT brand. We worked across Anthem to create a week on AXS TV focused on providing the ultimate preview of this huge PPV event. And in addition to serving IMPACT’s fans, we are working to deliver to our affiliates and sponsors as well.”
“Thanks to AXS TV’s powerful broadcast platform, IMPACT Wrestling will deliver an unprecedented level of content heading into Bound For Glory,” said IMPACT Wrestling Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore. “IMPACT Week on AXS TV offers an incredible slate of action and entertainment, showcasing the best IMPACT has to offer. From the unpredictable and always hilarious Good Brothers, to inspiring championship profile features, there’s something for every wrestling fan to get ready for Saturday night.”
Bound For Glory will be available on Pay-Per-View in North America at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 24 on –InDemand, DISH, DirecTV, Vubiquity, Rogers, Bell, Shaw, Sasktel and around the world digitally via FITE TV (order now).
IMPACT Week on AXS TV Schedule:
Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 8 pm ET – IMPACT! on AXS TV
Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 10 pm ET – Talk’n Shop: Full Keg with The Good Brothers
Thursday, Oct. 22 at 8 pm ET – This Is Bound For Glory
Saturday, Oct. 24 at 6 pm ET – Encore Presentation of This Is Bound For Glory
Saturday Oct. 24 at 7 pm ET – Live Countdown To Glory
Join @IMPACTWRESTLING on Twitter using #BFG2020 and #IMPACTonAXSTV.
– Impact Wrestling has officially announced a four-way Tag Team Championship match for Bound For Glory on Oct. 24. Motor City Machine Guns will defend against The North, The Good Brothers, and Ace Austin & Madman Fulton.
BREAKING: The Motor City Machine Guns will defend the IMPACT World Tag Team Titles against The Good Brothers, The North and Ace Austin and Madman Fulton on October 24th at Bound For Glory! #BFG2020
Order HERE: https://t.co/eDGChzTOz5 pic.twitter.com/ky4pB9nOiq
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) September 30, 2020
At Victory Road this Saturday, Alex Shelley vs. Karl Anderson vs. Josh Alexander vs. Ace Austin will go down in a singles four-way preview.
Below is the current Bound For Glory card, pending match results at Victory Road:
Impact World Championship Match
– Eric Young (c) vs. Rich Swann
Impact Knockouts Championship Match
– Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs. Kylie Rae
Impact Tag Team Championship Match
– Motor City Machine Guns (c) vs. The North vs. The Good Brothers vs. Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
We’ll have complete Bound For Glory coverage right here at WrestlingNews.com.
NJPW News
– It has been officially confirmed by New Japan Pro Wrestling that the President and CEO of the promotion, Harold Meji, will be resigning from his position. It was revealed he will be leaving NJPW next month.
He will be parting ways with the company on October 23rd. He will be succeeded by NJPW of America President Takami Ohbari.
Meji was appointed as the president of NJPW in May of 2018. He wrote a blog on the company’s website, where he apologized to fans for taking this decision while the G1 Climax tournament is still going on. He previously worked as senior VP of Coca-Cola Japan.
Here is the full statement from NJPW given below:
New Japan Pro Wrestling issued the following statement this morning, announcing that NJPW President Harold Meij is resigning from the company and will be replaced by Takami Ohbari:
At a meeting of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s parent company Bushiroad’s board of directors today September 29, 2020, a change was announced in NJPW’s directorship. This change will take effect at the beginning of NJPW’s 50th year of trading on October 23rd.
Outgoing President/CEO
Harold Meij
New NJPW President/CEO (as of October 23)
Takami Ohbari (current NJPW of America CEO)
– As reported earlier, it was confirmed by New Japan Pro Wrestling that Harold Meji will be resigning from his position as President and CEO next month. Now it seems more details have been revealed regarding his decision.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed Harold Meji’s resignation. Meltzer revealed that Meji had a goal in mind, which was to get NJPW up to $100 million in revenue by the end of 2020. However, this would not be possible without a major American broadcast TV deal.
NJPW previously had a broadcast TV deal in the US with AXS TV, but due to Impact Wrestling parent company Anthem Entertainment buying AXS TV, promotions such as NJPW were no longer part of the network.
Meltzer added that due to the purchase, NJPW suffered greatly. They had already lost huge stars such as The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, which ultimately halted their momentum in the US. Despite a solid opening in 2020 due to Wrestle Kingdom, the company was badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unfortunately, Meji was nowhere near the revenue number he had seemingly promised.
Ratings News
– This week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown drew 2.032 million viewers for FOX in the overnight numbers. That was just under the 2.037 the show did in the final number from last week. Hour one did 2.050 million viewers, while hour two did 2.014 million viewers. SmackDown helped FOX finish first place finish in the adults 18-34 demographic in the men 18-49 demo in Friday’s cable ratings. We’ll have the final numbers out on Monday.
– Last week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown drew 2.110 million viewers on Fox. That is up from the 2.032 million viewers released in the overnights on Saturday. The show was WWE’s final effort before Clash of Champions. SmackDown in the week prior did 2.037 million final viewership. SmackDown helped Fox finish first in the adults 18-34 demographic and in the men 18-49 demographic. Fox tied for first in the adults 25-54 demographic.
– This week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw did an average of 1.822 million viewers on the USA Network. That is up from the 1.668 million viewers the show did in the week prior. Hour one did 1.956 million viewers, hour two did 1.824 million viewers and hour three did 1.687 million viewers. The show faced significant competition with the Monday Night Football game on ESPN between the Chiefs and the Ravens that did 14.019 million viewers.
– Viewership numbers for both Dynamite and NXT went up this week.
This week’s WWE NXT drew 732,000 viewers on the USA Network. This is up from last week’s 696,000. The show ranked No. 50 in the 18-49 demographic with a 0.19 rating.
This week’s AEW Dynamite did 866,000 viewers on TNT. This is up from last week’s 835,000 viewers. The show ranked No. 12 in the 18-49 demographic with a 0.33 rating.
Leave a Reply