WrestlingNews.com

WWE Signs AEW Talent, Why Raw Underground Was Nixed, AJ Styles’ Gimmick Tweaked, Vince McMahon Sees ‘Big Things’ In Goldberg, The Undertaker At Survivor Series, Full Gear Matches, Halloween Havoc Preview, New Impact Signing, HIAC Favorites, And More Exclusive Backstage News

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Welcome to the WrestlingNews.com Insider Weekly Newsletter!

This week’s issue, Issue No. 15, includes news from Saturday, October 17, 2020 to Friday, October 23, 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.

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– WWE News
– AEW News
– Impact News
– Ratings News

WWE News

– WWE had their sights set on Benjamin Carter for a while now. The initial plan was for him to be signed to the NXT UK brand, which was possible for him. It seems Miro might have revealed where Carter will be going to next.

Carter’s performances on AEW Dark certainly impressed many companies. AEW has been interested in signing him as well and he also appeared for Impact Wrestling. During a recent Twitch stream, Miro said that Carter “joined the dark side” and then wished him good luck. It is likely Miro referred to WWE as ”the dark side”

“We lost Ben Carter. Ben Carter is lost, he’s gone to the dark side, so… I mean, good luck to Ben Carter, all the best to him, I was really impressed with his stuff.”

It was also reported WWE made a big play for Carter and might have finally borne fruit for the company.

– RAW Underground has been nixed by WWE and it might not return anytime soon. They seem to have a legitimate reason nixing the segment and it had to do with the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez talked about the current situation. He revealed WWE nixed the segment owing to the recent COVID-19 outbreak. The reason there is no longer any RAW Underground segment is due to the segment incorporating talents from RAW, Smackdown, NXT and the Performance Center. The company does not want to do anything that involved the mixing of brands.

There is concern that if a segment of Underground is held and there is another outbreak in WWE, then Underground has the potential of spreading the virus to every brand that is involved in the segment.

– WWE shifted NXT and 205 Live to the Capitol Wrestling Center, which was formerly the WWE Performance Center. They managed to make an atmosphere comparable to the ThunderDome. However, it seems the company no longer needs fans to watch the shows live as they have footage of fan reactions.

Fans have been under the impression that WWE uses tock footage for their Capitol Wrestling Center screens. Fan reactions to the in-ring action in some matches seemed out of place. According to a report by PW Insider, it has been confirmed that WWE has been repurposing fan reactions for their NXT tapings.

Fans allowed WWE to use their likeness in this manner when they had signed the ThunderDome agreement. It was said that “WWE is only letting a small group of invited fans from the NXT mailing list into the Wednesday tapings.”

– NXT UK Superstar Dave Mastiff is one of the top Superstars on the brand. Now it seems he has tied the knot with his partner and WWE also congratulated him.

Mastiff took to Instagram and posted a photo of the bride and groom’s hands, without any other caption relating to his wedding.

WWE then tweeted out a congratulatory message for the NXT UK Superstar on his wedding.

Dave Mastiff has finally met his match.

The imposing NXT UK Superstar posted wedding photos earlier today to announce his marriage to the WWE Universe.

– Rey Mysterio suffered an injury during his tag team match at WWE Payback, where he and Dominik Mysterio competed against Seth Rollins and Murphy. Since then he has been on the shelf but has regularly appeared on WWE television. Now it seems he will be making an in-ring return soon.

Rey Mysterio made an appearance on Talking Smack, where he talked about his current injury status. He revealed that things are going well and that he is almost ready to return to the ring.

“I was concerned in the beginning. The procedure was slow at recuperating, but I’m already at 99%. I’m looking for bigger things to come. I eventually want to get this [storyline] over with — there’s a twist and turn with Murphy trying to get on my daughter’s side, and [makes angry sounds].”

It is likely Mysterio will continue to feud with Rollins and Murphy upon his return to the ring.

– Dominik Mysterio previously mentioned that WWE plans on him wearing a mask and have his name changed Rey Mysterio registered a trademark for “Prince Mysterio,” but now it seems WWE has a copyright of their own.

According to a report by Heel By Nature, WWE registered multiple copyrights for Superstar names on October 13th. One of the trademarks included “Dominick,” which his not the way Dominik spells his name.

If WWE decides to make him drop the “Mysterio” from Dominik’s name, they could have him change his name’s spelling. Other trademarks which were registered on that day mostly came from the NXT UK brand. The names were:

Joseph Connors, Kenny Williams, Levi Muir, and NXT UK General Manager Johnny Saint.

– Daniel Bryan has been wrestling for a very long time and has competed all over the world in various promotions. As he gets older, his body is simply no longer able to perform at the same level as he used to.

Bryan spoke on Talking Smackdown, where the former WWE Champion talked about his current run in WWE. He feels that his skills are not as good as they used to be. He thinks it is unfair as he continues to work very hard.

While his endurance is still great, he is no longer able to jump as high as he used to towards the end of a match. In comparison, AJ Styles can still perform moves he used to do a decade ago.

“I am at a point now, in my life and career, where I want to test myself against the best performers in WWE. Whether that’s against people I haven’t faced yet, and even people I have faced, since we’ve all evolved.”

“I noticeably have lesser spring in my step as the match goes on, something I realized during my match against AJ Styles.”

“I never had a problem with endurance before. [Although] I still don’t get tired but later in a match, I can’t jump as high anymore, and AJ still can.”

“And it’s funny because he’s older than me. How is this fair? I train my butt off,”

Bryan is still one of the most popular Superstars on Friday Night Smackdown. He is also a writer and has been writing for the past few months.

– RAW Underground was nixed by WWE for many reasons. The COVID-19 pandemic and the recent outbreak of the virus on NXT were a few of the reasons why. It seems the company has pitched ideas for the security guard Jordan Omogbehin to work with AJ Styles.

According to a report by Fightful, some ideas were pitched in the company where Jordan Omogbehin would join AJ Styles as his enforcer on Monday Night RAW.

Jordan Omogbehin was in the same class of recruits in the WWE Performance Center as Mia Yim, Matt Riddle, and Damian Priest. He also played the role of Akira Tozawa’s ninja before he was made the bouncer for RAW Underground.

– Lana had been put through the announcer’s table for several weeks on Monday Night RAW. This, to several fans, meant that WWE was burying her, but that seems to not be the case.

She was getting destroyed by Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler so that they would look strong. Then she won the #1 Contender’s battle royal last week and will be challenging Asuka for the RAW Women’s Title .

According to a report by The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the company has plans to turn Lana into a “massive babyface.”

“The company belief is that this show turned Lana babyface because she was put through a table four times and came back to win the Battle Royal. The term massive babyface was even used. We shall see.”

She signed a five-year multi-million dollar contract with the company last year. So it is likely we will be seeing her in high profile matches in the future as well.

– Goldberg appeared on the season premiere of Friday Night Smackdown last week. He was watching the match between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman for the WWE Universal Championship.

According to reports, it was said that the FOX Network desired big names for the season premiere. He was brought due to that reason only and there are no plans for him to wrestle anytime soon.

According to a report by Inside The Ropes, despite what everyone thinks, Vince McMahon is still interested in Goldberg. So fans might see him in action eventually.

“We’re also told “Vince McMahon couldn’t care less what anyone thinks about him using Goldberg” and the head honcho still believes there is value in the Goldberg name.”

– Kevin Nash has worked for companies such as WCW, WWE and Impact Wrestling. So he certainly has a lot of experience when it comes to professional wrestling.

He has seen professional wrestling change multiple times during his career. He is not a fan of some aspects of modern professional wrestling.

Nash spoke to That Hashtag Show, where he explained the problem he has with the professional wrestling today, where he revealed that no one sells their moves like they USD to. He also then mentioned how wrestlers kick out of very difficult pinning situations far too often. He does not like multiple near falls during a match either. He then said female wrestlers have better in-ring psychology than the male wrestlers.

“Nobody sells shit. To me, it’s just like nobody sells anything. To us, it was always to sell and get the double downs and the falses. Now with guys kicking out on one on moonsaults…..I also don’t want to be the guy – I remember guys that were our agents when we broke in saying ‘Kid, we used to do 60 minutes through’ and you watch 60 minutes through and they’re in a headlock for 48 minutes of it. Everything evolves. I think sometimes the women have better psychology than the guys do.”

– Bayley’s heel turn has been met with a lot of praise from fans and wrestlers alike. She is far different from what she was as a babyface. She also topped the PWI Top 100 Women’s Wrestlers list this year.

Bayley spoke to the PWI Podcast, where she talked about her heel character. She said that once Vince McMahon gave his blessing to turn heel she knew it would work out. She added that she was motivated by people who continued to not believe in her as she underwent a big change in character.

“Everyone second-guessed things, especially for me because I was doing that Bayley character for 7 years and it brought me so much success. It brought me championships and brought me to the WWE, but it was not something I wanted to do forever. I want to experience everything in my career. I want to ride the wave and do all sorts of things. I knew I couldn’t do it being that one character. Honestly, once I had the company’s blessing and Vince’s blessing, I knew I had to make it work. I had to make it work because it was my decision. If I failed then I failed myself and I failed the company. I definitely think people not believing in me helps because you love to prove people wrong. It helps on screen as well because then I’m not doing it for them, I’m doing it for me.”

Bayley will be defending her Smackdown Women’s Title against Sasha Banks at WWE Hell In A Cell this month.

– AJ Styles has a new bodyguard that debuted with him on tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw.

The role is played by Jordan Omogbehin, who previously worked as a Raw Underground bouncer. He was also featured as the largest ninja in Akira Tozawa’s group. He is 7 foot 3 inches tall and 291 pounds and was signed by WWE in 2018. Omogbehin hails from Lagos, Nigeria and played college basketball for the University of Florida and for Morgan State University.

Styles went over Matt Riddle on his first match back on Raw. We have complete results available at this link.

– Drew McIntyre will be defending his WWE Championship against Randy Orton at WWE Hell In A Cell on October 25th. They will be facing off in a Hell In A Cell match.

Metro UK recently spoke to Drew McIntyre, where among other topics of discussion, Randy Orton’s issues in the past were brought up. Orton is not afraid to talk about how he was problematic early on in his career. He also mentioned this in his promos during the buildup to his current feud with McIntyre.

McIntyre said he heard many stories of how Orton used to behave, but he never saw Orton at his worst himself. However, there is still truth to the story that Orton managed to get away scot-free from his actions.

“I was obviously aware of it. I didn’t get jealous, I never had that mentality but it was interesting to hear. I never saw it at the worst, I guess – I heard the stories from the people that were there. I saw enough that I spoke about during the promos live on television. There’s a lot of truth to this story, and the things that Randy got away with. He says himself, he should have been fired a lot of times. The truth is, he was so good, so talented and had so much potential, that’s why he got away with murder,”

– Lilian Garcia parted ways with WWE back in 2016, but she still had a relationship with the company as she had several WWE Superstars over for his podcast. She mentioned she was going to make an announcement on Monday and now we know what it is.

The former WWE announcer revealed that her podcast Chasing Glory will officially be making its way onto the WWE Network. The first episode will premiere on October 26th.

BREAKING NEWS!!

It’s w great excitement & gratitude that I announce my return HOME to the @WWE! BUT in a very diff capacity…. I’m proud 2 announce that my show, #ChasingGlory will now appear on the WWE NETWORK!!! All begins Monday, October 26!! TY WWE Universe 4 all the [love]

– Several reports suggested that WWE planned on revealing the Smackdown mystery hacker on the season premiere of Monday Night RAW.

Following Retribution getting destroyed by The Fiend earlier on RAW this week, Mustafa Ali was shown backstage with his stable, where he made a shocking announcement.

Mustafa Ali said that all he needs is a laptop, a cell phone, and a secret. He just needs the click of a button and he can cause chaos.

He then revealed that he was observing everything that went on during the summer from home  and he “learned all of your pathetic little secrets.” He then finally revealed that he was the “mysterious hacker on SmackDown.”

– Plans in WWE can change at any instant as nothing is concrete in the company. Two huge matches were planned for Elias, but they did not end up taking place.

While speaking to Sports Illustrated, Elias revealed that he was going to square off against The Undertaker at Saudi Arabia. He was also going to face John Cena at WrestleMania. However, both of the matches were cancelled for different reasons. Here is what he said:

“New Orleans, I’m in the mix with John and the Undertaker. The next year, I’m in there with John and the Undertaker again—John at WrestleMania, the Undertaker the night next on Raw. I was supposed to go on and face the Undertaker at the show in Saudi Arabia. That never ended up happening because of Goldberg, but that was supposed to be my match. The year after was supposed to be myself against John Cena at WrestleMania in a three-year running story. Things obviously changed and that didn’t end up happening.”

– NXT Superstar Xia Li is one of the most talented Superstars in the NXT women’s roster. However, it seems she is not only skillful in professional wrestling.

Li is set to make her debut in amateur kickboxing at Combat Night Orlando on October 24th. Combat Night Orlando promoter Mitchell Chamale spoke to the Roman Show where he revealed he did not know that Li was a WWE Superstar until recently.

“I was unaware [that Li is a wrestler] until recently, but to us, she is an athlete looking to test her skill on our event.”

“We do our best to treat all our athletes the same regardless of what they do outside the cage.”

Xia Li will be fighting against Anna Housel in a 125-pound contest. The 200 people in attendance at the event will be socially distanced at Gilt Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

– Karrion Kross won the NXT Championship after defeating Keith Lee. However, he disclosed his shoulder during the match and was forced to relinquish the title.

He underwent surgery for the shoulder and is now recuperating. Kross is currently working very hard for his inevitable return.

Kross’ girlfriend Scarlett took to Instagram and posted a video of Kross working out in Paradise. He went to a Tulum Jungle Gym with Scarlett. Both of them are absent from NXT Television until he makes his comeback.

“Getting closer… and he’s about to be the deadliest piece on the board.”

– The next pay-per-view after WWE Hell In A Cell will be WWE Survivor Series. It seems The Undertaker will be having a role for this year’s event.

It will be taking place on November 22nd. The Deadman made his debut at Survivor Series during the 1990 edition. The company seems to be having him involved in some capacity.

According to a report by Wrestle Votes, WWE will be planning this year’s event based on the Phenom. However, it seems they might not have him wrestle.

The upcoming 11/22 Survivor Series PPV will be built around the 30th Anniversary of The Undertaker, including him making a live appearance on the show.

A source states as of now, The Undertaker will not be wrestling at the event.

– The Orange County Department of Public Health is currently investigating “hot spots” for COVID-19 and it seems three venues from WWE have made it onto the list.

The venues in question are the Amway Center, WWE Performance Center, and Full Sail Arena. According to a report by W-FTV 9, the following locations will all be investigated.

  • Jesus School, Judah Church
  • Amazon Distribution Center, Boggy Creek
  • WWE Amway Center
  • Plaza on University Apartments
  • Crunch Fitness, Colonial Drive
  • Crunch Fitness, Hoffner
  • Starbound Performers
  • WWE Full Sail
  • WWE Performance Center, Forsyth

WWE sent out a public statement in response to the investigation. The company said that their events are not open to the public and that thorough testing is conducted at every step.

“WWE is not open to the public, but rather operating on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance. As part of on-going weekly testing protocols, Aventus Labs have administered more than 10,000 PCR tests to WWE performers, employees, production staff, and crew, resulting in only 1.5 percent positive cases as compared to the current national average of more than 5%. Additionally, extensive contact tracing takes place, and impacted individuals are placed in 14-day quarantine and then only cleared after they test negative.”

– Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch are the new NXT Tag Team Champions thanks to a returning Pat McAfee.

Breezango were scheduled to defend the titles against Undisputed Era, but both Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong were attacked backstage throughout the night. Lorcan and Burch would be named their replacements.

At the finish, a masked man took out Fandango before Burch low-blowed Breeze for the three-count. The man revealed himself to be Pat McAfee and proceeded to celebrate with the new champions.

This is Lorcan and Burch’s first reign with the titles, ending Breezango’s first reign at approximately 56 days.

Click here for complete NXT results.

– Next week’s episode of NXT will have a Halloween Havoc theme. The following matches are confirmed:

  • Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Gonzalez
  • Dexter Lumis vs. Cameron Grimes in a Haunted House of Terror Match
  • Candice LeRae vs. Io Shirai (c) for the NXT Women’s Championship (stipulation TBD)
  • Johnny Gargano vs. Damian Priest (c) for the NXT North American Championship (stipulation TBD)

We’ll have complete coverage of Halloween Havoc right here at WrestlingNews.com.

– Bayley has found great success with her current run as Smackdown Women’s Champion. She was voted as the #1 Woman Wrestler on PWI and now it seems she has reached another milestone in her career.

LSines2015 of Reddit provided fans with an interesting fact regarding Bayley’s time as a champion in WWE. Bayley now has the top spot for the most number of days Women’s Champion in modern WWE history. She is only behind The Fabulous Moolah.

She has held titles in WWE for a combined 948 days. As her reign continues, the number of days will grow as well. Moolah held her titles for a combined 10,775 days over a three-decade long career. So it will be a long time until Bayley matches her.

Charlotte Flair has 947 days as champion while current RAW Women’s Champion Asuka has 938 days.

– WWE announced that a special one-hour edition of the WWE Backstage studio show will air this Friday night, live from the WWE ThunderDome at the Amway Center in Orlando.

The show will air at 10pm ET after SmackDown goes off the air. Smackdown will be airing on FS1 this week owing to Game 3 of the MLB World Series airing on FOX.

WWE Backstage started airing from November of last year and aired till March of 2020 before it was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then announced in June that the show was done for good.

Backstage was hosted by Renee Young and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T and featured analysts such as Christian and CM Punk making frequent appearances on the show.

– Below are the current betting odds for WWE Hell in a Cell:

  • Sasha Banks (-225) over WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley (+160) in a Hell in a Cell Match
  • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre (-200) over Randy Orton +150 in a Hell in a Cell Match
  • Elias (-150) over Jeff Hardy (+110)
  • WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns (-2800) over Jey Uso (+900) in a Hell in a Cell “I Quit” Match

We’ll have complete coverage of WWE Hell in a Cell on Sunday here at WrestlingNews.com. The show will emanate from the ThunderDome at Amway Center in Orlando, FL.

– Keith Lee made his debut on Monday Night RAW and fans were excited. However, fans were less excited about his new entrance theme upon his debut. Now it seems WWE is recording new music for him.

According to a report by PW Insider, Lee recently appeared at recording booth, where he recorded vocals for his new entrance song. He previously sang the vocals for his NXT theme as well.

Keith Lee is in New York City today, doing vocals for a new version of his WWE entrance theme.

Lee promised fans it would be taken care of regarding his new entrance theme and it seems that is exactly what he did. He is currently feuding with Braun Strowman on Monday Night RAW.

– FS1 will be the home of Friday Night Smackdown for this week. The company is moving the show to FS1 this week owing to Major League Baseball’s World Series. WWE Backstage is also returning for one night only this week. However, it seems WWE had other plans as well.

WWE Backstage will air right after the conclusion of Friday Night Smackdown. According to a report by PW Insider, this was not the initial plan. It was reported that the initial plan was to air Talking Smack on FS1 following SmackDown, but that did not end up happening.

It was not explained why the company had no desire of airing Talking Smack on FS1. We will have to see what takes place during WWE Backstage this week.

– WWE does not desire another outbreak in NXT as fans enter the Capitol Wrestling Center every week. Fans will be tested before they are allowed to go into the Center for every show. It seems the company is handling the costs for the tests.

According to a report by Jon Alba, WWE will be covering all costs involved with the COVID-19 testing done through Aventus Labs. Fans will be able to check the results for themselves.

Sources: #WWENXT protocols for fans to attend the shows at the CWC are set up through WWE. They designate a testing spot for attendee to go to, cover any involved costs. Results aren’t sent to the person, but they get a notification if they’re cleared or not. Temp. check at door.

COVID testing for attending #WWENXT happens the day before. Every individual who attends is then taken to their pod, where they are stationed with those in they’re party. Sanitation is also available in pod. Paul Levesque had mentioned this on the last call. #WWE

Since posting, I’ve had some reach out who have said they are able to check their results in addition to #WWE giving clearance. I guess some others were not aware they could check them. Aventus Labs does the tests, which is the same provider WWE uses for its own crew.

WWE plans on bringing in more fans to the Capitol Wrestling Center eventually and also have chairs for fans.

– Tonight on WWE Friday Night SmackDown, Shorty G appeared to “quit”.

Shorty G faced ‘The Freak’ Lars Sullivan in a losing effort that saw him take a beating like many have since Lars resurfaced. After the match, Shorty was asked how he felt after the match, and he responded, “I quit.”

In the trainer’s room, Shorty G tells Adam Pearce that he quits being Shorty G. He no longer wants to be a guy who just accepts who he is and he says that the only man who can achieve great things is Chad Gable.

Follow our coverage of WWE Friday Night SmackDown right here on WrestlingNews.com.

– Sunday’s Hell in a Cell card is slowly shaping up following the go-home episode of SmackDown.

JBL ruled in a “Law & Otis” segment that Otis will “defend” the Money in the Bank contract in a singles match against The Miz. Whoever wins will rightfully own the briefcase.

Below is the updated pay-per-view card featuring just five matches so far:

Universal Championship “I Quit” Hell in a Cell Match
– Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso

WWE Championship Hell in a Cell Match
– Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Randy Orton

SmackDown Women’s Championship Hell in a Cell Match
– Bayley (c) vs. Sasha Banks

Money in the Bank Contract on the line
– Otis vs. The Miz

– Jeff Hardy vs. Elias

Hell in a Cell will emanate from the ThunderDome in Orlando, FL. We’ll have complete coverage on Sunday right here at WrestlingNews.com.

AEW News

– The Anniversary edition of AEW Dynamite took place this week. It seems the company will be focusing on a specific few talents from now on.

Matt Jackson spoke to Screen Crush, where he revealed that the company will be giving more focus to Kenny Omega and Darby Allin during the second year on TNT. He did not reveal what AEW has planned for the two but he did mention that people should pay more attention to Kenny Omega and Darby Allin. Here is what he said:

“I think year two is going to be all about Kenny Omega. He’s been very, what’s the word I’m looking for, I guess unselfish and he’s ready to explode. So I would keep my eye on him. Another one off the top of my head would be Darby Allin. He’s got so much potential to be such a massive star for AEW that we have to use him in the right way, and he’s definitely going to be a top player.”

Nick Jackson also added that Adam “Hangman” Page is also a future World Champion in AEW, which fans would not be surprised at.

Kenny Omega and Adam Page are on different brackets for the 8-man tournament to determine the #1 Contender for the AEW World title. Darby Allin will be facing off against the TNT Champion at AEW Full Gear as well.

– AEW booked a Blood & Guts match earlier in the year. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it did not end up taking place. The match is still going to take place but it will be a while.

Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks recently spoke to 411 Mania, where he said that AEW spent money building that Blood & Guts structure, which is similar to WarGames but cannot use the name. It till take time until fans can see the match.

“We spent a lot of money building that structure. But the good thing about it is that at least we now have it. So, we can pull the trigger on that at any time.”

“I feel like we are saving that for fans. I think that is the biggest reason we haven’t done it. But that is the biggest thing that changed, not having that match.”

Jackson added that AEW did not know what the Blood & Guts match would be. Once everything was settled, they had to cancel the match.

“I was just going to say too, at first we didn’t know what this was and nobody did, and we thought, let’s just put things on pause for a couple of weeks and then we will get back to where we were. And then there comes a point where this thing is not going away, so there is no sense in saving anything and now it is time to put the pedal to the metal and do what you had planned.

“At first, we thought we could stall it out a little bit and then a month or two months into it we all were in a room and we said, nope let’s just give them Dynamite!”

– Jake Hager is undefeated in MMA currently. It seems he will be going back to the octagon for a match soon.

According to a report by MMA Kings, Jake Hager has signed a deal to compete in a fight for Bellator on October 29th. Bellator 250 will feature Hager fighting against Brandon Calton, who is also undefeated.

This will be Hager’s 4th professional MMA fight.  He currently has an MMA record of 2 wins, 0 losses and 1 no contest. He last competed on October 25, 2019 at Bellator 231, a NC fight with Anthony Garrett. Carlton has a MMA record of 2 wins and 0 losses.

– Kris Statlander tore her ACL back in June of this year. She underwent surgery for the injury and since then she has been recuperating. It seems it will still be a long time before she can make her return.

Statlander spoke to Wrestling Inc, where she gave an idea as to when she could be returning. She revealed that it is doubtful she will be a full recovery until the middle of 2021. Even after that, there is no assurance she will be making an in-ring return immediately after that. Ring rust is always a factor following an injury, so it could take longer for her to come back.

“I’m doing pretty good. I think from what I’ve heard overall is that I might be a little bit ahead of others where I’m at right now, but I still have a real long way to go before I can re-debut basically and get back in the ring before I’m debuting again obviously, and I’m going to want to be training a little bit before. So I’ll be able to get in the ring before you’ll see me back on TV. It could be another eight months or so.”

Prior to her injury, she was on the receiving end of a push. We hope she will be coming back sooner rather than later.

– AEW announced on Wednesday night that Joey Janela was exposed to a known positive COVID-19 case over the weekend. As a result, Janela will not be able to face Kenny Omega in a first-round World Championship Contender’s Tournament match.

It’s since been announced that Janela’s tag partner Sonny Kiss will serve as the replacement versus Omega.

Stay tuned to WrestlingNews.com for the latest AEW news and results.

– Jon Moxley will defend the AEW World Championship against Eddie Kingston at Full Gear. Additionally, The Young Bucks will challenge FTR for the AEW Tag Team Championship.

– The AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament is underway with first-round matches in the books. Below are quick results:

  • Wardlow def. Jungle Boy
  • Kenny Omega def. Sonny Kiss
  • Rey Fenix def. Penta El Zero M
  • Hagman Page def. Colt Cabana

– The following items are now confirmed for next week’s show:

  • Wardlow vs. Hangman Page in a tournament match
  • Kenny Omega vs. Rey Fenix in a tournament match
  • Tay Conti vs. Abadon
  • Inner Circle Town Hall Meeting to decide if MJF will join
  • Orange Cassidy vs. Cody (c) in a Lumberjack Match for the TNT Championship

Be sure to stay tuned to WrestlingNews.com for the latest AEW news and results.

– Rey Fenix faced off against his brother Pentagon during the #1 Contender tournament on this week’s AEW Dynamite. He managed to win the match, but it seems he might have suffered an injury in the process.

During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer mentioned that Fenix appeared to be hurt, but he said he is just “sore” following the match. There was fear backstage that he suffered a concussion, but there was no confirmation regarding the matter.

Meltzer noted that he heard that Fenix might have suffered a neck injury during the match. While there is no word on his injury, Fenix is known for wrestling through pain.

He is scheduled to face off against Kenny Omega next week in the semi-finals for the tournament.

– Matt Hardy will once again meet Sammy Guevara on November 7th at AEW Full Gear, but this time it will be in an Elite Deletion match.

In the video embedded above, Hardy confirms the Elite Deletion bout will go down at the Hardy Compound.

Below is the current Full Gear card:

AEW World Championship “I Quit” Match
– Jon Moxley (c) vs. Eddie Kingston

AEW Tag Team Championship Match
– FTR (c) vs. The Young Bucks

AEW TNT Championship Match
– Cody (c) vs. Darby Allin

Elite Deletion Match
– Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara

– Finals of the World Championship Contender Eliminator Tournament

We’ll have complete coverage of Full Gear right here at WrestlingNews.com.

– Serpentico has confirmed with Inside The Ropes that he has officially signed with AEW.

“SNAKEMAN is ALL ELITE! I’ve been under a deal for a few months now. This is going to sound like I’m playing favourites because I work for the company now but I’m beyond grateful to work for a company that cares so much for the people that work for them. Before signing I was already made to feel at home.

“Everyone has been very welcoming and you can practically go to anyone for advice/pointers/critiques and they all have been so helpful. It never comes from a negative place. They really want the company to grow and I’m glad to be part of the team.”

Serpentico has competed on AEW Dark primarily in recent months, but did have an All Out Buy In match against Joey Janela.

– As reported earlier, Fenix might have suffered an injury during his match against his brother Pentagon on AEW Dynamite. He managed to win the match and will challenge Kenny Omega in the semi-finals of the #1 Contender’s tournament next week, but Dynamite will be taped sooner than that.

During Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez discussed Fenix’s current situation. He said that Fenix might not be able to compete for next week’s match. It is not known whether AEW will record the match tomorrow or later, but it still far too early.

The company simply cannot take the risk if Fenix suffered a neck-related injury or a concussion. There is still concern within the company regarding his health.

– As noted, Rey Fenix suffered an injury on Wednesday’s Dynamite will competing in a first-round tournament match against brother Penta El Zero M.

AEW revealed on social media today that Fenix has forfeited his spot in the tournament to the former Pentagon Jr.

The next episode of Dynamite will feature Penta El Zero M vs. Kenny Omega and Wardlow vs. Hangman Adam Page. The winners of those matches will meet in the finals at Full Gear on November 7.

Impact News

– Impact Wrestling will air their marquee Bound For Glory pay-per-view this Saturday, Oct. 24.

In the hours leading up to the event, more Impact programming will air on AXS TV:

  • October 22 at 10 p.m. ET: This Is Bound For Glory
  • October 24 at 6 p.m. ET: This Is Bound For Glory
  • October 24 at 7 p.m. ET: Live Countdown To Glory

The Live Countdown To Glory pre-show on Saturday will feature Ken Shamrock’s official induction into the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame.

What appears to be the final advertised Bound For Glory card has seven matches lined up:

Impact World Championship Match
– Eric Young (c) vs. Rich Swann

Impact Knockouts Championship Match
– Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs. Kylie Rae

Impact Tag Team Championship Four-Way Match
– Motor City Machine Guns (c) vs. The North vs. The Good Brothers vs. Ace Austin & Madman Fulton

Impact X-Division Championship Six-Way Scramble
– Rohit Raju (c) vs. Trey Miguel vs. TJP vs. Chris Bey vs. Willie Mack vs. Jordynne Grace

Undisclosed Location Match
– EC3 vs. Moose

Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match
– Rhino (entering first) vs. Heath vs. Acey Romero vs. Larry D vs. Tenille Dashwood vs. Taya Valkyrie vs. Brian Myers vs. Tommy Dreamer vs. Havok vs. Hernandez (entering last)

– Eddie Edwards vs. Ken Shamrock (w/Sami Callihan)

We’ll have complete Bound For Glory coverage right here at WrestlingNews.com.

– WWE nixed RAW Underground segments for now. It was done in order to prevent another COVID-19 outbreak in the company.

EC3 recently spoke on the ROHStrong Podcast where RAW Underground was brought up in the conversation. He revealed that he thought of the idea and WWE changed it into something he did not mean it to b.

EC3 compared the entire experience with Wayne’s World, explaining how WWE stole his idea and put it into a “manufactured, heartless, desolate studio.” Here is what he said:

I knew it was going to be stolen, so I was prepared for it. I didn’t know it’d go to that length, and I know mine played to a minor bubble of the professional wrestling audience while majority of it saw whatever the hell they put out there. The way I look at it is kind of like I was Wayne’s World. I was producing this show in Aurora, my basement with my buddy Garth. We’ll call him J.C. in this instance, and then Rob Lowe came in, bought us and when I saw Shane McMahon in the ring, not in a real underground, mine was a real underground.

[This] manufactured, heartless, desolate studio, I’m looking at Shane and it felt like when Noah was wrapping on Wayne’s World after they bought him out. It was just inauthentic and like I said, it had no heart. So I knew something would’ve been taken from it. I didn’t expect the whole aesthetic, and while it upset my friend, J.C. who I worked very hard on with it, at the same time, it’s just a challenge to do something different, better next time which I definitely plan on doing because again, control your narrative, again, Ring of Honor provides freedom. I’m not tied to doing just that. There’s things I want to do in the future and continue that narrative as sort of supplemental content to whatever other places I’m doing things in and I have bold, ambitious views for it. We’ll see if it works out, I think it will.

Other reports suggested that WWE took the idea from Detroit-area indie ground called Sanctuary Fight Club, where they literally use “Welcome to the Underground” as their slogan.

EC3 is currently working in Impact Wrestling and recently made an appearance in Ring Of Honor as well.

– Deonna Purrazzo was underutilized during her time in WWE and then she made her way to Impact Wrestling. She won the Knockouts Title when she did not sign a contract with the company, working one a per-night deal with the company.

Now it seems she has rectified that. According to a report by PW Insider, Deonna Purrazzo revealed she has signed an actual contract with Impact Wrestling during her media engagements before Bound For Glory. However, she did not share any details regarding the length of the contract.

She is scheduled to defend her title against Kylie Rae at Bound For Glory on October 24th.

– The #SpeakingOut movement saw many wrestlers being called out for sexual misconduct and that included Joey Ryan. He has denied every allegation made against him and has filed multiple lawsuits against his accusers. He has also sued Impact Wrestling for breach of contract.

It seems Ryan has filed yet another lawsuit recently. According to a report by Heel By Nature, he is seeking upwards of $15 million.

The lawsuit has been filed against a man in Pennsylvania, containing claims of emotional distress, libel, false light, and intentional interference with prospective economic advance. According to PW Insider, the man in question is Ring of Honor wrestler Pelle Primeau.

The lawsuit also states the losses he incurred due to the #SpeakingOut movement.

$500 per month from Cameo video messages, $1,000 per month in merchandising revenue, $1,000 per month plus additional tips and “subscription shares” from his Twitch account, losses of $1,500 a month from his Bar Wrestling promotion no longer receiving streaming and distribution earnings, $2,000 in losses per month from Bar Wrestling events, $3,000 per month in loss of revenue from his Patreon account, and losses of $8,000-$10,000 per month in lost wrestling bookings. 

Ratings News

– According to Showbuzz Daily, the season premiere of WWE Friday Night SmackDown brought in an average of 1.987 million viewers in the overnight numbers. This is down from last week’s Draft Night 1 episode, which drew 2.178 million viewers. The first hour received 1.978 million viewers and went up to 1.995 million in the second. SmackDown had a 0.5 in the coveted 18-49 demographic, putting it at #2 behind Shark Tank.

– This week’s episode of Monday Night RAW was the season premiere episode. The episode did not seem to get as many ratings as expected. According to a report by Showbuzz Daily, WWE Monday Night Raw managed an average of 1.77 million viewers for its three-hour broadcast. This is a noticeable decrease compared to last week’s episode. Last week’s episode brought an average of 1.86 million viewers. This was an increase compared to the previous week’s show, which garnered 1.686 million viewers. That episode was a down from the show before it, which managed to get  1.822 million viewers. The week before that received an average of 1.667 million viewers. The previous week’s episode of Raw was “In Your Face,” drawing 1.689 million viewers. They had 1.812 million viewers in the first hour, 1.734 million viewers in the second 1.521 million viewers for the third hour.

– This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite featured a stacked card. NXT built towards next week’s Halloween Havoc.

According to a report by Showbuzz Daily, AEW Dynamite received an average of 753,000 viewers for their two-hour broadcast. It also managed a .3 in the 18-49 demographic. They were ranked #13 in the night. WWE NXT received 644,000 viewers with a .16 in the 18-49 demographic. They were #56 in the night.

This was a noticeable down compared to last week’s AEW, which garnered 826,000 viewers with a .30 in the 18-49 demographic. WWE NXT got 651,000 viewers with a .17 in the 18-49 demographic.

The week before, Dynamite got 753,000 viewers with a .31 in the 18-49 demographic. WWE NXT drew 639,000 with a .16 in the 18-49 demographic.

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