Welcome to the WrestlingNews.com Insider Weekly Newsletter!
This week’s issue, Issue No. 9, includes news from Saturday, September 5, 2020 to Friday, September 11, 2020. Stories were written by Richard Gray and CJ Blaze with final editing done by Richard for clarity. Exclusive behind-the-scenes information was added, with content exclusive to WNC Insider Members.
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WWE News
– Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang spoke out against Vince McMahon in response to an edict threatening to punish talent who work with third party companies such as Cameo and Twitch. As reported here on WrestlingNews.com, WWE is cracking down on the matter to protect the brand as part of their “rebuilding phase” because the company apparently owns talent’s real names and not just their character names. Yang issued the following statement on Twitter: Come on Vince – you’ve already deprived the folks breaking their backs for you of healthcare, security, recovery time, retirement benefits and fair treatment re: licenses and royalties. At least let them make a living off their own names. Many of them need it. Vince you’d better hope your old friend Donald wins because change is in the air and changes are long overdue where your corrupt labor practices are concerned. It would give me great pleasure. The people know. I grew up a wrestling fan and it’s been sad to see so many of my childhood heroes pass away early. I’d feel better knowing that they and their families were being fairly treated – I look forward to doing what I can for the next generation of performers. I know how tough it is. If I’m not the Secretary of Labor I’m pretty confident I’ll have his or her number to talk about the ridiculous classification of WWE wrestlers as independent contractors while controlling their name and likeness for years, even for something as benign as Cameo. Vince McMahon is best friends with United States president Donald Trump, who is also in the WWE Hall of Fame.
– As noted, WWE recently issued an edict threatening to punish talent for engaging with third party platforms such as Cameo and Twitch.
In an update, WWE released the following statement to multiple outlets on Saturday regarding their actions:
“Much like Disney and Warner Bros., WWE creates, promotes and invests in its intellectual property, i.e. the stage names of performers like The Fiend Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Big E and Braun Strowman. It is the control and exploitation of these characters that allows WWE to drive revenue, which in turn enables the company to compensate performers at the highest levels in the sports entertainment industry. Notwithstanding the contractual language, it is imperative for the success of our company to protect our greatest assets and establish partnerships with third parties on a companywide basis, rather than at the individual level, which as a result will provide more value for all involved.”
Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang also commented on the matter, calling for McMahon to let the talent make a living off their own names. Several WWE talent, notably Paige and Sasha Banks, have removed all traces of their WWE likeness and are using their real names for now.
– Rey Mysterio got a platelet-rich plasma injection on his injured triceps, he confirmed on social media.
Mysterio suffered the injury during the tag team match with Dominik against Seth Rollins and Murphy at last week’s WWE Payback pay-per-view. As we reported here on WrestlingNews.com, Mysterio has decided not have surgery at this time. He is expected to recover via rehab and hopes to only miss two months.
Video of Mysterio getting the PRP injection is below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CExdtMXBhdj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
– WWE released former Raw and NXT Tag Team Champions Akam and Rezar (AOP). As reported here on WrestlingNews.com, the duo had been off television since March when Rezar suffered a biceps injury. F4WOnline.com hears Rezar was fully cleared to the ring when he was released. Paul Heyman was behind the push of AOP and given his relegation back to an on-screen character, there were no creative plans for the duo.
– Former United States Democratic Presidential candidate Andrew Yang was on CNN where a tweet he made about WWE’s classification of independent contracts was shown and it was asked if he would like a job in the Biden administration as Secretary of Labor.
“I’ll do whatever Joe and Kamala want me to do to help us get to the next page in our country’s history, Ana,” said Yang. “I think the post you’re talking about was my categorizing the misclassification of professional wrestlers as independent contractors, which is completely ridiculous given that the WWE controls their name and likeness for years and controls their activities in many ways. But anything that Joe and Kamala have for me they think will help move the country forward, I would love to help.”
As noted here on WrestlingNews.com, Yang posted a series of tweets over the weekend blasting WWE and Vince McMahon for their ban on talent working with third party affiliates.
– WWE held a meeting with talent today prior to Monday Night Raw to clarify the rules of working with third party affiliates.
Talent are still allowed to have both YouTube and Twitch accounts, reports Dave Meltzer. All accounts must be under a talent’s real name as opposed to their WWE ring name. WWE talent will be required to disclose the use of their YouTube and Twitch accounts using their real names to the company.
The rumor making rounds is that talent were originally told they could not use their real name. It is believed talent will not be allowed to use Cameo.
As reported here on WrestlingNews.com, WWE issued a statement about talent engaging with third-party affiliates over the weekend.
The controversy has caused WWE’s classification of their talent as “independent contractors” to go back under the limelight. Former Democrat Presidential candidate Andrew Yang commented about it on CNN, where he called the classification “completely ridiculous.”
– Cedric Alexander officially turned heel and joined The Hurt Business on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. He assisted Lashley, MVP and Shelton Benjamin in a six-man tag team match against Richochet and Apollo Crews early in the show but did not join. He joined in a MVP’s VIP Lounge segment and then teamed with the trio to beat The Viking Raiders, Ricochet & Apollo Crews. There was controversy as Alexander pinned Ricochet but the replay appeared to show him get his shoulder up before two.
– The following matches are set for next week’s episode of Monday Night Raw:
- Asuka vs. Mickie James for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship
- WWE Raw Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura.
– There was an injury situation that occurred during The Hurt Business vs. The Viking Raiders, Ricochet and Apollo Crews on this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw. Late into the match, Ivar dove through the ropes onto the outside and as soon as he came up, delivered the infamous X-signal, indicating a legitimate injury. Below is footage:
https://twitter.com/RowdyJonnyPiper/status/1303148107014733830
In the ring, new Hurt Business member Cedric Alexander pinned Ricochet after hitting a Michinoku Driver. It appeared that Ricochet kicked out at two.
– As noted, Ivar of the The Viking Raiders suffered a possible injury on Raw when he took a dive outside of the ring and followed it by throwing up the dreaded “X.” In an update, WWE.com noted that Ivar suffered a cervical injury and was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. He’s expected to make a full recovery. “During the Eight-Man Tag Team Match on Monday Night Raw, Ivar suffered a cervical injury on a Viking Dive to the floor. As a precaution, Ivar was transported to a local hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.” A timetable for his return has not been set, but it sounds like Ivar will be back in action soon.
– WWE has announced a new podcast titled Uncool with Alexa Bliss will debut on Tuesday, September 22. Bliss will be joined by guests every Tuesday to discuss all things “uncool” like awkward first dates and wardrobe malfunctions.
– Former WWE Divas Champion Eve Torres revealed on Instagram that she and her husband have tested positive for the coronavirus. Their two-year-old has also developed a fever.
Torres wrote:
“I debated sharing this, as it still feels raw and personal right now, but I’ve always believed in sharing both the good and the tough with our community. My husband, Rener, tested positive for COVID last Wednesday in the beginning of our vacation in Utah with my family. We all returned home immediately. I have now tested positive, and my 2 year old, Renson, has had a fever, who we also assume to be positive. We have a great support system and a great vitamin/ supplement regimen, and we know many of you may have already battled with this virus and all the weight that comes with it. We welcome your positive thoughts for us and my family as we are hoping to be on the other side of this soon.”
You can view her post embedded below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CE2u7n-MCGb/?utm_source=ig_embed
The Rock recently revealed that he and his family have recovered from the virus, while WWE star AJ Styles mentioned he also had tested positive.
– We have a new NXT champion. Finn Balor successfully captured the NXT Championship in a one on one contest with Adam Cole that had no time limit. This match came about after Adam Cole and Balor went to a draw last week during the hour-long fatal 4-way match on last week’s NXT Super Tuesday show. The NXT Championship was vacated after Karrion Kross relinquished the title due to injury. Finn Balor now becomes only the third man in NXT history to become a two-time NXT Champion, after Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura.
– WWE has announced three matches for next week’s NXT on Wednesday, September 16:
- Shotzi Blackheart vs. Io Shirai (non-title)
- Imperium vs. Breezango (c) in an NXT Tag Team Championship rematch
- Timothy Thatcher vs. Damian Priest (c) for the NXT North American Championship
– Tehuti Miles is now known as Ashante Adonis in WWE. The former Miles has been heavily featured on 205 Live in recent weeks. Adonis went under to Velveteen Dream on this week’s NXT.
– Josiah Williams is back to work with NXT after being furloughed earlier this year. Williams previously worked in the Performance Center Content Innovation Lab and had experience conducting backstage interviews and ring-announcing live events. Williams shared a photo of his return to work on Instagram, which is embedded below. His dot com profile can be found at this link.
– Last week here on WrestlingNews.com Insider, we reported early plans for WrestleMania 37.
Another one of the main events Vince McMahon has in mind for next year’s WrestleMania is Roman Reigns, with Paul Heyman in his corner, defending the WWE Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar.
Lesnar, who is currently a free agent, has remained in talks with WWE, with McMahon feeling confident he can get a deal done with Lesnar before WrestleMania 37.
Tony Khan, President of All Elite Wrestling, has been eager to make Lesnar an offer to jump ship to AEW. Lesnar’s asking price is believed to be $5 million a year for two matches per year, as well as a few promotional appearances in the lead up to those matches.
Khan, who has been evasive publicly when asked about Lesnar, is said to be in favor of meeting Lesnar’s demands. His father Shahid Khan, owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars as well as Flex-N-Gate and Fulham FC, has been tightening the purse strings on AEW the last several months and is against signing any big deals right now while revenue is being so heavily impacted by the inability to tour.
The younger Khan believes there is a very tight window to try to sign Lesnar before Lesnar and McMahon work out a new deal. Khan is said to be frustrated by his father’s meddling in what would be, by far, the biggest free agent signing in AEW history.
– WWE has a city in mind to host their Royal Rumble pay-per-view and are looking to get live crowds back prior to the show, WrestleVotes hears. The company is keeping an eye on what the NBA and NHL do for next season regarding capacity levels to see what they are able to do with fans. All episodes of WWE Raw, SmackDown and pay-per-views will take place from the Amway Center in Orlando, FL until the middle of next month, at which point the company will re-assess their situation. It is no secret Vince McMahon wants live fans back at the shows as soon as possible. WWE has not had a show in front of a true live audience since the middle of March.
– As previously reported here at WrestlingNews.com, WWE held a meeting with talent at Monday Night Raw to clarify the rules on working with third party affiliates. The one thing WWE made clear is they want talent to continue to engage with fans on social media. They are allowed to use YouTube and Twitch, but they must use their real names and disclose this use to the company. Some talent left the meeting confused but we heard several were fine with the new guidelines. WWE is still ironing out the full details but a number of top workers insist the new rules will be fair. At this time it is not believed WWE talent are going to be able to sell videos on Cameo but there is nothing official as of press time.
– One half of the Viking Raiders tag team, Ivar, suffered a cervical injury on this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw.
The injury occurred during a dive spot, after which Ivar immediately gave the infamous “X” signal once he landed (footage here). Ivar is thanking everyone for their support and is working hard to recover.
“From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU to every single friend, family and fan who has reached out to me,” Ivar tweeted. “My heart is truly touched from all the love and support. Still figuring it all out but I am working hard to recover and be better than ever! Love you all.”
– WWE Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco has been let go from WWE after 36 years with the company. Brisco tweeted on Thursday that Vince McMahon called to deliver the news that he is “no longer needed.”
Ok, want to get this out the right way. Last night I received a call from @wwe Chairman Of The board @VinceMcMahon to let me know after 36 years of dedication to @wwe i an no longer needed. I’m ok withthis. I will still be around to help talent. More info will follow. Thanks
— Gerald BRISCO ????♂️ (@Fgbrisco) September 10, 2020
Brisco was furloughed back in April, and it seems WWE has decided to officially part ways. With this news, PWInsider reports that another round of company-wide cutbacks are being made today. We’ll continue to follow the story right here at WrestlingNews.com.
The NXT UK relaunch will air next Thursday, September 17, from BT Sport Studios in London. Several items have been announced ahead of the brand’s return:
– The September 17th episode will feature Amir Jordan & Kenny Williams challenging Wolfgang & Mark Coffey of Gallus for the NXT UK Tag Team Championship.
– Piper Niven will challenge Kay Lee Ray for the NXT UK Women’s Championship in two weeks on September 24.
– The NXT UK Heritage Cup tournament will commence next week with eight men competing: Noam Dar, Alexander Wolfe, Flash Morgan Webster, A-Kid, Dave Mastiff, Trent Seven, Joseph Conners, and a mystery man.
The rules for the tournament are as follows, according to dot com:
- All matches consist of six three-minute rounds.
- All matches are 2-out-of-3 Falls.
- Falls can won be won by pinfall, submission or count-out.
- Once a fall occurs, the round ends.
- The match ends once a wrestler has won two falls.
- In the event of a disqualification or knockout, the match instantly ends without the need for two falls.
- If all six rounds are completed, whomever is ahead on falls wins the match.
- There will be a 20-second break between each round.
Per the article, the NXT UK Heritage Cup will be defended as a championship under the same rules after the tournament is over.
– WWE made more company-wide cutbacks on Thursday with the release of several office and road employees who have been furloughed since the spring. According to PWInsider and Fightful, producers Mike Rotunda and Sarah Stock were among those let go.
Mike Rotunda was famously known as Irvin R. Shyster (IRS) during his WWE career until 2004. Rotunda has worked as a producer since 2006. He’s also the real-life father of WWE stars Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas.
Sarah Stock was best known as Sarita in TNA and on the independent scene. She served as a WWE producer since 2015.
As noted earlier, long-time employee and Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco was also let go on Thursday.
– Chris Van Vliet interviewed former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang about his strong stance against WWE’s classification of their performers as independent contractors. Yang made his point that if WWE is going to control everything about a performer, they should take some responsibility to take care of them. He indicated he got a note from an unnamed performer that it’s time someone called out Vince McMahon for this. He stated if Joe Biden and Kamala Harris win the election in November, he may be able to be in a position to do something about it. Yang revealed it infuriated him that Vince McMahon would not allow for a talent to “make a buck” on Cameo. Andrew compared this to the way AEW treats their talent by giving them freedom and they seem to be very well taken care of. He credited the ownership structure. He explained WWE is the top down Vince-empire and you have no choice, compared to the AEW performer-led alternative. He stated he was thrilled to hear from AEW performers who feel great about it. Van Vliet asked him what can change. Yang said WWE has a choice. Treat performers like independent contracts and let them do what they want or treat them like their employees, like they are. He explained this is accomplished by introducing real benefits including a real union or professional association and real negotiation. He said a real transformation has been long overdue but Vince has managed to always keep the ball moving without change.
– WWE Hell in a Cell 2020 will take place on Sunday, October 25, 2020. The show was scheduled to take place on November 1. It’s interesting to note they’ll air the night after Impact Wrestling’s Bound for Glory and UFC 254. The reason for the move is unknown but it is worth noting WWE’s lease for the Amway Center in Orlando, FL expires on October 30, 2020. The company can opt to renew the lease but are expected to reevaluate things in terms of running elsewhere at that point.
– Finn Balor revealed in an interview with Bleacher Report that Randy Orton is one star several people in the NXT locker room look up to. He also expressed his desire to have Orton in NXT.
“I don’t know if this is someone who would learn from it, but someone I’d love to have in NXT is Randy Orton, because I feel like he’s probably the best performer of the last 10 years,” said Balor. “He’s someone I look up to a lot and I know a lot of the NXT locker room looks up to a lot. He’s someone I feel would have a huge impact on NXT that would start a ripple effect for the next five or 10 years. I’ve been in the ring with Randy before, but if we could do that in an NXT environment, I would love that.”
In the same interview, Balor was asked about his demon character. He talked about the character taking a lot out of him. He also explained it limits what he can do and he is focused on the work he has done as The Prince for the last 11 months. At this point, he feels like The Demon would be a step backward.
However, Balor would like to do The Demon vs. The Fiend down the line. You can read the entire interview at this link.
– WWE staff writer Anthony Benigno finished up with WWE on Thursday. “SOME PERSONAL NEWS: Today was my last day at WWE. Way too many memories and thank yous for almost 9 years, suffice it to say it’s about the most challenging, rewarding place I could have imagined starting my career with the best people I could have hoped to meet along the way,” Beigno wrote. “It has been a hell of a ride. Thank you to all the employees and Superstars who made it a dream come true. If you’re looking for an experienced writer/editor/producer/Mario Kart champion, DMs are OPEN!” WWE is in the midst of cutting several employees in response to the difficult economic circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is believed as many as 70 employees were officially released this week. Most were furloughed last April.
– Nikki Cross will challenge Bayley for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship later this month at Clash of Champions.
Cross won the opportunity after beating Tamina, Lacey Evans and Alexa Bliss in a fatal four-way match on this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown.
Below is the updated lineup for WWE Clash of Champions, which will take place on Sunday, September 27, 2020:
WWE Championship Match
– Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Randy Orton
WWE Universal Championship Match
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso
WWE SmackDown Women’s CHampionship Match
Bayley (c) vs. Nikki Cross
AEW News
– Matt Sydal made his AEW debut at All Out as the surprise “Joker” entrant in the 21-man Casino Battle Royale. He made it to the final four before being eliminated by Eddie Kingston.
Lance Archer went on to secure a future AEW World Title match by last eliminating Kingston.
.@findevan is your mystery participant in the #CasinoBattleRoyale at #AEWAllOut! pic.twitter.com/i2fcCTrZxR
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) September 6, 2020
The order of entrants went as follows:
- Clubs: Trent, Christopher Daniels, Jake Hager, The Blade, Rey Fenix
- Diamonds: Frankie Kazarian, Will Hobbs, Chuck Taylor, Santana & Ortiz
- Hearts: Billy Gunn, Penta El Zero M, Ricky Starks, Brian Cage, & Darby Allin
- Spades: Shawn Spears, The Butcher, Eddie Kingston, Sonny Kiss, Lance Archer
- Joker: Matt Sydal
Sydal has worked all over the globe in companies such as WWE, Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and New Japan. It remains to be seen if Sydal has signed a contract with AEW.
– FTR defeated Kenny Omega and Hangman Adam Page to become the new AEW Tag Team Champions at All Out on Saturday. Omega and Page worked through their tension to stay on the same page until Omega accidentally hit Page with a V-Trigger. FTR nailed Mind Breaker on Page twice before scoring the win. Post-match, Omega walked out on Page and argued with The Young Bucks backstage on his way out of the arena. This is FTR’s first AEW Tag Team Championship reign. Omega and Page’s first reign ends at 227 days.
– Matt Hardy took a scary bump during his Broken Rules match against Sammy Guevara at All Out. Guevara speared Hardy off of an elevated platform, but the two overshot the table. Hardy’s head bounced off the concrete floor as a result.
Here’s the video of Matt Hardy hitting his head on the concrete at #AEWAllOut
— Ryan Satin (@ryansatin) September 6, 2020
Hardy was laid out for a bit while Aubrey Edwards checked on him. Doc Sampson intervened and the match was called off briefly. According to the announce team, Hardy told Sampson he was okay, so the match was allowed to continue. They went right for the finish where Hardy tossed Guevara off of a lighting tower.
In an update, PWInsider reports that Hardy was taken to a local hospital to be examined, possibly by MRI. Matt’s wife Reby believes he suffered a concussion as she shared her (NSFW) frustration with the spot on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/RebyHardy/status/1302427808392675329
– AEW will return to pay-per-view with Full Gear on Saturday, November 7. It is expected to be AEW’s final pay-per-view for the 2020 calendar year. A location was not revealed for the event, but signs point to AEW remaining at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida for the foreseeable future. Should all go well, AEW will likely have fans in attendance again at 15% capacity or greater. Last year’s Full Gear pay-per-view was headlined by Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega in a Lights Out Unsanctioned match.
– During the All Out post-show media scrum, Tony Khan addressed the decision to pause and resume Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara after Hardy hit his head on the concrete floor during a scary bump.
“I just want to give a note here at the beginning and say that the health and safety of the wrestlers is always the most important thing at AEW. I just wanted to give everyone an update on Matt Hardy and say, most importantly, Matt is okay and he’s going to be okay. What had happened was Matt had taken a fall in the match and I stopped the match, paused the match, and sent the doctor to check on him,” said Khan.
“I was concerned that Matt could be hurt. I rang the bell to pause the match. When the doctor checked him, he passed him and cleared him on the concussion protocol. He checked with Matt and then Matt came back after and passed the concussion protocol and he’s doing okay. I spoke with him after the match and talked to him again just now. He went, as a precaution, to the hospital to get some tests and check out that he’s okay, but looks like he is okay and that’s why the doctor cleared him to continue. It was not something that any of us enjoyed. It was a scary moment, but the most important thing is that Matt is okay. We’re all really glad about that.”
Hardy went straight to the finish of the match by climbing several feet up a lighting rig to send Guevara plummeting for the knockout win. Matt’s wife Reby was furious about the spot, and she made sure the world knew on Twitter.
– A crazed fan tried to get to AEW World Champion Jon Moxley prior to his match against MJF at last night’s All Out pay-per-view. Below is video:
I will never, never understand the obsession with having to touch wrestlers. pic.twitter.com/pWCCHRR599
— Spencer Love | @LoveWrestlingCA (@SpennyLove) September 6, 2020
Thankfully security was about to handle the fan without him ever making it to Moxley. Jon went over in the show’s main event. We have complete All Out results at this link.
Moxley’s next big challenger will be Lance Archer.
– In another update on Matt Hardy’s condition, Reby Hardy tweeted on Sunday morning that Matt is still at the hospital and needs further imaging after his initial CT scan.
Reby still believes Matt is concussed. She also shared a clip of Matt being unable to stand on his own during the Broken Rules match against Sammy Guevara, however her account is currently locked.
“They needed additional imaging done after his CT. He’s still in the hospital. 1000% concussion. Anyone with eyes could have told you that tho.”
As noted, Tony Khan said he was responsible for pausing the match, but allowed it to continue after Doc Sampson said Hardy passed their concussion protocol and Hardy said he was good to continue.
– Matt Hardy was released from the hospital on Sunday afternoon after being evaluated for a head injury suffered during a nasty bump to the concrete floor at AEW All Out on Saturday.
Tony Khan took to Twitter to announce that Hardy is being driven home now and will appear on Wednesday’s Dynamite.
An update on Matt Hardy: it’s great news! Matt’s ok, we sent him to the hospital as a precaution & he’s passed the MRI + CT scans, he doesn’t have a concussion, and he’s being driven home now. Matt will be at Dynamite on Wednesday night to thank you amazing fans for your support!
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) September 6, 2020
As noted, Reby Hardy was furious over what went down despite Khan saying Hardy passed a concussion protocol under Doc Sampson.
– The Tooth and Nail cinematic match-up between Britt Baker and Big Swole at AEW All Out was done to protect Baker, F4WOnline hears. Baker is still not 100% following her leg injury suffered on an episode of Dynamite back in May. For those that do not remember, Baker sustained an anterior lateral tibial fracture, a partial lateral collateral ligament tear and a small degree tendon tear. AEW operated under the assumption she would be set for the show, which is why they continued to build to the culmination of her program with Swole. As reported here on WrestlingNews.com, the Tooth and Nail cinematic bout was originally scheduled for the Buy In pre-show. After Tony Khan saw footage of the match and liked it, he moved it to the main pay-per-view. There was also heavy criticism on social media about the match being on the pre-show. Big Swole went over via KO.
– Matt Hardy is out of the hospital and back on Cameo. In his latest video, he explained he spent a couple days in the hospital after taking a bad bump at All Out. Hardy noted he was stuck in the hospital and they wouldn’t let him go. Hardy is scheduled to be on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, as noted here on WrestlingNews.com. You can watch his latest video embedded below:
– In a moment that went viral over the weekend for all of the wrong reasons, Matt Sydal was the surprise entrant in the battle royal at All Out. Sydal slipped while attempting a shooting star press and was very fortunate to avoid permanent injury in a very scary situation. Sydal was in talks with WWE before COVID-19, but a deal was never reached and he had been largely inactive for the past six months. A source close to Sydal claimed he had complained to friends after the event that he felt ill prepared for the appearance, having been given very little notice. Who else was being considered for the surprise spot by AEW is unknown as of this writing, but Sydal privately claimed he wasn’t confirmed to appear until the morning of All Out and blamed the short notice for his nervousness. He was booked for a one time appearance, but the appearance could have led to more opportunities had he impressed AEW officials. With his AEW debut being compared to WCW’s debut of the Shockmaster, it remains to be seen if and when Sydal will be brought back.
– AEW announced on Wednesday that Tay Conti is officially #AllElite. The former NXT star competed in AEW’s Deadly Draw tournament last month, making it to the semi-finals alongside Anna Jay. Conti has received an offer to join Dark Order.
– Miro, formerly known as Rusev in WWE, has officially signed with All Elite Wrestling.
Miro made his Dynamite debut on Wednesday and was revealed to be Kip Sabian’s best man for Sabian’s upcoming wedding with Penelope Ford.
During his appearance, Miro made mention of spending ten years in the same house and not being able to break through the glass ceiling or grab the brass ring. He concluded by saying they can go shove the brass ring.
As noted earlier, former NXT star Tay Conti has also officially signed with AEW. She went under to Nyla Rose on Dynamite.
– AEW has loaded up next week’s Thursday episode with the following matches:
- MJF in action
- FTR vs. Jurassic Express
- Hangman Adam Page vs. Frankie Kazarian
- Chris Jericho & Jake Hager vs. Private Party
- Best Friends vs. Santana & Ortiz in a Parking Lot Brawl
- Ivelisse vs. Thunder Rosa (c) for the NWA Women’s Championship
https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1303871452098199554
Dynamite will be preempted by NBA playoffs on TNT once again next Wednesday. We’ll have complete coverage right here at WrestlingNews.com.
– AEW will celebrate Dynamite’s one-year anniversary on Wednesday, October 14. The special episode will be headlined by Lance Archer vs. Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship. No other matches are known at this time, but the episode will air just four weeks before AEW’s next pay-per-view Full Gear on November 7.
– All Elite Wrestling is ready to hit the road after being stuck in Jacksonville, FL due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
They issued the following press release, announcing several upcoming shows:
St LOUIS:
The AEW DYNAMITE show at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Mo., on October 7 has been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 23, 2021.
Fans who have already purchased tickets to the St. Louis show will have their original tickets valid for admission to the event on June 23, 2021, or can receive a refund via the point of purchase.
MILWAUKEE:
The AEW DYNAMITE show at the UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wis., on October 28 has been rescheduled for Wednesday, July 14, 2021.
Fans who have already purchased tickets to the Milwaukee show will have their original tickets valid for admission to the event on July 14, 2021, or can receive a refund via the point of purchase. Please email boxoffice@wcd.org or call 414-908-6035 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT on Monday through Friday for information on requesting your refund.
HOUSTON:
The AEW DYNAMITE show at the University of Houston’s Fertitta Center in Houston, Texas, on November 4 has been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 30, 2021.
Fans who have already purchased tickets to the Houston show will have their original tickets valid for admission to the event on June 30, 2021, or can receive a refund via the point of purchase.
ROCHESTER:
The AEW DYNAMITE show at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y., on November 11 has been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 16, 2021.
Fans who have already purchased tickets to the Rochester show will have their original tickets valid for admission to the event on June 16, 2021, or can receive a refund via the point of purchase.
As illustrated in our mission statement, the safety and well-being of our fans and talent is always our top priority. AEW sends heartfelt thanks around the world to healthcare and other frontline workers who are answering the call to protect and serve their communities.
– All Elite Wrestling’s All Out pay-per-view is projected to have done between 100,000 and 110,000 buys, according to reports.
The show, which took place last Saturday, featured Jon Moxley retaining the AEW World Championship over MJF in the main event. It vaulted Dynamite’s viewership back over one million viewers on TNT.
Below are projected buy rate numbers for all AEW PPVs:
- AEW Revolution on 2/29/20: 100,000–105,000 buys
- AEW Double or Nothing on 5/23/20: 115,000–120,000 buys
- AEW Full Gear on 11/09/19: 90,000-100,000 buys
- AEW All Out on 8/31/19: 101,000 buys
- AEW Double or Nothing on 5/29/19: 109,000–113,000 buys
– Miro is #AllElite, officially signing a one-year contract with All Elite Wrestling.
He made his debut on this week’s episode of Dynamite as he was revealed to be Kip Sabian’s best man for Sabian’s upcoming wedding with Penelope Ford. Miro to AEW is not a surprise as Cody Rhodes revealed the former WWE Rusev as an AEW target back in July.
The signing does hurt Impact Wrestling, as explained earlier this week in Ask WNC.
As exclusively reported here on WrestlingNews.com Insider, Impact had made Miro their top priority free agent signing. They offered him a six figure guarantee for far fewer dates than he was working for WWE, as well as a run as Impact World Championship.
Prior to signing with AEW, Miro had been telling promoters he planned on retiring but no one believed him. He weighed in on his AEW debut Friday on social media.
“It has been amazing few days,” Miro tweeted. “I can’t thank you all enough.”
It has been amazing few days. I can’t thank you all enough.
— Miro (@ToBeMiro) September 11, 2020
NJPW News
– New Japan Pro Wrestling revealed the participants for their G1 Climax Tournament. They are as follows:
A Block
-Kota Ibushi
-Jeff Cobb
-Kazuchika Okada
-Tomohiro Ishii
-Will Ospreay
-Shingo Takagi
-Minoru Suzuki
-Taichi
-Jay White
-Yujiro Takahashi
B Block
-Hiroshi Tanahashi
-Juice Robinson
-Hirooki Goto
-Toru Yano
-Yoshi-Hashi
-Tetsuya Naito
-Sanada
-Zack Sabre Jr.
-Kenta
-Evil
The tournament will run from September 19 to October 18. Remember, the G1 Climax Tournament is a round robin so the wrestlers will have one match with everyone in their respective block.
– New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced the full schedule and lineup for the upocming G1 Climax Tournament. You can view all upcoming matches below:
September 19, Osaka (A Block)
September 20, Osaka (B Block)
September 23, Sapporo (A Block)
September 24, Sapporo (B Block)
September 27, Kobe (A Block)
September 29, Korakuen (B Block)
September 30, Korakuen (A Block)
October 1, Nagaoka (B Block)
October 5, Takamatsu (A Block)
October 6, Hiroshima (B Block)
October 7, Hiroshima (A Block)
October 8, Okayama (B Block)
October 10, Osaka (A Block)
October 11, Aichi (B Block)
October 13, Hamamatsu (A Block)
October 14, Yokohama (B Block)
October 16, Ryogoku (A Block)
October 17, Ryogoku (B Block)
Impact News
– Tessa Blanchard will return to the ring at a Warrior Wrestling event on September 12. In the main event, Blanchard will defend her Warrior Wrestling Women’s Championship against Kylie Rae. This is Blanchard’s first major appearance since leaving Impact Wrestling on bad terms earlier this summer. Blanchard was the reigning Impact World Champion before Slammiversary, where she was slated to defend in a five-way. Impact opted to strip her and part ways as the two could not come to an agreement leading up to the pay-per-view, which aired after or around the time Blanchard’s contract was up. Tessa, who recently married Daga in Mexico, is a free agent and has garnered interest from other companies such as WWE and AEW. It remains to be seen what her next move is aside from competing on the independent scene again. Other Impact and AEW stars will also compete on the September 12 Warrior Wrestling card:
- Kylie Rae vs. Tessa Blanchard (c) for the Warrior Wrestling Women’s Championship
- Brian Cage vs. Alex Zayne
- TJP vs. Alex Shelley
- The Rascalz vs. Myron Reed, Chris Bey & Jordan Oliver
- Thunder Rosa vs. Kimber Lee
- Dan The Dad vs. Elayna Black
- Joey Janela vs. Warhorse
- Daga vs. Isaias Velasquez
- Tom Lawlor vs. Kevin Ku
– Impact Wrestling has announced several items for next Tuesday’s episode:
- Tenille Dashwood appears
- RVD’s “The Whole F’n Talk Show” debuts
- Deonna Purrazzo & Kimber Lee vs. Kylie Rae & Susie
- Brian Myers vs. Willie Mack
- XXXL vs. The Deaners
- Kiera Hogan vs. Taya Valkyrie
- The North, Ace Austin & Madman Fulton vs. Motor City Machine Guns & The Rascalz
We’ll have complete coverage posted right here at WrestlingNews.com. Be sure to check out this week’s results at this link.
– Impact Wrestling announced on Thursday that Barry Scott, the man behind the iconic voice of many TNA/Impact intros, has passed away at the age of 65.
In recent years, Scott did the voice-over for the Slammiversary 2017 opener, which has been embedded above. Scott also returned earlier this year to voice-over a video package on TNA World Heavyweight Champion Moose.
We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Barry Scott. For years Barry was the iconic voice of TNA Wrestling, lending us gravitas and credibility. He will be dearly missed. pic.twitter.com/rPxGsK8gqk
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) September 10, 2020
WrestlingNews.com sends its condolences to Scott’s friends, family, and loved ones.
Ratings News
– WWE Friday Night SmackDown did 2.066 million viewers on FOX in the overnight numbers. That is slightly down from the 2.144 million viewers the show did in the final number last week, which was adjusted down from the overnight number that was 2.181. Friday’s show did 2.018 million viewers the first hour and went up to 2.113 million viewers the second hour. SmackDown helped FOX finish first place in the men 18-49 demographic and first in the adults 18-49 demographic for the night with a 0.55 rating.
– Countdown to AEW All Out did an average of 357,000 viewers on TNT on Saturday. The special, which aired at 5:30 PM, garnered a 0.14 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
– Last week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown ended up doing 2.129 million viewers for FOX. That adjusts up from the 2.066 million viewers that came out in the overnights but down from the previous week’s episode, which garnered a final viewership number of 2.144 million viewers. SmackDown helped FOX finish in first place across the adults 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 demographics and in the men 18-49 demo in Friday’s cable ratings.
– This week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw did an average viewing audience of 1.72 million viewers on the USA Network. The show’s first hour did 1.762 million viewers. Hour two is where the show peaked at 1.800 million viewers. The third and final hour did 1.613 million viewers. It was Labor Day but things will not get any easier for WWE with next week’s return of Monday Night Football on ESPN.
– This week’s WWE NXT drew 838,000 viewers on the USA Network for their “Super Tuesday II” episode without head-to-head competition from AEW Dynamite. This is down from last week’s 849,000. The second Tuesday show ranked No. 15 in the 18-49 demographic with a 0.22 rating.
– AEW Dynamite topped one million viewers for the first time since October 19, 2019 on Wednesday night. This week’s show, which was the first show after Saturday’s All Out pay-per-view, did 1.016 million viewers on TNT. The show finished seventh in the 18-49 demographic with a 0.37 rating. Dynamite ran without the opposition of WWE NXT and topped the week prior’s audience, which did 928,000 viewers.
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