SEScoops

Author: Andrew Ravens

  • Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio Official For WWE SummerSlam (Updated Card)

    Two new matches have been announced for the upcoming WWE SummerSlam PPV.

    First up is WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews vs. MVP. This comes after Crews had successfully retained the title over the pro wrestling veteran in the opening match of Monday’s episode of RAW. MVP blamed the flickering lights, which was part of a storyline, for the loss. 

    Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio was also booked for this show, which will mark the official in-ring debut of the son of Rey Mysterio. Dominik had attacked Rollins and Murphy during last week’s RAW in addition to Monday’s RAW after Rollins and Murphy got into it with Samoa Joe. 

    Of course, Rollins had been in a feud with Rey which saw Rollins take out an eye of the future WWE Hall of Famer in an Eye for an Eye Match at Extreme Rules. Dominik challenged Rollins to this match and the former WWE Universal Champion accepted it after the second attack. 

    WWE presents the SummerSlam pay-per-view event on Sunday, August 23, 2020 at an unknown location that will air on the WWE Network. 

    Updated WWE SummerSlam Card

    • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton
    • WWE RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. Andrade & Angel Garza
    • WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews vs. MVP
    • Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio

    Discussion: What do you think about the WWE SummerSlam card so far?

  • Shane McMahon Returns To Reveal RAW Underground

    Shane McMahon returned to WWE television Monday night to introduce RAW Underground.

    The son of WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon teased a new concept that would take place in the third hour of the show. Shane was in a room with dimmed lighting and a ring with no ropes surrounded by Performance Center talent. 

    The rules of RAW Underground contests were not made entirely clear. It has elements of an MMA fight, with competitors wearing gloves. There were also scantily clad women dancing in the corner, just because.

    Once the segment aired, McMahon did the ring introduction for Dabba-Kato, who smashed jobbers with a series of strikes. Kato is formerly known as Babatunde.

    The broadcast also showed shots of the door outside being guarded by NXT trainee Jordan Omogbehin, who had previously been used as one of Akira Tozawa’s ninjas.

    WWE first announced that McMahon would be appearing on the show on Monday afternoon. The @WrestleVotes Twitter account teased that McMahon would be on the show to announce this new concept. There were later widespread reports of \’chaos\’ behind the scenes at WWE\’s TV taping once the Raw Underground concept was presented to the crew.

    Several WWE Superstars participated in Shane McMahon\’s Raw Underground fight club, including Dolph Ziggler and Erik of the Viking Raiders. MVP\’s new Hurt Business faction crashed Raw Underground at the conclusion of the show.

    RAW Underground: Original Idea?

    A few fans on Twitter noticed that the \’underground fight club\’ gimmick presented by Shne McMahon has already been done elsewhere, including GCW Bloodsport and Chikara.

    https://twitter.com/BuddyBarlow33/status/1290470677275979776
    https://twitter.com/Neowyng/status/1290460019012624391

    Shane McMahon was written off of WWE television last when he lost to Kevin Owens in a ladder match on SmackDown with the stipulation of “loser leaves WWE.”

    More Reactions to RAW Undergound

  • Matt Cordana Confirms AEW Contract Length, Talks Goals

    Matt Cardona has opened up on his current AEW deal and his goals in the promotion. 

    We noted over the weekend that Cardona, formerly known as Zack Ryder, is currently working on a five appearance deal with the company, according to Wrestling Inc.

    Rick Ucchino of Sportskeeda has since had the opportunity to speak with Cardona, who confirmed that it is a short deal.

    However, he plans to stay in AEW for much longer and even has goals of becoming not only the AEW TNT Champion but also the AEW World Heavyweight Champion. 

    \”Yes, so there\’s a couple appearances, a few appearances right now, but listen…I\’m not here for a little vacation,\” Cardona said. \”I\’m here to win the TNT Title, the AEW Title, to get all those action figures! I\’m here because I want to be here. You know what I\’m saying? So we\’ll get there. Just stayed tuned. Everybody just take a chill pill, and relax, and enjoy the show!\”

    The belief is that the former WWE Intercontinental Champion could end up signing a longer deal should he impress AEW executives.

    Cardona will team with Cody to face John Silver and Alex Reynolds this Wednesday night on Dynamite in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place on TNT.

  • The Rock & Investor Group Purchase The XFL for $15 Million

    Vince McMahon will not be resurrecting the XFL, but rather, Dwayne \”The Rock\” Johnson and partners are the new owners. 

    The former WWE Champion has teamed up with Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital to purchase the league for $15 million, according to a press release sent out Monday morning.

    The entity that purchased the XFL is Alpha Acquico, LLC, a joint venture of The Garcia Companies and Redbird Capital Partners Management LLC. In addition to acquiring all XFL assets, Alpha Acquico will take on \”certain specified liabilities\” and finance $8.5 million towards any financial defaults from the previous owner.

    The XFL was slated to be auctioned today. Johnson’s business partner and ex-wife, Dany Garcia, will also be a stakeholder. RedBird has made various sports-related investments with some of them having ties to the NFL and its players.

    The Rock & Dany Garcia Comment on XFL Purchase

    The Rock said about the purchase, \”The acquisition of the XFL with my talented partners, Danny Garcia and Gerry Cardinale, is an investment for me that\’s rooted deeply in two things – my passion for the game and my desire to always take care of the fans. With pride and gratitude for all that I\’ve built with my own two hands, I plan to apply these callouses to the XFL and look forward to creating something special for the players, fans, and everyone involved for the love of football.\”

    He and business partner Dany Garcia posted the following on Twitter about the big news:

    https://twitter.com/DanyGarciaCo/status/1290286011658801152

    Vince McMahon shut down the league earlier this year just weeks into its first season due to COVID-19. Although the league had TV deals with ABC/ESPN and FOX, the league under the ownership of the WWE Chairman and CEO didn’t survive. 

    McMahon decided to fold the second attempt at the XFL a few months ago as the pro football league filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the state of Delaware.

    As of May, it was reported that XFL creditors seemed to believe McMahon was positioning to buy the league out of bankruptcy, but that’s not the case clearly. 

    Former XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck filed a lawsuit against McMahon for wrongful termination. Luck was supposed to get between $20-25 million over five years, which he was promised and it was not contingent on the league surviving. However, McMahon fired Luck the day before he closed the league.

  • Drew McIntyre & Top WWE NXT Star Tease Possible Match

    Drew McIntyre and Karrion Kross got fans talking when they planted the seeds for a potential match down the road.

    The WWE Champion started it all when he responded to a fan on his official Twitter account who asked him to name one NXT superstar that he hopes to work with.

    This led to him naming Kross by writing, \”@Lady_Scarlett13 & @WWEKarrionKross have my full attention #DrewAndA.\”

    The NXT star took to Instagram where he shared a photo of McIntyre’s tweet and told fans to never miss an episode because anything can happen in NXT. 

    \”Anything can happen in the #WWE. And it\’s all the more reason why you should never miss an episode no matter what brand it is. Think about the future.”

    This match may not have to wait as WWE finds itself in two interesting situations. 

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

    First up is the most alarming one which is how Monday Night RAW has seen its viewership numbers fall at a scary rate and they’ve been hitting new records low over the last few months while in the COVID-19 era. Thus, WWE could always have Kross appear on RAW for any reason. 

    The second situation is the war between NXT and AEW Dynamite. WWE has had main roster stars appear on NXT in the past as a way to boost viewership. 

  • Ric Flair Discusses Decline In WWE TV Ratings

    WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair spoke with Scott Fishman of TV Insider for a new interview. 

    During the chat, Flair was asked about the decline in WWE television ratings and what he thinks the disconnect is there and what WWE can do to turn things around. 

    Flair stated that he has been watching wrestling for a long time, but he doesn’t pay attention to the competition. He thinks the reason for the decline is the “whole thing” right now as it’s fun to watch the show at home with a large audience and he thinks that can impact it. 

    He put over the talent for busting their butts. Flair also thinks WWE is missing some key players but keeps marching on. 

    “They have that good work ethic that it will come back around. I don’t think anyone is taking it personal. It’s what is going on right now. Vince McMahon, WWE, will bounce back bigger and better a year from now. 

    The pandemic has stopped a lot of things. It has given a different perspective on a lot of things, but it\’s not due to their attitudes or level of performance. “

    Just this week, Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.620 million viewers with a 0.47 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. The previous Friday Night SmackDown episode averaged 1.924 million viewers on FOX.

  • WWE Moves Undercard RAW Star To NXT

    WWE has sent one main roster star to NXT and that’s Shane Thorne. 

    On Saturday, WWE confirmed that Throne will wrestle Bronson Reed this Wednesday night on NXT.  Following the news, WWE also moved Throne’s profile from the RAW brand to the NXT page. 

    Before the move, there were a few months where it appeared that WWE was going to do something with Brendan Vink and Thorne as they had been briefly involved with MVP in storylines. 

    Several months ago it was reported that MVP was eventually going to turn on them but those plans were scrapped and WWE hadn’t done much with the tag team after it. 

    It should be noted that Vink is not listed on any of the rosters and there’s no word whether he’ll be headed back to NXT with his tag team partner or stay on RAW. 

    Updated NXT Card

    • Damian Priest vs. Oney Lorcan vs. Ridge Holland – Triple Threat Match (winner advances to vacant North American Title Ladder Match at TakeOver)
    • NXT Tag Team Champions Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner vs. Kyle O\’Reilly and Bobby Fish
    • Rhea Ripley vs. Dakota Kai – #1 Contender’s Match 
    • Bronson Reed vs. Shane Throne – Singles Match
    • Keith Lee vs. Cameron Grimes – Non-Title Match

    Otis On The Idea Of Returning To NXT, If Heavy Machinery Will Be Split Up

  • Back-Up Location For WWE TV Tapings If Company Can’t Film In Florida

    Vince McMahon first stated during a recent shareholder’s meeting held earlier this month that the company has a backup plan if WWE is unable to film in Florida anymore.

    Of course, the state has been a hot spot for the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the outbreak of it, WWE has been taping television and holding pay-per-view events from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. 

    Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE has several back-up plans in place if they are no longer allowed to film TV content in the state because of the virus. 

    However, per the report, there\’s a belief that WWE can\’t be shut down in Florida. The reason for the belief is due to Linda McMahon\’s Super PAC (Political Action Committee) pledging to spend $18.5 million in the Sunshine State for Donald Trump\’s 2020 re-election campaign. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is also loyal to Trump.

    There was a source who told Meltzer that McMahon has DeSantis \”by the balls.\” DeSantis has stated that he wants WWE to bring WrestleMania back to his state. 

    That won’t be allowed to happen until the virus is handled and sports leagues are able to resume somewhat regular operations with fans. McMahon has had a study prepared and now has several different locations as a back-up plan. 

    It was noted that one of the potential back-up locations is the WWE TV studios, which is near WWE headquarters in Stamford, CT. This is where WWE filmed the Firefly Fun House Match between John Cena and \”The Fiend\” Bray Wyatt for WrestleMania 36. 

    Meltzer stated that if they had to do film there then they can make that setting look similar to the setup they\’ve used at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. 

    The only problem with this plan is that WWE wouldn\’t have easy access to contracted wrestlers in order to use them as fans. 

  • Update On SummerSlam Location, WWE Reviving PPV Theme For Next Month

    Not only is WWE holding its SummerSlam pay-per-view event next month but will be hosting a second show just one week after it. 

    Pwinsider.com has updates on these two events. First up is SummerSlam, which had been reported to potentially be held at an outdoor location with the idea of having some fans in attendance. 

    There was even some talk of holding the show on a beach or a ship or at a location in the northeast. Per the new report, Summerslam is scheduled to take place at the WWE Performance Center. 

    WrestleVotes reported that WWE was hoping to finalize plans for SummerSlam and its location on Friday. It should be noted that WWE has yet to confirm where the event will take place after announcing that it had nixed its original plans to hold it in Boston at the TD Garden Arena. 

    WrestleVotes was the first to report that WWE\’s internal calendar was updated to reflect that the company will broadcast WWE Payback on Sunday, August 30th. 

    Pwinsider has confirmed the report and added that it will also take place from the WWE Performance Center. WWE utilized the Payback PPV title from 2013 through 2017. 

  • Details On Matt Cardona\’s AEW Deal

    Although Matt Cardona has joined AEW that doesn’t mean that he’s under a long term deal. 

    Cardona, formerly known as Zack Ryder, is currently working on a five appearance deal with the company, according to Wrestling Inc.

    It appears to be a tryout situation for the former WWE Intercontinental Champion with the possibility of him signing a longer deal should he impress AEW executives including AEW President Tony Khan. 

    Ryder had been on the sidelines while he awaited his WWE non-compete deal to expire from April through July 15th. Of course, he was let go during the company\’s massive layoffs and furloughs. 

    The public reason given at the time was that the cuts were due to budget cuts related to the coronavirus. It turns out that the firings came during the same quarter that WWE had its most profitable time to date. 

    Cardona made his promotional debut this past Wednesday night when he saved  Cody Rhodes from an attack by the Dark Order. This came right after Rhodes had successfully retained the AEW TNT Title over Warhorse. 

    Cardona will team with Cody to face John Silver and Alex Reynolds next Wednesday night on Dynamite in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place on TNT.

  • WWE NXT Results (7/29): Triple Threat Match, Strong vs. Gargano

    The July 29, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. 

    WWE NXT Results (7/29/20)

    • Io Shirai & Tegan Nox def. Dakota Kai & Candice LeRae
    • Johnny Gargano def. Roderick Strong
    • Mercedes Martinez def. Shotzi Blackheart.
    • Imperium (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) def. Ever-Rise (Chase Parker & Matt Martel).
    • Isaiah \”Swerve\” Scott def. Jake Atlas.
    • Dexter Lumis def. Timothy Thatcher and Finn Balor in a WWE NXT North American Championship Qualifying Match.

    Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

    Tag Opener

    Io Shirai and Tegan Nox vs. Candice LeRae and Dakota Kai in a tag team match opened the show and did so in style.

    Things got wild towards the end of this solid match. The finish saw Io hit a moonsault off the top rope, but her knees landed on the head of LeRae. Kai didn’t wait around for her partner after the match as she stood on the stage.

    The four stars have some history. Of course, we have the never-ending feud between Nox and Kai while Shirai retained her NXT Women\’s Championship against Nox two weeks ago on NXT. Following the match, Kai laid out the current champion with a kick to the face.

    Fast forward to last week, there was a video promo done by Kai, who stated that it felt good to kick Io in the face. She added that once Shirai returned that she would be waiting on her and to bring the title.

    Clearly, WWE is building up Io defending the championship against Kai heading into the NXT TakeOver: 30 event. This was a nice way to continue that program while also featuring Nox and LeRae, who could be headed into their own feud.

    Roderick Strong vs. Johnny Gargano

    In a match that actually made sense in booking, Roderick Strong vs. Johnny Gargano took place in a singles match. 

    This was the best match on the show and had to be considering the quality of wrestlers in the bout. Gargano went over in the contest when he hit the springboard DDT. 

    Of course, both guys lost in the triple threat match that saw Bronson Reed win last week in order to move onto the Ladder Match at NXT TakeOver: 30 to crown a new North American Champion.

    Reed won after flattening Strong with a top-rope splash after Gargano spiked Strong with a One Final Beat DDT.

    Following the match, WWE had them exchange some words that lead to this match. 

    https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1288633282083659776

    Second Ladder Match Spot

    A triple threat match that featured Finn Balor, Dexter Lumis, and Timothy Thatcher doing battle for the second Ladder Match spot at NXT TakeOver: 30 to crown a new North American Champion.

    Balor had his left knee taken out when Thatcher had him in a submission hold. Lumis managed to lock in his submission finisher on Thatcher, who passed out as a result and Lumis won the contest. After the match, Lumis was staring at the title. 

    It was a fun match with a better ending although some will be surprised with Lumis going over. They protected Balor with the finish though. 

    As a result, Lumis now joins Bronson Reed as the other competitor in the match. More stars will be added to the bout in the coming weeks. 

    Shotzi Blackheart vs. Mercedes Martinez

    Shotzi Blackheart vs. Mercedes Martinez in a singles match was booked with it continuing to feud two sides. The match was fine with Martinez going over. 

    Of course, Blackheart went over Aaliyah last week on NXT as she is a client of Robert Stone, who has been embarrassed by Blackheart over the last few weeks. Following the loss, WWE reintroduced Martinez on television and aligned her with the group. 

    Two things are pretty clear coming out of this match. One, NXT officials clearly see something in Blackheart and continue to build her up as a likable babyfaces.

    The other is that Martinez can be a future title contender as Io Shirai is currently a babyface champion. 

    Keith Lee Responds

    Keith Lee responded to Karrion Kross’ actions from last week. 

    Of course, in the headliner of that show, Kross beat Dominik Dijakovic, who is the good friend yet better enemy of the NXT Champion. Kross beat the former title contender in a violent way when Kross put the head of his opponent between the ring and steps and kicked the steel. 

    Lee came out to the ring and pleaded for his friend to quit the match, but he took the strikes before being choked out. 

    On this show, Lee cut a promo about how he can talk all day about how his friend wanted the beatdown and that he is a grown man who will be just fine. Lee stated that Kross has made it a point that he wants his attention and the title. He said that Kross has done extra BS and it means nothing to him. 

    He said that Kross doesn’t have the balls to face him. Thus, Lee is calling out Kross. Cameron Grimes came out to the ring, but he was taken out by Lee. This led to Scarlett standing on the rampway before Kross appeared on the big screen. Kross questioned Lee for watching his friend get beaten down. He said that Lee has two choices which are to give him his shot at the NXT Title or the hard way that would let everyone suffer. 

    Lee said that Kross can pick the time and place and he would whoop that a**. 

  • FTR Sign Multi-Year Deals With AEW, Tag Team Appreciation Night Set

    FTR has signed multi-year deals with AEW. 

    They did a segment on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite where FTR was with two legal counsel members and Tony Schiavone. FTR brought in Arn Anderson, who will be their adviser.

    Arn looked over the contract and brought up how they got their signing bonus, a 10-second rule for double-teaming, and a tag rope. 

    It was also revealed that there will be a tag team appreciation night on August 12th that they’ll be hosting. Adam Page came into the meeting with some whiskey and poured shots. Anderson poured his shot into another glass. Page had poured himself an entire glass and joked that he might’ve poured himself a little too much. 

    FTR signs with AEW, with guidance from Arn Anderson

    AEW President Tony Khan sent out a tweet following the segment by writing the following: 

    “Welcome to #AEW officially, #FTR @CashWheelerFTR and @DaxHarwood. Thank you for signing your multiyear contracts tonight on #AEWDynamite!”

    This comes hours after FTR had an exchange with Khan on Twitter about not being included in the tag team rankings. Khan told them to sign their deals. 

    FTR made their promotional debut back on the May 27th episode of Dynamite and has been working matches since then. 

  • Matt Cardona (Formerly Zack Ryder) Makes AEW Debut

    Zack Ryder (well, Matt Cardona) is all elite. The former WWE wrestler made his AEW debut on this week’s episode of Dynamite in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place on TNT.

    Cody Rhodes successfully retained the TNT Championship over Warhorse. After the match, two members of The Dark Order ran out and attacked Rhodes and Warhorse. Arn Anderson got into the ring and was ready to throw down. 

    This is when Ryder walked out to the ring, looking jacked, and made the save. He hit his finisher to both guys to clear the ring. He hugged it out with Rhodes to end the segment.

    \"\"/
    Cody and Matt Cardona (AEW Dynamite, 7/29/20)

    Fans won\’t have to wait long to see Matt Cardona\’s in-ring debut. It was announced that next week on Dynamite, Cody and Cardona will team up against the Dark Order in tag team action.

    You can see footage of Matt Cardona\’ AEW Dynamite debut here:

    Zack Ryder\’s Road to AEW

    Ryder, real name Matt Cardona, was released by WWE due to budget cuts related to the coronavirus back in April. Just like all of the other wrestlers who were released by the company, he had to wait until July 15th until he could sign with another promotion. Ryder was a longtime wrestler for the company. 

    Leading up this debut, there had been speculation that he might be headed to AEW due to his friendship with Rhodes. That answer has been made. Now, it will be interesting to see where this leads him. 

    Cody Rhodes Talks Possible Interest In Signing Ex-WWE Stars & Tessa Blanchard

  • Rusev Says He Is Done With Wrestling

    It appears that Rusev is done with the pro wrestling business. 

    Since his departure from WWE, there has been a lot of speculation about which promotion he will sign with. The majority of fans speculated that he could land in All Elite Wrestling or New Japan Pro Wrestling. 

    However, the former WWE star may have other ideas. Over the last few months, Rusev, real name Miroslav Barnyashev, has been producing content that he puts on Twitch and YouTube. 

    In a recent Q&A stream on Twitch, he stated that he has moved on from the business and won’t be wrestling inside of the squared circle anymore. 

    “I’m done. I’m done, man. I’m just enjoying my Twitch. I’m a professional Twitcher, YouTuber, content creator,” Miro said. “I’m not a wrestler anymore. Can I be your favorite streamer?”

    He did note that he texted Vince McMahon and it was a nice conversation. 

    WWE decided to release several wrestlers and staff back in April due to budget cuts. Before the departure, he hadn\’t been used much on television following his storyline with Lana and Bobby Lashley. 

    Rusev had been reportedly in talks with WWE about a new deal prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which WWE publicly blamed on for the budget cuts. 

  • Cody Rhodes Talks Possible Interest In Signing Ex-WWE Stars & Tessa Blanchard

    Cody Rhodes addressed whether AEW has any interest in signing new talent to join their loaded roster. 

    Following the mass talent firings done by WWE back in April, there are several notable wrestlers on the free-agent market right now. While some talent such as EC3, Eric Young, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson have joined Impact Wrestling, there are other wrestlers who are still not under contract with any promotion. 

    That includes Rusev and Zack Ryder. These two stars have been spoken highly about by Rhodes. The AEW TNT Champion did an interview with ESPN where he discussed whether the promotion has any interest in signing them. 

    “I think there are two free agents that are on a lot of people\’s radar, that being Miro — formerly Rusev — and Matt Cardona, who was Zack Ryder. Obviously, those free agents should be on any radar. They have literally drawn money. They have TV experience. They have high-profile experience. They have locker room experience. The pros heavily outweigh the cons.

    Those are two great free agents. I\’m not going to go as far to say that if I had to sign anybody, those would be the two that I would sign. But I think they\’re great free agents. I think if they have the passion for pro wrestling, they\’re going to continue to succeed.”

    Rhodes continued by talking about how AEW only has a few hours of programming each week with a lot of their roster that hasn’t been fully seen by its fanbase. Thus, he wants to make sure that he honors their existing roster while considering bringing in other wrestlers. 

    Another talent who is on the free-agent market right now is Tessa Blanchard, a former Impact World Champion who recently departed from the company. 

    Rhodes stated that he doesn’t know about the current situation between Blanchard and Impact. He noted that this would be a decision left to be made by Kenny Omega, Brandi Rhodes, and Tony Khan, who oversee the women’s division. 

    “She was part of All In for us. And anyone who was part of All In has a place in my heart. On a personal level, I always want all the second- and third-generation wrestlers to have the best experience.” 

    He added that she’s talented and he is sure that is something that the three other executives have talked about. 

    Rhodes did acknowledge his respect for Rey Mysterio but knows that Mysterio is currently in talks with WWE for a new deal. Thus, he didn\’t give much of a comment about him. 

  • WWE RAW Viewership Down, Third Hour Drops Below 1.5 Million Viewers (7/27)

    Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.620 million viewers with a 0.47 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This was virtually even with last week, which did 1.628 million viewers and a 0.46 demo rating.

    The positive is that WWE is staying steady compared to the number that the show did two weeks ago, which was the least-watched episode in the 27-year history of the show. 

    The bad news is that just one year ago, Raw averaged 2.321 million viewers and the third hour for the show plunged. 

    Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Raw, courtesy of Showbuzzdaily.com:

    • Hour 1: 1.699 million, 0.52 in the 18-49 Demo
    • Hour 2: 1.688 million, 0.50 in the 18-49 Demo
    • Hour 3: 1.463 million, 0.41 in the 18-49 Demo

    This week’s RAW featured two extreme Rules rematches such as Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler in a non-title match and RAW Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Sasha Banks. WWE also kicked off the build to SummerSlam by making two title matches official. 

    SmackDown Viewership

    Friday’s SmackDown averaged 1.924 million viewers on FOX. This is up from the 1.912 million viewers that the show did for the previous week.

    SmackDown averaged 1.971 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was up from the 1.893 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets. 

    The first hour drew 1.985 million viewers while the second hour did 1.956 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 1.919 million viewers while the second hour did 1.867million viewers. 

    SmackDown pulled in a 0.50 rating in the 18-49 demos, the same from the 0.50 rating as last week’s show.

  • Kairi Sane Issues Statement On WWE Departure

    It appears that Monday’s episode of RAW was the final appearance for Kairi Sane in WWE for now. 

    Leading up to this show, it had been reported for several weeks that Sane had decided to return to Japan in order to live there full-time with her husband.

    This episode of RAW saw Sasha Banks beat Asuka to win the WWE RAW Women’s Title by count out when Bayley was attacking Sane in the backstage area. Asuka lost the title as she was walking to the backstage area to make the save for her friend. As a result of the stipulation heading into the contest, she lost the title. 

    After the segment, Sane took to her official Twitter account where she issued the following statement: 

    “My time in the NXT & WWE locker rooms was incredible. Everyone was kind, funny, & talented, so every day was full of happiness. Also, I was saved by the supportive staff behind the scenes. I will forever love & respect all these professionals I had the pleasure of working with.\”

    Sane ended her current tenure with WWE on good terms. There have even been reports about how WWE officials have pitched her different ideas to keep her with the company by being in various roles. 

    For now, she has wrapped up her time in WWE. 

    Sasha Banks Wins WWE RAW Women’s Championship

  • Sasha Banks Wins WWE RAW Women’s Championship

    Asuka has been knocked off the top of the mount of the women’s division on RAW after failing to retain the title in her latest defense of it against Sasha Banks.  

    Banks won the RAW Women’s Title when she beat Asuka on Monday’s episode of RAW. The title could’ve changed hands via pinfall, submission, count out, disqualification, or if anyone interfered. 

    The competitive match came to an end when Bayley had attacked Kairi Sane in the backstage area. Asuka walked out to save her friend from the attack and was counted out as a result. 

    Thus, Banks is the new champion. With Sane leaving WWE and reports that this was her last appearance on WWE television, it appears that this is the way that WWE wrote her out of storylines. 

    This was a rematch from the WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view event. It ended in controversy when Asuka accidentally sprayed the green mist into the eyes of the referee. Bayley hit Asuka in the back with the title.

    Bayley put the referee shirt on and counted the pinfall as Banks pinned Asuka. Other than the finish, fans seemed to praise the two stars for the match.  In fact, their previous encounter went to a count out finish at last month’s Backlash pay-per-view event. 

  • Kris Statlander Confirms Surgery Date For ACL Tear

    Kris Statlander is slated to undergo the knife this week. 

    The AEW star first revealed that she suffered an ACL tear back in June in a post on social media. However, at the time, she didn’t mention when the surgery would actually take place. 

    That has changed. Statlander took to her official Twitter account where she noted that she’ll be getting the surgery done on Tuesday. She wrote the following: 

    “Tomorrow is surgery day and I’m either going to spend my night watching #AEWDark or sleeping. Luckily I’ll be entertained Wednesday as well on my first day of recovery knowing #AEWDynamite is LIVE Wednesday at 8/7c pn TNT. Who’s watching with me?”

    We wish her a speedy recovery. She was last seen in action back on the June 10th episode of AEW Dynamite when she teamed with Hikaru Shida to take on Nyla Rose & Penelope Ford. The injury happened when she did a dive onto Kip Sabian.

    Clearly, there’s no word yet on when fans can expect to see Statlander back in action by making a return from injury. Before the setback, she had been on the rise and played a role as one of the regulars in the AEW women’s division. 

    In fact, she won the AEW Women\’s Title at AEW Revolution pay-per-view event in February but fell short. 

    Despite being sidelined and not working a match in over one month, Statlander is still the number four ranked competitor in the official AEW women\’s rankings. 

    Falls Count Anywhere Match On AEW Dynamite Delivers Over One Million Viewers

  • Championship Match Confirmed For WWE SummerSlam

    WWE has made the first match to be featured on the card for this year’s SummerSlam pay-per-view event official. 

    The next challengers to WWE RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits will be Angel Garza and Andrade. 

    During Monday’s episode of RAW on the USA Network, WWE held a match that would determine who is next line for a title shot. 

    Triple Threat Tag Team Match that saw Angel Garza & Andrade vs. Viking Raiders vs. Ricochet & Cedric Alexander took place with the winners becoming the next challengers to the title.

    It was a lengthy match that had a finish of Garza hitting his finisher to Alexander while staring at the champions. 

    Garza and Andrade were victorious, earning the right to challenge Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford for the RAW Tag Team Titles. The champions were at ringside for the contest and the challengers attacked them after the bout was over. 

    WWE holds the SummerSlam pay-per-view event on Sunday, August 23, 2020 from a location to be announced. WWE has already confirmed that it would not take place in Boston, MA from the TD Garden.

  • Randy Orton Challenges Drew McIntyre To SummerSlam Title Match

    As expected, WWE went forward with the initial angle to kick off the feud between Randy Orton and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. 

    WWE had been hyping that Orton would be opening the show to “announce his next target.” Orton did a promo in the first segment by talking about how he has the desire to become WWE Champion again. He said that the accomplishments between himself and McIntyre are much different. 

    Orton brought up McIntyre’s background from being the Chosen One to getting fired and hustling his way back to the company to the point where he won the WWE Title by beating Brock Lesnar. 

    Orton challenged McIntyre to a WWE Title match at SummerSlam. He said that McIntyre has what he wants and vowed to take it from him. 

    Later in the show, McIntyre was booked to take on Dolph Ziggler in a non-title match, which had been originally announced with the WWE Title on the line but later changed. This was a rematch from the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event that saw McIntyre successfully retain the WWE Title. 

    WWE holds the SummerSlam pay-per-view event on Sunday, August 23, 2020 from a location to be announced. 

  • Vince McMahon Comments On Delaying Return Plans For Shows With Fans

    It’s been reported that Vince McMahon is eager to hold WWE shows with fans again, but spikes in cases of positive COVID-19 tests have delayed that.

    Obviously, WWE was forced to stop holding live events and TV tapings with fans in attendance because of the virus. Since March, WWE has been holding shows in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center.

    During the annual WWE stockholders meeting earlier this month, the WWE Chairman and CEO commented on when investors can expect the company to resume holding shows with fans again. 

    “Sure, we obviously have to follow what’s going on and sometimes you think you have the answer and then “uh oh”, COVID-19 makes a more severe impact than you had imagined to begin with. We’re working with arenas. We have any number of tentative dates. Those tentative dates keep moving back sometimes. But again with our form of entertainment, it’s imperative that we have fans to interact with. And we continue to look forward. Pinpointing exactly when we’re going to return, it’s a whole different atmosphere than has been in the past and we’ll capitalize on it.”

    Over the past few months, there’s been talk of WWE having plans to hold shows outside of the training facility, but due to increases in positive tests, those plans have pushed back. 

    The latest report about when this could happen is projected to be in August or September. 

  • WWE Considering Outdoor SummerSlam Location, Matches On Boat Or Beach

    It appears that Vince McMahon wants to do something big for this year’s SummerSlam. 

    Last week, the promotion announced that the event will not take place from Boston, MA at the TD Garden arena as scheduled. They also wouldn’t confirm a new location for it. 

    Mike Johnson reported on PWInsider Elite that WWE has considered at least one outdoor location for the show. Per the report, there have been talks about moving the show to the beach or on a boat. The idea regarding the boat is that some or all matches on the card would be held there. 

    On Monday, Bryan Alvarez noted on Wrestling Observer Live that he knows after talking with people that McMahon wants to do something “wacky” for the show. 

    Alvarez added that McMahon doesn’t want it to be just another event in an empty arena with a bunch of fans wearing masks. SummerSlam is largely considered the second biggest event of the year for WWE just behind WrestleMania/. 

    Either way, WWE will have to make a decision soon as they’re just under one month until the event takes place. By hosting the event outdoors, it does reduce the chances of people getting exposed to COVID-19. 

    WWE Announces SummerSlam Location Change Due To COVID-19

  • Internal WWE Reaction To Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson’s Comments About Paul Heyman

    Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson had a lot to say about their WWE departure. They did an interview with Ryan Satin on YouTube where they addressed a wide variety of topics. 

    One of the more interesting topics was about them being let go by the company due to budget cuts just months after they had signed new big-money deals with the promotion. 

    Gallows and Anderson joined AJ Styles in the belief that Paul Heyman was responsible for the tag team being let go as he put their name on a list of talent to be released. 

    They do acknowledge that Vince McMahon made the final call to fire them, but they were still upset that Heyman allegedly lied to them.

    Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the backstage reaction to their comments was mostly about how naive they could be to think that it was Heyman, not McMahon, that made the call to fire them.

    There are two stories that have gone around about the internal reactions. The first story is that while McMahon made the call, Heyman didn’t fight to keep them. The second story is how Gallows and Anderson were not on the list of wrestlers to be fired but once McMahon had a talk with Heyman about future storyline plans and they were planned to be used, McMahon added them to it. 

    It should be noted that all wrestlers who were released in April were under a 90-day non-compete. Thus, if McMahon wanted to bring them back, he had three months to make a decision and didn’t. 

    Luke Gallows On Why He And Karl Anderson Signed With Impact Wrestling, AEW Discussions

  • Chris Jericho Touts “A Little Bit Of The Bubbly” Sales

    Chris Jericho hit a home run by getting into the sparkling wine business. He partnered with Stephen Amell, star of the CW superhero series Arrow. 

    He launched the brand, “A Little Bit of the Bubbly” last year. He took to his official Instagram account where he noted that sales of the sparkling wine are going well. 

    More than 40,000 bottles of A Little Bit of the Bubbly have been sold in 7 months. You can see his post here: 

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDARa_OjEUx/?igshid=1ucma45k9b5o3

    A Little Bit of the Bubbly is a sparkling Riesling produced exclusively by Nocking Point Wines.

    Jericho made the “A Little Bit of the Bubbly” catchphrase extremely popular with fans that ended up going viral last Summer after he beat Adam Page at the All Out pay-per-view event. He said the catchphrase in his post-match celebration for winning the first AEW World Championship.

    Pre-orders were made available late November 2019 with bottles of Jericho’s sparkling shipping in December.

    Best Friends, Orange Cassidy, Luchasaurus, and Jungle Boy vs. Jericho, Jake Hager, Santana, Ortiz, and Sammy Guevara in a 5-on-5 match has already been confirmed for next week’s AEW Dynamite episode.