A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Clash of Champions PPV.
On Monday afternoon, WWE confirmed that WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler vs. Liv Morgan & Ruby Riot has been added to the card that takes place on Sunday, September 27, 2020.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Baszler was originally slated to challenge Asuka for the RAW Women’s Title at this show.
However, plans changed and there’s still no word yet on who will be the title contender to fill that spot.
On a recent episode of Monday Night RAW, the challengers risked their partnership to earn this opportunity.
They did so by beating The IIconics in a match where winners earned a crack at the champions. As a result, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay had to split up.
Updated WWE Clash Of Champions Card
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Nikki Cross
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler vs. Liv Morgan & Ruby Riot
AJ Styles was asked about a potential match with CM Punk during a recent Twitch Stream.
This is where the former WWE Champion stated that this contest will never happen and it’s probably due to their history.
\”Nope,\” Styles said. \”That will never happen… I don\’t have to go into detail about that one. I think it\’s pretty obvious where things stand. I\’m not a fan.\”
So what is their bad blood exactly? It all dates back to earlier this year in the wake of George Floyd’s killing. Punk first tweeted about other people showing their true colors by expressing their words and actions.
This got a response from a fan who wrote, “Seeing AJ Styles promote streams and shit but couldn’t be bothered to post anything made it clear how he feels. That was a tough unfollow…”
Punk referenced AJ Styles’ history of ‘insensitive’ remarks by responding, “Well. Come on. That one has been obvious for years.”
Thus, if Punk ever does make a WWE return and he wrestles again, which is a big IF, fans shouldn’t expect him to see him share the ring with Styles.
The next challenger to WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley will be Nikki Cross and it’s the latest match to be added to the card of the upcoming Clash of Champions event.
During Friday’s episode of SmackDown on FOX, WWE held a match that would determine who is next in line for a title shot.
A Fatal 4-Way Match between Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross, Lacey Evans, and Tamina took place with the winner becoming the next challenger to the title. It was a decently lengthy match that featured a finish where Cross scored the pinfall.
Cross was victorious, earning the right to challenge Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Women’s Title.
WWE presents the Clash of Champions pay-per-view event on Sunday, September 27, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the Amway Center that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks. Here is the updated card:
Updated WWE Clash Of Champions Card
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Nikki Cross
WWE is looking to load up this coming Monday’s episode of RAW.
WWE had previously announced that RAW Women’s Champion Asuka will put her title on the line against Mickie James and Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro vs. The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) in a Champions vs. Champions non-title match would take place.
During Friday’s episode of SmackDown, WWE confirmed two new matches for the broadcast, which has the tagline of “In Your Face.”
Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins in a Steel Cage Match and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Keith Lee in a non-title match has been added to the show.
This coming Monday, WWE will face some heavy competition. Not only is it the premiere of the 2020 NFL Monday Night Football season, but WWE will face two games airing back-to-back on ESPN.
The Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the New York Giants and the Tennessee Titans vs. Denver Broncos will air during the same time as RAW.
The viewership for Monday Night RAW has dropped the past two weeks after getting a bump for the post-SummerSlam episode.
Last Monday\’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.725 million viewers with a 0.47 rating in the key 18-49 demographic.
On Thursday, WWE made a series of cuts that was across the board in the company. The number was in the range of 60 through 70 people who lost their jobs. None of the firings included wrestlers.
Wrestling Inc reports that more WWE cutbacks took place on Friday. It was noted that WWE\’s live events department is \”in shambles.\”
Per the report, there were between 12 – 15 people from WWE\’s live events division that were let go. This includes a high ranking Vice President, which should be made public soon.
It was noted that news was heartbreaking and would seem to signal WWE will not be getting back to doing live events anytime soon. Although the cuts were said to be extensive, some of the \”higher ups\” could be retained.
Mike Rotunda\’s release was an indicator that WWE\’s plans for more upcoming live events have been scrapped. Many of WWE\’s furloughed employees will be let go and the cuts were \”spreading like wildfire\” in every part of the company.
Although WWE live events have been declining for decades, in recent years, attendance has fallen hard.
Earlier this year, McMahon told investors that he wasn’t sure whether WWE would remain operating the live event business the way they had been.
Although WWE Clash of Champions is still a few weeks away, the company already has matches in mind for the show.
The company has only announced two matches thus far. Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn in a Triple Threat Match or a singles match between Hardy’s title and Zayn’s championship is expected.
The original plan called for Asuka to defend the RAW Women’s Title against Shayna Bazler, but that won’t be happening as Bazler is one half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions with Nia Jax, who will also defend their titles against unknown opponents. Natalya could end up being the challenger for Asuka’s title.
Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura are believed to be defending the SmackDown Tag Team Titles against either Heavy Machinery or Street Profits.
Bobby Lashley defending the United States Title against Apollo Crews is rumored, but not confirmed. Finally, if WWE brings back Sasha Banks from the injury angle in time then she’ll challenge Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Title.
WWE presents the Clash of Champions pay-per-view event on Sunday, September 27, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the Amway Center.
Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite from Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place averaged 1.016 million viewers, up from 928,000 last week. This was the most-watched episode of the year and their best number since the October 16th episode last year that did 1.014 million viewers.
The show did a 0.37 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic, which was up from last week’s 0.36, and finished #7 on cable for the evening.
This was the fourth consecutive week that AEW ran unopposed and without direct competition from WWE NXT, which aired on Tuesday night on the USA Network.
This episode went up against competition from NBA and NHL playoffs. Both did good numbers. Next week’s episode of Dynamite could air in its normal day and time slot, but we won’t know for sure until Monday.
If the series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets ends in 6 games on Monday then Dynamite will air on Wednesday at 8pm ET. However, if the series goes to 7 games then the regular weekly Dynamite episode will air at 8pm ET on Thursday night.
AEW will also air a one-hour edition of Dynamite, which will air following the Wednesday NBA game at around midnight.
John Cena has his latest acting gig lined up as he’ll be hosting “Wipeout” on TBS.
The former WWE Champion first sent out a cryptic tweet on Thursday noting that he’s training for something. He then made a video to reveal the announcement. He also showed off a different hairstyle and a goatee.
“I couldn’t be more excited for what’s in store for this radically absurd show that has its own fair share of legendary faceplants.” Cena told Deadline. “The power of Wipeout is its ability to gather people of all backgrounds for fast paced, physical FUN! I look forward to seeing fan responses both new and existing. This’ll be a hosting experience unlike anything I’ve ever done! I can’t wait to get started in rooting for our contestants!”
He’ll be joined by co-host Nicole Bayer and Camille Kostek. The show first premiered on ABC in 2008 and moved to TBS this year.
It was touted that the rebooted version of the show will include new twists.
TBS is also doing another reality competition series that will feature Cody Rhodes as a judge on another TBS reality show, Go-Big Show.
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.725 million viewers with a 0.47 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This was down from last week, which did 1.896 million viewers and a 0.58 demo rating.
In fact, viewership numbers have fallen the past two weeks after hitting just over two million viewers two weeks ago for the post-SummerSlam episode. This was the Labor Day edition of RAW.
To compare, just one year ago, RAW averaged 2.507million viewers. Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Raw, courtesy of Showbuzzdaily.com:
Hour 1: 1.762 million, 0.48 in the 18-49 Demo
Hour 2: 1.800 million, 0.50 in the 18-49 Demo
Hour 3: 1.613 million, 0.45 in the 18-49 Demo
SmackDown Viewership
Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.129 million viewers on FOX. This is down from the 2.144 million viewers that the show did for the previous week.
SmackDown averaged 2.066 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was down from the 2.181 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
The first hour drew 2.018 million viewers while the second hour did 2.113 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.210 million viewers while the second hour did 2.151 million viewers.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demos, the same from the 0.60 rating as last week’s show.
The September 8, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from the Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
WWE NXT Results
Finn Balor def. Adam Cole to become the new NXT Champion
The Velveteen Dream def. Ashante Adonis
Bronson Reed def. Austin Theory
Roderick Strong def. Killian Dain
Rhea Ripley def. Mercedes Martinez
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Sudden Death Battle
Finn Balor returns to NXT
Fans had to wait a week, but man did it deliver. The sudden death battle opened the broadcast as Finn Balor and Adam Cole faced off in a one-fall match to crown the new NXT Champion.
Some fans enjoyed the cliffhanger ending to last week’s show where the Fatal 4-Way Iron Man Match headlined but ended in a tie. There were others who didn’t like the finish as WWE was promising a new champion.
Either way, this was a hot way to open Tuesday’s show with both wrestlers putting on a memorable performance. They shot it with both wrestlers coming out with their entrances.
In the end, after a back and forth affair, it was Balor hitting a DDT off the top rope for the win.
Bronson Reed vs. Austin Theory in a singles match took place in what felt more of a filler contest rather than something that meant something.
Reed had the majority of the offense and won with a splash off the top rope.
Clearly, WWE is building up Reed as a player in the brand and one who is close to getting an NXT North American Title Match from Damian Priest.
On the flip side, Theory needs to find himself and do it fast as he was dropped from the main roster but has made a notable splash since returning to NXT.
Killian Dain vs. Roderick Strong in a singles bout was a late addition to the card as WWE had announced it on Monday morning.
From a booking standpoint, the bout made sense as Dain has been feuding with the Undisputed Era over the last few weeks. From a match standpoint, something was off and they didn’t click.
Dain went for a splash off the top rope, but he had to knock Bobby Fish off the apron and that allowed Strong to score the win.
Post-match, Strong and Fish beatdown Dain until Drake Maverick ran out, but he got taken out. Dain grabbed a pipe and chased them off. Maverick went to shake Dain’s hand, but got punched out for it.
WWE likes Dain as someone who they can build up as a monster, but it seems like this idea has played out for quite some time with WWE not getting the exact results they want. Thus, they go back to the original starting point then play it out for a few weeks and then repeat.
As promised, the Steel Cage Match between Rhea Ripley and Mercedes Martinez was the main event.
WWE had been building off to a blow off between these two and they delivered. They used the cage throughout the match, but clearly no blood. Ripley brought chairs, a kendo stick, and a table into the ring with her to be used.
The hard fought battle was finished with Ripley hitting her finisher off the middle rope through a table for the win.
Now that this feud is over, let’s hope that WWE books Ripley back to the top of the card with the NXT Women’s Title. WWE has been trying to build up Martinez as the next big star, but with them still doing comedy with Robert Stone, it’s hard to take her seriously although Stone is very good in his role.
Heading into Tuesday’s episode of WWE NXT we knew there would be a new NXT champion crowned and it just so happened to be Finn Balor.
Last week’s show saw the entire second hour being taken up by a 60 Minute Iron Man Fatal 4-Way Match to determine the new NXT Champion. Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Balor vs. Tommaso Ciampa was booked.
However, there was no winner as Ciampa and Balor were tied with the most points, which was two while Gargano and Cole each had one point. Thus, they had NXT GM William Regal announce a Sudden Death Battle between Ciampa and Balor, which took place on Tuesday’s episode.
It opened the show that aired on the USA Network. In the contest, WWE filmed it as a separate match with both stars getting a full entrance.
They did some near falls, but mostly a technical match. The finish saw Balor connect with a Super 1916 DDT off the top rope for the win.
Of course, Karrion Kross relinquished the championship two weeks ago, which is why the title became vacant.
He had to give up the title because he separated his shoulder when he defeated Keith Lee to win the WWE NXT Title in the headliner of NXT TakeOver: XXX on the WWE Network.
Vince McMahon wasn’t featured as part of The Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans this year.
It should be noted that a record 233 billionaires from the United States did not make the list this year, which is 12 more than in 2019. The way the list works this year, which is the third straight year that the media company has put it together, is that a person needs a net worth of $2.1 billion or higher to claim a spot.
Part of the article was a profile of 10 of the most notable and noteworthy billionaires who did not make the list. It turns out that the WWE Chairman & CEO joins Kayne West in this spot.
The deadline for the list came back on July 24, 2020. Per the report, the net worth of McMahon was $1.8 billion
Here is what was written about the WWE boss:
\”The chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) fell off the list this year as shares of his media and live events company slid 30% in the first seven months of 2020. In April, WWE announced it had furloughed \”a portion\” of its workforce and reduced executive and board member salaries, resulting in an estimated monthly savings of $4 million. McMahon spent some $200 million to relaunch an NFL competitor called XFL this year. In March, the coronavirus forced XFL to cancel its 2020 season and, weeks later, the company filed for bankruptcy.\”
Currently, Forbes has the net worth listed for McMahon at $1.7 billion. He ranked #1,196 on the Billionaires 2020 list and #296 on the Forbes 400 list in 2019.
Just one day after having a scary moment during a match on WWE RAW, Ivar has commented on how he’s doing.
The former WWE star took to Twitter this evening to thank everyone for their support following the injury. He wrote the following:
\”From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU to every single friend, family and fan who has reached out to me,\” he wrote. \”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 [two hearts emoji] [sign of the horns emoji] [poultry leg emoji]\”
From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU to every single friend, family and fan who has reached out to me. 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 ??? pic.twitter.com/pAgw1eqjRm
The injury happened during an 8-man tag team match on the show that saw The Hurt Business with new member Cedric Alexander battled The Viking Raiders, Ricochet and Apollo Crews.
Ivar did a dive through the ropes to take out several wrestlers at ringside and landed oddly on his right leg. WWE announced after the show that Ivar suffered a cervical injury while doing a suicide dive.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on the severity of the injury, but Ivar immediately knew that something was wrong.
As soon as he landed, he did an “X” gesture that led to the match ending just a few moments later.
Up until recently, Rey Mysterio was deciding whether or not he would be staying with WWE.
The two sides were working on a new deal as his previous contract had expired. This was around the time that he was just starting to feud with Seth Rollins. WWE even put Kevin Owens into a brief feud with Rollins as a back-up plan in case the former WWE Champion didn’t sign with WWE.
In a rare case in WWE, Mysterio was still appearing on television without being under contract.
It had been previously reported that Mysterio had received an offer from AEW that matched how many dates he had have to work, which was the same as WWE.
During today’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that Vince McMahon knows that Mysterio could have jumped to AEW since they offered him a “huge contract” and he turned it down.
Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez then had a discussion about how Mysterio’s son, Dominik, has turned out to be a good wrestler despite his limited experience.
Unlike other stars, McMahon hasn’t buried him and seems to be on board with his push. Meltzer did caution how McMahon McMahon can get tired of someone quickly but the circumstances might be different in this situation.
It appears that an abrupt ending to a match during Monday’s episode of RAW was due to an injury suffered by Ivar.
WWE booked an eight-man tag team match on this show live on the USA Network where The Hurt Business with new member Cedric Alexander battled The Viking Raiders, Ricochet and Apollo Crews.
Late in the match, there was a spot where Ivar did a dive through the ropes to take out several wrestlers at ringside. It appeared that he suffered a lower-body injury as he landed odd on his right leg. Moments after he landed, he did an “X” gesture.
This led to Alexander and Ricochet getting back into the ring for the planned finish to the contest held from Orlando, Florida at the Amway Center. Alexander hit a Tiger Driver into a pin on Ricochet and the referee counted to three.
During the process, the announcers pointed out how Ricochet got his shoulder up, which would’ve canceled the pin attempt. Although not confirmed, it appears that this was not supposed to be the finish of the match, but rather a call on the fly to end the match because Ivar was injured outside of the ring.
WWE did show footage of trainers checking on Ivar at ringside as they went to commercial break.
WWE held a talent meeting on Monday to address reports of the company wanting talent to cease third party deals by October 2.
Following the news of the memo sent out by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon last week, there has been backlash from fans.
Dave Meltzer reported on F4Wonline.com that the company has relaxed some of the vague rules regarding social media marketing put forth in the letter.
It was clarified that talent will be able to maintain both YouTube and Twitch accounts. However, they would have to do so using their real names as opposed to their WWE ring names. It was stated that they would have to inform the company of YouTube and Twitch accounts using their real names.
There was some confusion among talent as they were told by people in the company that they could not market themselves with the usage of their real names.
Meltzer reports that WWE didn’t clear up exactly what won\’t be allowed although the belief was that Cameo wouldn\’t be allowed he was told that was still super vague.
WWE issued the following statement on the reports over the weekend:
“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.”
For years, it’s been stated in reports and those who have worked for the company that WWE had looked at Monday Night RAW as its flagship show. It helped grow the company during the Attitude Era, which led to the introduction of SmackDown.
That all changed when WWE signed a big money deal with FOX to air Friday Night SmackDown while keeping a deal with the USA Network to air RAW.
Gary Cassidy of SportsKeeda gave some insight on Monday afternoon about why this week’s RAW didn’t have anything announced for it in advance until about an hour before the show started.
Per the report, Vince McMahon hadn’t looked at the show until this morning and on Sunday talent were being pitched under the provision \”Vince hasn\’t read the show yet.\”
Regarding how the company views both RAW and SmackDown, the company sees SmackDown as the bigger brand as the blue brand has a driving force behind it while RAW doesn’t.
Also, he was told that there isn’t an urgency to get RAW done in time to promote it or get input from its stars.
One quote stood out from the conversation that Cassidy had: “RAW has really fallen apart without Heyman driving the creative.”
Earlier this year, McMahon decided to remove Paul Heyman as the RAW Executive Director because of low ratings despite McMahon having final say on everything in WWE.
Sasha Banks has opened up on her future in the pro wrestling business.
The former WWE RAW and SmackDown Women’s Champion did so when she joined Table Talk w/DVon. Although she’s just 28-year-old, she has been in the business for 10 years and with WWE since 2012.
\”Hmmm, maybe until the wheels fall off. Hopefully not. I\’m going to do it until I just feel like I\’ve done everything I wanted to do,\” said Banks. \”How about that?”
According to Banks, her health will play a big factor in her decision regarding how long she’ll wrestle, but she thinks she’ll be in WWE for a long time.
\”Health as well. I\’m going to leave healthy and really fulfilled with what I\’ve done because I\’ve already been very fulfilled in everything as well and very healthy with what I\’ve been doing in the ring. I\’ve been taking care of my body. I\’ve been happy, healthy and full. So, who knows how long? It can be forever. I can be like Ric Flair!
\”They ask me if I\’ll retire tomorrow. I\’m still one of the youngest in the WWE! I\’m going to be here for a long time. Get used to that. Ask me that question in like 10 years.\”
Banks did state that she wants to have kids as she would love to be a mother one day, but notes that when that time is right the universe will let her know.
After weeks of build, MJF finally got his chance to wrestle AEW World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley.
The battle took place in the main event of the AEW All Out pay-per-view event. It was a really good match that saw them have various near fall spots. It had everything from brawling to old school spots and even blood thanks to MJF blading.
The finish was clever as Warlow tossed in the diamond ring and distracted the referee, but it allowed Moxley to hit the Paradigm Shift for the win. The finisher was banned for the match but used anyway.
This feud started back on the July 29th episode of Dynamite when MJF, who is the #1 ranked wrestler in the men’s division, started a presidential election-style campaign to become the next AEW World Champion.
While doing a \”State of the Industry\” address, the rising prospect stated that Moxley had failed to be a leader and that he would lead All Elite Wrestling for the next 25 years. He ended the speech by challenging Moxley to a match.
Shortly after, AEW confirmed that MJF would not only be next in line, but also challenge Moxley for the top prize in the promotion at All Out.
What are your thoughts on retaining Jon Moxley retaining the AEW World Heavyweight Title? Was this the right call by AEW officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Matt Hardy took a trip to a local hospital after his match against Sammy Guevara.
The two stars worked a Broken Rules Match at Saturday’s AEW All Out pay-per-view event in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place. It started at the football stadium and with a spot where Hardy and Guevara took a bump off a forklift in the backstage area.
They were supposed to go through tables, but they overshot it and the back of Matt’s head hit the floor. It was pretty clear that something was wrong with Matt because he had trouble getting to his feet. The doctor came in and the match was waved off. However, moments later, the match was restarted.
They climbed up part of the stage structure so Matt could push him off where Sammy fell a few feet through a pad for the win.
Later in the show, Tony Schiavone announced that Matt is expected to be okay and Dr. Sampson cleared him to continue the match.
Hardy’s wife, Reby, took to her official Twitter account where she ripped the company for allowing the match to continue. She wrote the following:
“Let me be absolutely f**king clear. There is NOTHING entertaining about a concussion. Shame on everyone in that g**damn building.”
It was later reported by PWinsider.com that Hardy went to the hospital after the contest to be checked out. We’ll pass along any updates on Hardy as they come in.
The third match between Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy was quite the spectacle.
The fan favorite star and former AEW World Heavyweight Champion battled in a Mimosa Mayhem Match. The contest, which was different, took place at the AEW All Out pay-per-view event in Jacksonville, Florida with the rules of there being a winner by pinfall, submission, or by throwing your opponent into a vat of mimosa.
The bout had a lot of brawling and various weapons being used. The finish saw Cassidy hit the Orange Punch to Jericho who was on the middle rope into the pool for the win.
When it was first revealed that Jericho wanted to feud with Cassidy, there was an initial backlash as Jericho has been a main eventer since he joined the promotion while Cassidy had been a comedy mid-card talent. As the program started to develop, that started to change.
Their first match took place at Fyter Fest – Night 2 when Jericho beat Cassidy in a singles bout. This led to Cassidy asking for a rematch, but had to do various attacks on Jericho and The Inner Circle before Jericho accepted the challenge.
One of the attacks included Cassidy dumping orange juice from the ceiling on Jericho, which ruined his expensive white jacket. They had a debate that was hosted by Eric Bischoff before their rematch that saw Cassidy victorious on the August 12th episode of Dynamite.
Kenny Omega and Hangman Page are no longer the kings of the AEW tag team division as FTR has taken that spot.
Omega and Page put the Tag Team Titles on the line when they battled the former WWE stars at the AEW All Out pay-per-view event. The match was long as it went about 30-minutes.
This is where Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler beat Omega and Page for the titles in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place. This obviously marks the first time that they’ve held gold in AEW. FTR hit back-to-back double piledrivers to Page for the win.
AEW set up this contest back on the August 27th episode of Dynamite on TNT when they held a Tag Team Gauntlet Match involving four teams to determine who will challenge for the AEW World Tag Team Championships.
FTR won the Gauntlet match by beating best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent), The Natural Nightmares (Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall) and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) to advance. As a result, they became the new #1 contender’s for the straps.
Page and Omega beat SCU for the titles on the January 22nd episode of AEW Dynamite that was taped the night in the Bahamas on the Ship of Jericho on TNT.
Although Thunder Rosa brought the fight to Hikaru Shida, she fell short in her attempt to become another champion.
The battle between two women’s champions from two different promotions took place at Saturday’s (August 5, 2020) AEW All Out pay-per-view event in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place.
Shida put the AEW Women’s Title on the line against the NWA Women’s Champion. The style of both stars meshed and based on social media feedback, fans enjoyed the back and forth contest. Shida successfully retained the title.
This match was set up back on the August 22nd episode of AEW Dynamite when Rosa appeared to issue the challenge for this contest at this show. This is where she stated that she wanted to bring the AEW women\’s division some respect.
Fast forward to the following week, the match booking was confirmed. In fact, Rosa was seen in action in a singles match on this past Wednesday’s Dynamite edition.
Rosa has worked for Lucha Underground, Ring of Honor, WOW, and other promotions during her career that has lasted six years thus far. This includes a 2019 MMA fight with Combate Americas.
Lana has given her side to a new report that suggests she caused the final straw to break which led to a new WWE policy.
Of course, WWE wants talent to cease third party deals by October 2, which means they need to remove themselves from the likes of Cameo, Twitch, etc. WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon sent out a letter to let all talents know about this.
On Friday night, Dave Meltzer reported on the Wrestling Observer message board that \”the straw that broke the camel\’s back\” with WWE officials was due to Lana\’s Instagram brand deal with Bang Energy Drink.
In order to get two sides of the story, Lana has taken to her official Twitter account to refute the report. She tweeted out the following:
\”I am not the straw that broke the camel\’s back. You know who you are and that is false…but thank you for writing about me…all of you. I am your escape goat.\”
There is still confusion about this new policy and whether it includes social media and YouTube.
Since the reports, CM Punk, Renee Young, and Mick Foley have commented on the memo. Also, former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang called out WWE for the memo.
I am not the straw that broke the camel’s back. You know who you are and that is false ……. but thank you for writing about me…. all of you. I am your escape goat
Following the news of WWE wanting talent to cease third party deals by October 2, there has been backlash from fans and even a politician as a result.
WWE issued the following statement on the reports:
\”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.\”
It all dates back to last Sunday where a meeting was held with talent by WWE management to discuss the reinvention of the brand. Fast forward to last Thursday, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon sent out a letter about how talent can no longer use third-party services (Cameo, Twitch, etc) by October 2.
According to the boss, anyone who violates these orders could result in fines, suspension, or termination of talent. McMahon stated that the actions are necessary as they go into the \”next phase of growth\” for the company.
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