WrestlingNews.com

TNT Contacts AEW Regarding Controversy Of Top Star, How Much WWE Is Paying MVP On New Deal, Vince McMahon’s Role In The Rock Buying XFL Revealed, Big Star Written Off WWE TV, AEW Releases, Weekly NWA PPVs, COVID-19 Scare In NJPW, WWE Moving To Amway Center, Identities Of Retribution And Likely Leader, Tons More

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Welcome to the WrestlingNews.com Insider Weekly Newsletter!

This week’s issue, Issue No. 5, includes news from Saturday, August 8, 2020 to Friday, August 14, 2020. Stories were written by Richard Gray and CJ Blaze with final editing done by Richard for clarity. Exclusive behind-the-scenes information was added, with content exclusive to WNC Insider Members.

Jump to section
– WWE News
– AEW News
– NJPW News
– Ratings News
– Misc. News

WWE News

– Mandy Rose continued her program with Sonya Deville on this week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown. The show closed with Heavy Machinery facing The Miz and John Morrison. The bout was stopped when Rose and Deville brawled during the match.

Rose debuted a new look after having her hair cut by Deville on last week’s broadcast.

https://twitter.com/WWE_MandyRose/status/1291925855145426945

– Retribution ended up coming out and cleared the ring with baseball bats and pipes. They ran off Michael Cole and Corey Graves and attacked the wrestlers in the crowd. None of the identities of the faction were immediately known but it was males and females.

Most notably, Retribution used a chainsaw to cut off the blue ring ropes.

– The members of the Retribution faction are not known. The faction, which debuted on last week’s WWE Raw and came to SmackDown, is comprised of men and women but WWE has had them dressed in all black. It is also certainly possible who played members of the faction this past week may not be who is ultimately revealed as faction members. There were several talents unavailable for last week’s TV tapings and it would not be out of the realm of possibilities WWE used extras to fulfill roles that are still being determined. All of this has not stopped social media from speculating on who makes up the faction. Names speculated to be part of the group include Vanessa Bourne, Chelsea Green, Bo Dallas, Mustafa Ali, Ricochet and Cedric Alexander. These have been ascertained through screenshots and slowing footage down but nothing confirmed. Dominik Dijakovic and Tommaso Ciampa, who have both recently deleted their Twitter history, have been rumored as the faction’s leaders.

– Natalya posted video on Instagram of her husband, Tyson Kidd, running the ropes and training in the ring. You can view it below:

https://twitter.com/MahaIicia/status/1291463756774404096

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDkHS7cB2dq/?utm_source=ig_embed

Kidd, whose real name is TJ Wilson, has not wrestled in five years after suffering a spinal cord injury. He has worked for WWE since as a producer.

Natalya was tagged in the video by another wrestling website and commented, “Being in a ring is what is in our DNA, it is what makes us tick. Once it’s in you, it never leaves you. Even with massive limitations- it never leaves you.”

– Bianca Belair attacked Zelina Vega while she was live on her Twitch stream in her own home. This was obviously a continunation to the angle that was started on last week’s WWE Monday Night Raw, where Vega played a role in Montez Ford being “poisoned.” The angle continued on Twitter and now, Twitch. Zelina tweeted: “Yo. @BiancaBelairWWE… IT WASN’T ME!!!!! @WWE TELL HER!!!!!” “The fact that I woke up to this tweet after being up all night taking care of my Husband….This girl really thinks this is a joke…Say I won’t pull up! #ZelinaNotInnocent,” Bianca Belair. Andrade and Angel Garza will challenge The Street Profits for the Raw Tag Team Championship at SummerSlam.

– The sale of the XFL to Alpha Acquico, LLC, the company formed by The Rock and his partners to acquire the league, has been approved. U.S. District Court Judge Laurie Silverstein approved the deal in a hearing held with the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors for Alpha Entertainment, who filed opposition to sale. The creditors were satisfied with the terms of a modified agreement of the league’s purchase and withdrew their objection. The deal is expected to close at the end of August. Additionally, former XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon received court approval to continue forward.

– A new series titled WWE Timeline premiered on the WWE Network on Sunday.

Timeline takes a look at long-standing rivalries and is hosted by NXT commentator Mauro Ranallo. The first episode, “Whatever It Takes,” covers Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz with a 44-minute run time. The first episode’s synopsis reads:

“Daniel Bryan and The Miz’s deep-seeded disdain for one another turns a protégé-and-mentor relationship into a decade-long rivalry, resulting in arguably the most intense verbal encounter in WWE history.”

The second episode, titled “Too Damn Selfish,” covers turmoil within The Hart Foundation and premieres on Wednesday, August 12th.

“Brotherly love becomes brother vs. brother as Bret and Owen Hart’s sibling rivalry captivates the WWE Universe, resulting in two of the greatest matches in WWE history.”

According to WWENetworkNews.com, future episodes will look at AJ Styles vs. John Cena and Randy Orton vs. Christian.

– Bill Goldberg called Roman Reigns a joke during an interview with the American Monster Productions YouTube channel.

One of the things Goldberg is known for is headbutting lockers before matches, sometimes busting his forehead open before walking out to the ring. Roman made reference to this when addressed a fan back in January.

“Nothing to explain Nick,” Reigns tweeted. “It’s a little piece of pad. So I don’t break my hand on steel grate. I gotta perform like 48 weeks a year man. So that would be stupid. It would be like, head butting a door before my match level of stupid. Anyway, have a good day Nick.”

In the interview, Goldberg called Reigns a joke and stated he never really explained his whole though process on it. Goldberg explained he had to do certain things for his character and he wanted to make his character as violent as humanly possible.

Goldberg was set to face Reigns at WrestleMania 36 this year but those plans changed when Reigns pulled out due to concerns regarding COVID-19. Goldberg ended up working Braun Strowman, a match in which he lost for the WWE Universal Championship.

– WWE announced on Sunday that Kamala has died at the age of 70.

The following was posted to dot com:

“WWE is saddened to learn that James Harris, known to WWE fans as Kamala, has passed away at age 70.

Under the frightening face paint of Kamala, the 6-foot-7, 380-pound Harris battled the greatest Superstars in sports-entertainment history, including Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker and Andre the Giant.

He terrorized opponents and thrilled audiences in Mid-South, World Class Championship Wrestling, WCW and WWE until 2006.

WWE extends its condolences to Harris’ family, friends and fans.”

Kamala last wrestled on the independent scene in 2010 before battling numerous health issues in the years that followed, including leg amputations below the knee.

WrestlingNews.com sends it condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Kamala.

– Former WWE Superstar James “Kamala” Harris died on Sunday at the age of 70. Jason King reports Harris tested positive Wednesday for COVID-19. According to his wife, he likely contracted the virus from one of is weekly trips to the dialysis center. He was hospitalized on Wednesday night and in good spirits. He went into cardiac arrest on Sunday and died in the afternoon. Harris had dealt with numerous health issues in recent years, which included having both of his legs amputated.

– WWE filed for trademarks for the following terms of the last week:

  • Retribution
  • Mustance Mountain
  • Karrion Kross
  • James Drake
  • Jake Atlas
  • Indi Hartwell
  • Kacy Catanzaro
  • Gallus
  • Indus Sher
  • Grizzled Young Veterans
  • Legado del Fantasma
  • Imperium

Some of these are obvious, while others could be for future use. There is no need to read too much into the list as WWE often files for trademarks on perspective names so it is already done in the event they give something the greenlight.

– It was announced over the weekend that WWE Superstar MVP had signed a new multiyear agreement with the company. After a long absence from the company, MVP returned as a surprise entrant in the 2020 WWE Royal Rumble.

Shortly after he returned, MVP signed a six month contract in early February, which recently expired. MVP had received interest from AEW, but talks didn’t get very far as MVP strongly preferred to stay with WWE after having been given a strong push in recent months, as well as getting to work with close friends Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin.

The new deal with WWE is said to be for two years, with a downside guarantee in the $400,000 range, which in the current climate was said to be a strong offer as the big bidding wars in 2019 seem to be a thing of the past as WWE and AEW adjust to conducting business while being unable to sell tickets.

– Dominik Dijakovic, who is heavily rumored to be one of the leaders of the Retribution faction, tweeted and deleted a static image on his Twitter and Instagram accounts, stating “We are in control.”

Vince McMahon was tagged in the Twitter post. Screen captures are below:

https://twitter.com/AidenWrestling/status/1292826956568944641

Dijakovic is 6’7 and was set to make his main roster debut on Raw several weeks ago. Last week, he formatted his entire Twitter timeline. He clearly was not part of the group that demolished the SmackDown set but as noted, the faction members used there may not be everyone who will eventually be part of it.

We have more on Retribution members here at WrestlingNews.com.

– Asuka beat WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw to earn a shot at Sasha Banks and the WWE Raw Women’s Championship at SummerSlam. Asuka and Bayley fought for over 15 minutes with Bayley ultimately tapping out in the Asuka Lock. We have complete Raw results available at this link.

– Dominik Mysterio was involved in a contract signing segment to open this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw.

In the segment, he signed the “match contract” for his singles match against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam and his “Performer’s Contract” to be a WWE Superstar. He went on to receive 30 kendo stick shots at the hands of Seth Rollins and Murphy.

Check out the photos below:

https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1292981294624890882

– Randy Orton turned on Ric Flair in the closing segment of tonight’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw. After beating Kevin Owens, Orton told Flair they had something they needed to discuss. He blamed Flair’s mouth and ego for his match against Owens. He told him he no longer loved and respected him and that he was a liability. Flair put Randy over as the greatest performer in the world and someone who he wants to see break his record of championships. Orton hugged Flair, only to hit a low blow and set him up for the punt, presumably connecting with it when the lights went out. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre ran out after to check on Flair and promised Orton would pay in their match at SummerSlam. The angle was used as a reason to write Flair off WWE TV and put the focus solely on Orton vs. McIntyre, while also setting Orton up as the legitimate legend killer.

– Mickie James will officially return to the ring on next week’s Monday Night Raw when she goes one-on-one with Natalya. The match was set up on this week’s show (results here) when Natalya and Lana interrupted Mickie’s backstage interview. The new tandem gloated about how Natalya is the “B.O.A.T.” of WWE, the “best of all time.” James has been out of action since June 2019 after undergoing surgery for a torn ACL. She worked commentary for WWE Main Event briefly before the pandemic. The seven-time Women’s Champion has been cleared since the spring.

– Alundra Blayze, formerly known as Madusa, was offended over the dancers that were part of the Raw Underground segment.

“SO? We are bringing back half naked women in the same breath of promoting the evolution and equality of women? Yes this is entertainment yes this is a skit yes this is acting yes these are wrestlers why resort to women sexually dancing opening a show? Why not Men in speedos?,” she tweeted.

Former WWE producer Lance Storm agreed with her.

“I agree with your point completely. I will pop huge tonight though if they do a women’s Underground and have 3 Chip and Dale type dancers. If you’re going to do eye candy and least do it for everyone. #equality,” Storm replied.

Blaze is currently doing work for All Elite Wrestling. We gave some more thoughts on this in today’s installment of Ask WNC, exclusive to WrestlingNews.com Insiders, at this link.

– WWE NXT Superstar Shotzi Blackheart claimed Tuesday morning on social media her car was stolen Monday night in Orlando. Included in the car was all of her ring gear.

“My car was stolen outside my apartment last night in Orlando. 2015 WHITE HONDA CIVIC LYTP77 last tracked driving down chickasaw at 5am,” Blackheart wrote.

“Also my gear bag with all my gear, boots, entrance jacket and helmet were in the trunk. If you are wondering why I’m wrestling in street clothes and dont have my helmet that is why,” she continued.

Blackheart explained she was most upset about losing her helmet.

“Im mostly sad about my helmet… my first day of training seven years ago I saw that helmet hung up on the wall next to the ring. I looked at it everyday I went to training. Finally when it was time for me to start having matches I asked my trainers if I could have it. RIP HELMET,” Blackheart tweeted.

“Man. That helmet watched me take my first bump and travelled the world with me,” she concluded.

– Rey Mysterio weighed in on the brutal beating Seth Rollins and Murphy gave his son Dominik on this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw.

“You took this to another level @wwerollins You will FKN pay for this!!,” Mysterio wrote on Instagram with a screen capture of Rollins waving to the camera.

CM Punk stopped by the post and commented: “Bro, shave his head. Never been done,”

Punk was making reference to his Straight Edge Society Pledge vs. Hair Match against Rey Mysterio at Over The Limit 2010. In that bout, Mysterio won and shaved Punk’s head.

In total, Dominik Mysterio received 30 kendo stick shots in the segment and his body wore them. Mysterio will face Seth Rollins in his debut WWE match at SummerSlam on August 23, 2020. As the stipulation goes, Mysterio will be able to use weapons.

– segments on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw.

While this week’s show was taped last week with the week prior’s episode, it is unknown if they were edited out or just not featured. It is also unknown if they will be featured again.

The women dancers were featured prominently in at least one of the premiere segments last week as seen in the video below:

Alundra Blayzer, formerly known as Madusa, and Lance Storm spoke out against WWE for utilizing the women while also promoting the evolution and equality of women.

WWE Superstar Liv Morgan tweeted, asking for the dancers to return next week.

“Hey .. #RawUndwrground… can we bring back the dancers next week,” Morgan wrote.

Last week, CM Punk explained no holds barred fights and strippers were all he wants to see.

We have WWE Raw results available at this link.

– The Rock emerging as the new owner of the XFL, along with two business partners, one of whom is his ex-wife Dany Garcia, surprised a lot of people and generated lots of mainstream publicity for the bankrupt football league.

In interviews since The Rock’s investment group submitted the only bid in the auction for the rights to the XFL, The Rock has given full credit to Garcia for coming up with the idea to buy the XFL. The truth, however, is that the idea came from none other than Vince McMahon, who wanted to see the XFL live on in some form after McMahon’s two attempts to launch the spring football league proved unsuccessful.

The Rock’s group fully expected to be the only bidders and had already begun talking to various television networks and steaming services before submitting their bid. Although talks are still in their infancy, and the XFL’s return isn’t even planned until the spring of 2022, NBCUniversal has expressed interest in being the exclusive broadcaster.

The idea is that NBC Sports Network and the recently launched Peacock streaming service would both air the regular season and possibly the playoffs, while the championship game would be on the main NBC network.

– Edge assured fans he still has “some climbing to do” in regards to his professional wrestling career. Tuesday was one year since the WWE Hall of Famer returned and took out Elias with a Spear. He went on to return to the ring until he was injured in a loss to Randy Orton at WWE Backlash, suffering a torn triceps. “One year ago I started climbing the Second Mountain. Still some climbing to do,” he wrote. Edge remains out indefinitely but WWE expects him back and to wrestle again. We’ll keep you updated here at WrestlingNews.com.

– Ric Flair was written off of WWE television at the end of this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw when Randy Orton punted him.

While Flair could always end up being used again, the thinking is Flair was eliminated from the program to sell Randy Orton as the true Legend Killer, while also putting the focus of the program solely on the WWE Championship and Drew McIntyre.

The Nature Boy tweeted this about the angle: “I Wanted Last Night To Go Differently. What I Would Have Said Is I Don’t Know What Would’ve Happened If My Son Was In This Business. But I Do Know What Charlotte Has Done, And Like You Randy, She Is Much Better Than I Ever Was, Just Like You Have Surpassed Your Father. That’s it.”

Flair had pitched managing Orton at SummerSlam but Vince McMahon ultimately decided to go in another direction.

We have more on the stuff between Orton and Flair from Raw in the latest installment of Ask WNC that you can read at this link.

– Karrion Kross and Keith Lee officially signed the contract on this week’s NXT for their NXT Championship match at TakeOver XXX on Saturday, August 22nd.

Additionally, Cameron Grimes qualified for the North American Championship Ladder Match by defeating Kushida and the returning Velveteen Dream.

Below is the updated TakeOver card:

NXT Championship Match
– Keith Lee (c) vs. Karrion Kross

NXT North American Championship Ladder Match
– Bronson Reed vs. Damian Priest vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Gargano OR Holland vs. Balor OR Dream

NXT Women’s Championship Match
– Io Shirai (c) vs. Dakota Kai

– Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee

We’ll have complete coverage of NXT TakeOver XXX right here at WrestlingNews.com.

– Johnny Gargano took a bad bump in a match against Ridge Holland that was taped last night from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL. The match is scheduled to air on next week’s episode of WWE NXT.

John Pollock reports Gargano landed on his head and the match was stopped. Both Triple H and Shawn Michaels came into the ring with other officials and medical personnel to check on him.

It ended up Garango was cleared to finish the match after a delay that last several minutes. He was scheduled for further evaluation after the match concluded.

Gargano reportedly felt so bad about delaying the taping he apologized to everyone in the back. The match should air following editing next week on the USA Network.

– WWE has officially announced that more independent wrestling content will slowly make its way to the WWE Network starting this Saturday, August 15th.

The following events and playlists will highlight EVOLVE, PROGRESS, wXw, and ICW:

EVOLVE
The Best of Drew McIntyre in EVOLVE
The Best of Keith Lee in EVOLVE

wXw
wXw Femme Fatales 2019
wXw AMBITION 11

PROGRESS Wrestling
Chapter 92

Insane Championship Wrestling
ICW Shug’s Hoose Party 5 – Night 2

Click here for more info on dot com.

– In an update, NXT star Shotzi Blackheart has found her missing car and ring gear. Blackheart revealed on Twitter earlier this week that her vehicle containing her belongings was stolen from her apartment complex on Monday night. Fellow NXT star Jake Atlas assisted Blackheart in taking her to where authorities found her car. She was dressed in her gear ready to compete in a match that will air on next week’s NXT.

– The big rumor making rounds today is that WWE is heading to the Amway Center in Orlando for SummerSlam, and possibly for the foreseeable future. WrestleVotes first dropped hints via Twitter that the Amway Center is the new home for SummerSlam, with various publications backing it up. WWE has yet to confirm this news, but it doesn’t sound like fans will be able to purchase tickets for the event. There’s always a chance that friends and family of talent will be allowed in. It’s also being reported that all TV tapings after Monday’s Raw will emanate from the Amway Center live until WWE is able to start touring again. NXT will likely remain at Full Sail University.

– Velveteen Dream returned to WWE NXT on this week’s episode.

He was revealed as the mystery man in the qualifying match that also involved Cameron Grime and Kushida. Grimes went over in the match after pinning Kushida. Dream closed the show by beating up on Kushida.

One of the Dreamer’s accusers has issued a statement about his return. Josh Fuller, who originally made allegations against Dream during the #SpeakingOut movement in June, accused Dream of keeping their friendship secret and trying to get him to “show off his body.” At the time, Fuller was 16-years-old and Dream, whose real name is Patrick Clark, was 19.

Below is his full statement issued on Twitter:

“I’m still pissed. I feel this so hard, like I get over it for a little while and then I’m out of nowhere I’m just like damn. It’s a really sh**ty feeling that I feel like I can’t say the things I want to about everything because of fear over my wrestling career. That shouldn’t be okay. In retrospect I’m glad I didn’t share things anonymously because it wouldn’t have had the same impact but the paranoia that comes with everything really f**kin sucks. I’m doing okay though, I’m just really really mad that this s**t’s just being tolerated and trying to be swept under the rug like it never happened. The only things really pissing me off from social media are the people claiming that it was clearly investigated when there’s no proof or statement that ever was the case. Myself or anyone else involved weren’t contacted by anybody to my knowledge. And also the people trying to make this like an AEW vs NXT thing look real dumb lmao miss me with that s**t. Bad stuff is still bad, stop comparing situations to each other. ALSO anyone claiming I’m coming forward about things for clout, I don’t understand the logic behind that whatsoever. I have literally no personal gain and everything to lose by speaking up about things. My morals come before wrestling and they always will. This is way bigger than me. I’m not sure if I’ll keep rambling about it but I just want to say above anything, I never chose to speak out because of myself. It was completely over the kids he sexually harassed and the fact that the internet tried to turn them into the bad people. Be sorry for them, not me”.

– WWE is in the process of moving their TV operations from the Performance Center to Amway Center in Orlando, FL.

The plan appears to be as we reported here on WrestlingNews.com that after next week’s Raw tapings at the Performance Center, next week’s SmackDown, SummerSlam and all of WWE main roster TV will take place from the Amway Center. There are no immediate plans for fans, but obviously that is something Vince McMahon hopes changes in short order.

Local sports reporter Jon Alba captured video of WWE moving into Amway Center on Friday:

There has been talk about using virtual fans, something Vince McMahon became intriged by as the National Basketball Association has done it since returning in their bubble environment.

The plan is for WWE NXT to remain at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL.

– AJ Styles shared some interesting insight on how Vince McMahon viewed him when he first came to WWE in recent comments made on his Twitch stream.

Styles, who came to WWE after a highly successful career in TNA Wrestling, the independent circuit, ROH and NJPW, explained when you get an opportunity in WWE you hope Vince McMahon is watching and you get a reaction. AJ recalled he got an awesome reaction at Royal Rumble 2016 when he debuted but Vince McMahon thought it was a fluke. He did not even want to put Styles on Raw the next night.

Following his WWE debut at Royal Rumble, Styles went on to face Chris Jericho on Raw that Monday. A match where he went over. He also worked SmackDown against Curtis Axel, a match he also won.

Styles stated Vince still was not impressed and felt like he had guys that could do what he could do. He even told Styles as much. Styles felt the turning point was when he and Vince sat down and Vince told him what he needed him to do. That is when things changed and Styles became a top star.

As for the way Vince views Styles now, he loves him and wishes he would have signed him sooner. We examined Vince McMahon’s philosophy of elevating talent here in the latest installment of Ask WNC.

– Asuka won the Tri-Brand Battle Royal on tonight’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown to earn a shot at Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at SummerSlam.

The finish saw Asuka eliminate Shayna Baszler to go over.

Asuka will already face Sasha Banks at SummerSlam for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship after beating Bayley on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw.

The Tri-Brand Battle Royal featured Asuka, Baszler, Tamina Snuka, Tegan Nox, Shotzi Blackheart, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Bianca Belair, Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, Naomi, Lacey Evans, Dana Brooke and Nikki Cross.

WWE SummerSlam is one week from Sunday, presumably from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.

– WWE Payback will take place on Sunday, August 30, 2020 and will air live on the WWE Network.

The show, which had been rumored to take place on week after SummerSlam, was confirmed during the airing of this week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown.

Sasha Banks and Bayley will be defending the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship at the show.

A location for Payback has not been announced but it is likely it will take place from the Amway Center in Orlando, FL.

– Mandy Rose is set to face Sonya Deville in a Hair vs. Hair match at SummerSlam. The match was setup on this week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown when Mandy Rose challenged Deville. This comes after Deville cut Rose’s hair in an attack two weeks ago. Rose debuted a new shorter hairstyle as a result.

– Kalisto returned to action on this week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown.

The returned happened when Gran Metalik was facing Shinsuke Nakamura in a singles match. Kalisto entered to the Lucha House Party entrance theme, which distracted both Cesaro and Nakamura. Lince Dorado and Kalisto double teamed Cesaro on the ramp, which allowed Metalik to beat Nakamura.

Kalisto has been out since suffering a separated shoulder at a WWE live event from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on December 30. The injury was severe, as he suffered a ligament tear in addition to an AJ joint seperation. He did not require surgery.

Kalisto recently re-signed with WWE, a deal believed to be three or five years in length.

AEW News

– Cody Rhodes explained the reason his wife, Brandi, left Twitter was due to racial slurs being tweeted at her.

“Leaving a social app because you open your phone to an absurd amount of n bombs is respectfully understandable. No place for that,” Cody tweeted in a now-deleted tweet.

It was widely speculated Brandi left Twitter due to backlash AEW received over the price point for AEW Heels. AEW Heels is a new membership platform where female wrestling fans can access exclusive content and special benefits in a safe environment. The subscription is $49 annually. For more information about signing up, click here.

Brandi wrote on Instagram the platform has been a massive success. Below is her statement:

“AEW Heels was a massive success last night. We exceeded the number of membership sign-ups necessary to continue to move the fan club onward and upward. Thank you to every single person that joined last night, and those with memberships that were unable to make it. The best is yet to come! Our call last night allowed users to browse the full capabilities of this website community offering members a dashboard with profiles where they can post pictures, bios, and send and receive private messages, if desired.

The Posts section was overwhelmed with chatter about the event with members connecting on various aspects of the zoom session. Members were able to see new exclusive merch items, made aware of pre-order exclusives only for Heels members AND learned about an upcoming contest with an enticing giveaway (of a highly coveted item that people are scurrying to find ??). They saw firsthand the ease they will have in attending future events (both virtual, and live when it is safe to do so again). The live chat was an absolute party with both members and AEW women chatting it up all night. Keisha-Ann gave an amazing talk on current topics that I personally learned a lot from, and I know others feel the same.

The Q&A was lively and enlightening. The biggest takeaway is that people were happy. Countless posts have been created letting the world know they felt they got more than their mone”s worth. That is the whole point. Heels promised a positive space to be yourself, share more, make connections, enjoy exclusive offerings, partake in exclusive events and connect with AEW women from the roster to the executive team…and it delivered. Looking forward to more Heels events to come. Members…keep your eyes peeled for #lilbranbran and her next announcement…which will be on the webpage…for members only! ??”

Brandi is the Chief Brand Officer of All Elite Wrestling.

– Some All Elite Wrestling fans are concerned about Kevin Reilly departing Warner Media. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Reilly, the President of TNT, TBS and TrueTV, was released following major restructuring under newly-installed CEO Jason Kilar. Reilly was seen as a big advocate for AEW and an integral part of them getting a television deal with TNT. He was also the Content Chief at Warner Media. Cody Rhodes was asked whether or not fans should be worried about AEW’s future on the network with the changes to WarnerMedia management. Cody tweeted, “No. We have been blessed to have had so many viewers(even opposed), thus the 3+ year extension. It’s a great partnership!” AEW Dynamite continues to do impressive viewership numbers, even with empty arena shows and up against WWE NXT. Last week, viewership exceeded 900,000 viewers.

– Matt Hardy was busted open the hardway when Sammy Guevara threw a steel chair at his face on last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.

The spot was botched as Guevara apparently panicked and threw the chair right at Hardy’s face. He was not expecting it and ended up requiring 13 stitches to his forehead. Guevara, who recently returned from suspension, was reportedly spoken to backstage for being reckless. However, Chris Jericho explained all was well when it was learned Hardy was going to be OK. Meanwhile, Hardy took to his YouTube channel to play up the shot and further the storyline.

“Sammy, that literally could have killed me. Congratulations, you’re going to go down in pro wrestling history as the guy who threw the most dangerous, reckless, vicious chairshot in history,” said Hardy. “But that’s not the only thing you’re going to hold when you go down in wrestling history. You’re also going to go down as the person who had the most potential. Unlimited potential but never lived to realize it. Because now it is my mission, it is my duty Sammy to end you.”

– Chris Jericho and his band Fozzy trended Twitter over the weekend as they performed in Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota.

Some fans were critical of a picture that showed people not practicing social distancing or wearing masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic. You can see a photo from the North Dakota show below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDqKzSHD3-m/

Jericho explained on the latest episode of Saturday Night Special the shows happened because of the low case count in South Dakota and North Dakota. Jericho also stated the shows were at limited capacity and included temperature checks and masks at the door.

– Chris Jericho joked on Twitter he has “banned” Jim Cornette from watching any and all future episodes of AEW Dynamite and AEW Dark. Jericho noted he is “under AEW suspension until further notice.”

Jim Cornette of course responded and took an opportunity to jab at Fozzy for playing at the Sturgis motorcycle rally.

Cornette tweeted: “Chris I appreciate your consideration of my sanity, but I do it as a service to the wrestling fans. They need some measure of comfort in these cosplay times we’re in. But don’t worry–I NEVER watch “Dark”. P.S. Careful of the drooling bikers. #LittleBitOfTheVirus #COVIDGod

As we reported here on WrestlingNews.com, Jericho has received criticism over playing concerts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

– Priscilla Kelly announced on Monday she and her husband Darby Allin are divorcing.

Kelly, an independent wrestler who has worked for WWE, AEW and MLW, issued a statement on Twitter revealing the split. Darby Allin is with All Elite Wrestling. The couple wed in November 2018.

“The last few months have been extremely difficult, and there’s been a lot of questions,” Kelly wrote. “Not only due to COVID and the loss of work for myself, but also due to the fact that Darby and I have been going through a divorce. There’s been a lot of ups and downs, but we have come to the conclusion that we are just not compatible together as people. We are on great terms, and wish only the best for each other. There are no hard feelings, as we both understand this is what is best. I know a lot of you have supported us for a long time as a duo, and we appreciate it so much, but this decision is what’s best for both of us and our well-being. [sic] I hope to see him continue his rise in the entertainment industry and take the world by storm as he already is. As for me, it’s time to begin a new chapter.”

Allin faced Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship on last week’s episode of Dynamite. He went under in the match.

– AEW will celebrate Tag Team Appreciation Night tonight on Dynamite, but tag team aficionados Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, collectively known as FTR, will not be able to compete.

Harwood, formerly known as Scott Dawson in WWE, revealed to the Battleground podcast that he tweaked his knee during a recent 12-man tag match and was unable to finish after being helped to the back.

“I played high school football and someone chop blocked me and I tore my ACL, that was in 2002. My right knee has always given me some problems. I had a clean out of my knee and the doctor who did my surgery in 2004, left an actual pants button in my knee. That button had been there for a decade and chipping away at my cartilage. I have this terrible knee and it’s gotten way better. I wear the brace on my knee for mental (reasons).”

“Cash came off the rope with an elbow drop, I just tweaked my knee a little and I haven’t gotten an MRI yet, I’m just doing some rehab and icing it and taking precautionary measures. The only bad thing is, we have looked so forward to Tag Team Appreciation Night on August 12 and we were looking forward to having a match and we’re not going to be able to do that because of the injury.”

– Chris Jericho’s rock band Fozzy was trending on social media over the weekend as photographs from a recent Fozzy concert went viral, photographs which showed no social distancing and very few face masks among those attending the concert.

At least one executive at TNT became aware of the controversy because AEW received an email from the network about it over the weekend. There is concern that Jericho being AEW’s biggest star and being so public about not taking pandemic safety seriously reflects poorly on the network, although Jericho’s previous comments about his views on COVID-19 precautions did not receive nearly as much attention as the recent Fozzy concert did.

Jericho was asked to tone down some of his public stances about how people should handle the pandemic, which he has done. As of this writing, AEW hasn’t spoken to Jericho yet about TNT’s concerns. A source who works high up in production at AEW said, “Chris has Tony [Khan] wrapped around his finger, nobody is going to say anything to him about the [Fozzy] shows.”

– As promised, Cody Rhodes debuted the finished AEW TNT Championship belt on tonight’s Dynamite during his successful defense against Scorpio Sky. The title’s completed design was delayed due to the pandemic.

Former WWE referee Mike Chioda made his AEW debut as the official for Cody vs. Sky. It remains to be seen if Chioda has signed with AEW after being released by WWE in April.

– The next episode of AEW Dynamite will air on Saturday, August 22, at 6pm ET on TNT. This will be the first of three episodes to be pre-empted by NBA games.

With Dynamite partially going head-to-head against NXT TakeOver XXX, AEW has announced the following items:

  • FTR vs. Private Party
  • The Elite vs. Alex Reynolds, John Silver & Alan Angels
  • Finals for the Women’s Tag Team Cup Tournament
  • Darby Allin in action
  • Lucha Brothers, The Butcher & The Blade vs. Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus, QT Marshall & Dustin Rhodes
  • Brodie Lee vs. Cody (c) for the AEW TNT Championship

We’ll have complete coverage of this special Dynamite episode on August 22 right here at WrestlingNews.com.

– Sadie Gibbs has confirmed via social media that she has been released from AEW.

The 28-year-old London-native signed with the company in early 2019 before Double or Nothing. She competed in the All Out casino battle royal and made a handful of Dark appearances.

It remains to be seen why AEW has parted ways with Gibbs, but it’s also worth noting that Bea Priestly and Jimmy Havoc’s profiles were also removed from AEW’s roster.

– Jimmy Havoc and Bea Priestly are reportedly gone from All Elite Wrestling, per The Wrestling Observer.

The AEW roster profiles of Havoc, Priestly, and Sadie Gibbs were all removed on Thursday, leading to speculation that they are officially gone from the company. Gibbs confirmed her release on social media.

Jimmy Havoc, who signed in February 2019, was under fire in June during the #SpeakingOut movement, which led to him seeking treatment and counseling. Havoc was regularly featured on TV and competed in a handful on pay-per-view matches.

Bea Priestly also signed with AEW in February 2019 and last competed on Dynamite in March before the pandemic forced shutdowns and travel restrictions.

The exact reason for each release is unknown at this point, though it’s interesting to note that all three are based out of the UK. Tony Khan previously touted that AEW didn’t have to let anyone go during the pandemic, but that may be changing as the year goes on.

– Chris Jericho continues to take heat on social media over his band Fozzy playing in North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jericho, while tweeting about AEW’s success in the key demographics over WWE NXT, of course used the hashtags #DemoBurn an #DemoGod. This caused one fan to respond negatively.

“Covid god is more like it,” the fan tweeted. “Wait till the AEW roster gets a little bit of the Rona.”

Jericho participated in the AEW Dynamite tapings this past week after the concerns and noted he has tested negative for the virus 12 times.

“Sorry pal. Tested Negative w the swab for the 12th time….”

Jericho did cause some significant concern over the weekend, as we reported exclusively here on WrestlingNews.com Insider.

– Bea Priestly has confirmed her release from AEW with a few statements on Twitter.

On Friday, Priestly publicly wished AEW success while thanking Dustin Rhodes and Kenny Omega for coaching her, and Tony Khan, Cody and Brandi Rhodes, and The Young Bucks for giving her a chance.

Priestly, who is based out of England, seemingly confirmed the economic effects of COVID-19 is the reason why she was let go. You can view her tweets embedded below:

https://twitter.com/BeaPriestley/status/1294346425783005185

https://twitter.com/BeaPriestley/status/1294346429645959168

As noted, AEW released Bea Priestly, Sadie Gibbs, and Jimmy Jacobs this week.

NJPW News

New Japan Pro Wrestling announced the schedule for this year’s G1 Climax 30.

The tournament is the promotion’s biggest tournament of the year and is a two block, round robin format. Typically, the winner is awarded a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom in January.

The participants and blocks will be revealed soon.

  • Saturday, September 18 – Osaka – Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium (EDION Arena Osaka)
  • Sunday, September 19 – Osaka – Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium (EDION Arena Osaka)
  • Wednesday, September 23 – Hokkaido – Hokkai Kita Yell
  • Thursday, September 24 – Hokkaido – Hokkai Kita Yell
  • Sunday, September 27 – Hyogo – Kobe World Hall
  • Tuesday, September 29 – Tokyo – Korakuen Hall
  • Wednesday, September 30 – Tokyo – Korakuen Hall
  • Thursday, October 1 – Niigata – Aore Nagaoka
  • Monday, October 5 – Tagawa – Takamatsu City Gymnasium
  • Tuesday, October 6 – Hiroshima – Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall
  • Wednesday, October 7 – Hiroshima – Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall
  • Thursday, October 8 – Okayama – ZIP Arena Okayama
  • Saturday, October 10 – Osaka – Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium (EDION Arena Osaka)
  • Sunday, October 11 – Aichi – Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium (Dolphins Arena)
  • Tuesday, October 13 – Shizuoka – Hamamatsu Arena
  • Wednesday, October 14 – Kanagawa – Yokohama Budokan
  • Friday, October 16 – Tokyo – Ryogoku Sumo Hall
  • Saturday, October 17 – Tokyo – Ryogoku Sumo Hall
  • Sunday, October 18 – Tokyo – Ryogoku Sumo Hall

– On Monday, New Japan Pro Wrestling announced the lineup for their Summer Struggle show on August 29, 2020 from Jingu Stadium in Tokyo. This will be NJPW’s first show from the stadium in over 20 years.

  • Master Wato vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Fatal Four Way to determine the first ever KOPW2020 champion
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Minoru Suzuki for the IWGP NEVER Openweight championship
  • Taiji Ishimori vs. Hiromu Takahashi for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight championship
  • Zack Sabre Jr./Taichi vs. Kota Ibushi/Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Tag Team championship
  • EVIL vs. Tetsuya Natio for the IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental championship

– New Japan Pro Wrestling canceled Night 11 of the Summer Struggle Tour last minute due to a wrestler developing a fever. The following statement was issued:

“Today, Uwajima, Ehime prefecture was scheduled to see night 11 of the Summer Struggle tour.

Unfortunately, one of the wrestlers scheduled to appear had developed a fever. The wrestler immediately undertook additional COVID-19 testing, but New Japan Pro-Wrestling is still awaiting results. Under NJPW’s Coronavirus guidelines, and acting in the best interests of health and safety for other wrestlers and fans in attendance, the decision was made to cancel tonight’s event.

Refunds will be made available to all those who purchased a ticket for tonight’s event, and more information on this situation will be provided as soon as it becomes available.

Thank you for your understanding and support.”

– New Japan Pro Wrestling has revealed the competitor that caused Night 11 of their Summer Struggle Tour to be canceled moments before showtime had negative antigen/antibody tests in their test taken immediately after it was discovered they had a fever.

The show on Sunday, August 16, 2020 in Shizuoka will go on as planned. This show has six confirmed matches and will take place in Twin Messe Shizuoka. Confirmed bouts are as follows:

  • Ryusuke Taguchi & Satoshi Kojima vs. Gabriel Kidd & Yuya Uemura
  • Yota Tsuji, Tomoaki Honma & Yuji Nagata vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto
  • BUSHI & Shingo Takagi vs. El Deperado & Minoru Suzuki
  • Master Wato, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Kota Ibushi & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi
  • SHO, Toru Yano and Kazuchika Okada vs. Jado, Gedo and Yujiro Takahashi in a six-man tag match
  • Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA and Tetsuya Naito vs. The Bullet Club’s Taiji Ishimori, Dick Togo and EVIL in a six-man tag match main event

We’ll have complete results here at WrestlingNews.com.

Ratings News

– WWE Friday Night SmackDown did 1.956 million viewers on FOX in the overnight numbers. That is up from the 1.894 viewers the show did in the final number last week. That was adjusted up from the overnight number that was 1.892.
This past Friday’s show did 1.924 million viewers the first hour and 1.988 million viewers the second hour.
SmackDown helped FOX finish first place in the men 18-49 demographic and first in the adults 18-49 demographic for the night.

– Last week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown ended up doing 1.962 million viewers on FOX. That is up from the 1.956 million viewers the show did in the overnights that were released over the weekend. Last week’s show did a higher viewership than the previous week, which garnered 1.894 million viewers. SmackDown helped FOX finish first place in the 18-49 and adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 demographics. There was plenty of competition with the NBA, NHL and MLB all having games.

– This week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw did an average of 1.722 million viewers on the USA Network, up from the 1.714 million viewers the show did last week.

Here’s how the show did by hour:

Hour 1: 1.811 million viewers
Hour 2: 1.754 million viewers
Hour 3: 1.601 million viewers

Raw ranked #4 on the Top 150 and drew a 0.47 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

– This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite did an average viewing audience of 792,000 viewers on TNT. The show ranked No. 9 in the 18-49 demographic with a 0.32 rating. The audience was down from the 901,000 viewers from the week prior.

– WWE NXT did 619,000 viewers on the USA Network. The show ranked No. 65 in the 18-49 demographic with a 0.16 rating. This week’s viewership was down from last week’s 753,000.

Misc. News

– The National Wrestling Alliance, the United Wrestling Network, and Thunder Studios have formed a partnership to present live, weekly, 90-minute pay-per-view events on Fite starting on Tuesday, September 15.

According to United Wrestling Network’s announcement via Twitter, these events will emanate from Thunder Studios’ Long Beach Studios in California. NWA and UWN’s championships will be prominently featured.

NWA suspended operations in March when the pandemic forced shutdowns around the globe. The status of the company was in doubt earlier this summer when VP David Lagana stepped down in wake of sexual assault accusations. Despite the recent turn of events, President Billy Corgan was adamant that NWA is not and will not be for sale.

– Ring of Honor will resume TV production this month in Maryland without fans in the audience. The following statement was issued on Tuesday:

“With the safety and health of talents, staff and production crew at the forefront, Ring of Honor Wrestling will return to producing new episodes of the “Ring of Honor Wrestling” television program this August 2020 in the home state of Maryland.

ROH will adhere to a very stringent protocol as well as the regulations set in place by the Maryland State Athletic Commission. ROH will be instituting the necessary testing and safety measures in a continued effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. There will be no fans or staff who are not essential to the production present during these events.

“Taking care of our people during this difficult time has been and still is our No. 1 priority,” ROH Chief Operating Officer Joe Koff said. “That’s why we have spent many weeks working alongside the Maryland State commission in gearing towards our return to producing wrestling action. The strictest of protocols, testing and measures will be in place to assure us of this directive.”

Ring of Honor’s last events were the cancelled 18th Anniversary and Past vs Present shows in Las Vegas last March 13th and 14th. Since then, the company has opted to cease taping operations until there was a safe way to resume. These new tapings will pick up right where ROH left off with a focus on the ROH Pure Title Tournament, which had been originally scheduled for April.”

The weekend of August 22 is rumored to be when ROH will tape again, but that has yet to be confirmed.

– Santino Marella announced on his social media that he is closing his Battle Arts Academy next month. The school’s last day will be September 30, 2020.

Their last professional wrestling show will take place outside on Saturday, September 12, 2020 in front of a live audience no bigger than 100 people.

Below is his official statement:

So I have news, both happy & sad. To give you some back-story, I’ve been searching forever-home properties up near Georgian Bay for quite some time now, years to be honest. We were thinking / hoping to make the move in about 3 years time. Properties that intrigued us were not easy to come by because Anna and I had specific items that were important to each of us. Long story short, the right one appeared out of nowhere this weekend and we jumped in headfirst. We’re moving to our dream home! It checked every single box, and there were many.

That being said this means that we’re also moving, modifying, and scaling down our family business, Battle Arts Academy Inc. The stars seemed to all line up at a moments notice. My sister is moving to Wasaga Beach in about a week, the real estate market in the GTA is booming, surviving Covid meant another 5 years of insanity that quite frankly I’m just not willing to go through anymore. The phrase I use is “the juice isn’t worth the squeeze”. There are other factors too, the passing of my brother really hit us hard and I just want to spend more time with my family. My dad is not well and my baby boy is soon turning 2. I don’t want be away from this anymore than I absolutely have to. The terms “small business burnout” or “entrepreneurial fatigue” are real and one often takes them home to his/her spouse, which is not fair. My wife and I are closer than ever lately and its largely because of the break we had from my/our self inflicted slavery. I know I really don’t owe anyone an explanation, its my life, but I feel a sense of responsibility to our members because there are many dreams that are being fulfilled at Battle Arts. I know people will find suitable alternatives and I hope they will always think of Battle Arts fondly. I learned a lot of about myself during the last 7 years. I also learned a lot about being an entrepreneur, being a boss, being a coach, being a mentor, and a lot about what really makes me truly happy.

Sept 30th is our last day. I hope everyone will train up until the last minute to try to soak up as much of the place as possible. The renovations we just did truly made the gym look the best it’s ever looked. Life can be funny like that sometimes. I take pride in the fact that I created the most beautiful and complete training facility I’ve ever seen in my life. Battle Arts was not my original concept but a compilation of outstanding parts of World-class training facilities I’ve seen all over the world. I’m going to post some pics and videos this week.

– Ring of Honor is resuming operations this month in Maryland after nearly six months on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As reported here on WrestlingNews.com, the promotion will tape television in Maryland. The focus of those tapings will be the Pure Title tournament, which was originally scheduled for April.

ROH announced today there will be no fans in attendance at the tapings. The promotion will adhere to medical and administrative protocols instituted by the Maryland State Athletic Commission.

The promotion will test all talent and referees for COVID-19 two weeks prior to shows. Within three days of a show, a second PCR swab test will be completed. After the second test, the individuals will be isolated in separate hotel accommodations and separate eating arrangements, as they must remain isolated until arriving at the show. Talent and referees will then be required to undergo a third PCR test on the day of the event.

In addition, temperature checks will be conducted at the door and anyone with a temperature of 100 F or higher will not be allowed in the building.

As for the actual Pure Title tournament, seven of the 16 participants have been announced. They are as follows: Jay Lethal, Jonathan Gresham, Matt Sydal, David Finlay, Tracy Williams, Josh Woods and Wheeler Yuta

Several international talents originally scheduled for the tournament had to withdraw due to travel restrictions. Those talents include: former Pure Champion Doug Williams, Mark Haskins, Slex, Joe Hendry, Yuji Nagata and Ren Narita.

You can read more about ROH’s safety protocols, their return to TV and more in Kevin Eck’s latest blog here on ROHWrestling.com.

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