WWE Elimination Chamber is quickly approaching and the planned match order has been revealed based on the internal production listing.
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn will headline the show. The opening contest is the Women\’s Elimination Chamber Match.
There are a total of two title matches on this card. There are no titles expected to change hands, according to the final betting odds released. The event starts with the Kickoff show at 7 PM EST and the main card at 8 PM EST.
Asuka vs. Liv Morgan vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Nikki Cross vs. Natalya vs. Carmella – Elimination Chamber Match (Winner Challenges Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at WrestleMania)
Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley
Edge and Beth Phoenix vs. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley)
United States Champion Austin Theory vs. Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Damian Priest vs. Montez Ford – Elimination Chamber Match
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn
Asuka is going to WWE WrestleMania 39 with her win at Saturday’s Elimination Chamber PLE.
She beat in the bout Liv Morgan, Nikki Cross, Carmella, Natalya, and Raquel Rodriguez. As a result of her victory, she has earned the opportunity to challenge Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair for the title at WrestleMania 39 in April.
The match started off with Morgan and Natalya. Rodriguez was the third star to enter the bout followed by Cross. Moments later, Cross jumped off one of the pods to take everyone out. The fifth star in was Carmella, who talked some trash to Asuka and Cross before Rodriguez tackled Cross through one of the pods. Rodriguez pinned Cross for the first elimination.
There was a near-fall spot when Morgan hit a sunset flip powerbomb to Rodriguez from one of the pods. Carmella caught Morgan with a superkick. Natalya put her in the sharpshooter while Asuka put her in an armbar for the elimination. Natalya was eliminated by Carmella, who connected with a superkick. Asuka and Carmella hit Rodriguez with several kicks for the elimination. Asuka won with the armbreaker.
When the bout was first announced, Morgan, Asuka, Raquel, and Cross were set for it. WWE held qualifying matches for some of the competitors in the match. Natalya defeated Zelina Vega, Shotzi, and Shayna Baszler in a four-way match to join them. Carmella pinned Candice LeRae in a match that also featured Michin and Piper Niven to advance.
Belair didn’t defend her championship on this show. Instead, her previous title defense on a PLE was in January at the Royal Rumble when she beat Alexa Bliss.
What are your thoughts on Asuka earning the chance to challenge Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Title at WrestleMania 39? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
There is a big announcement coming from Tony Khan on next week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
During this week’s episode of AEW Rampage, the segment was announced. As of this writing, it’s unclear exactly what the AEW/ROH President will have to say.
In addition to this announcement being revealed, All Elite Wrestling confirmed several matches for the show, including Orange Cassidy defending the AEW All-Atlantic Championship against Wheeler Yuta.
Matches Confirmed
The bout was set up on Rampage when they had a face-to-face confrontation during a backstage segment. Former AEW Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed will be in action when they take on Big Bill and Lee Moriarty.
AEW will follow up with Saraya facing Skye Blue. At the same time, Christian Cage will sit down with Tony Schiavone for an interview after returning this past Wednesday night on Dynamite by attacking \”Jungle Boy\” Jack Perry.
Bryan Danielson will do a promo segment about his upcoming Ironman Match with World heavyweight champion MJF at the Revolution pay-per-view event on March 5.
There will be a Tag Team Battle Royal to determine who will fill one of the two remaining slots in the Four-Way Tag Title Match at Revolution, as the only teams confirmed for the bout are Aussie Open, and Top Flight.
With WWE WrestleMania season in full swing, Bray Wyatt doesn’t have a clear direction for what he will do at the biggest event of the year for the company.
However, on this week’s episode of WWE Smackdown, Wyatt shed some light on what may be coming. Wyatt and Uncle Howdy interrupted a performance by Hit Row (Top Dolla, Ashante \’Thee\’ Adonis, & B-Fab) on the show.
The Warning
They cleared out the faction before Wyatt got the microphone and called out Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar. Wyatt stated that the winner of the match between them at Saturday’s Elimination Chamber PLE \”should run.\”
This will be the third contest between Lashley and Lesnar with each star holding a win over each other.
Wyatt is coming off a victory over LA Knight in a Mountain Dew Pitch Black match at WWE Royal Rumble last month. Wyatt doesn’t have a match booked for the Elimination Chamber nor wrestled on television following his return PLE match in January.
The card for WWE WrestleMania 39 continues to come along as the card takes shape. Coming out of this Saturday’s Elimination Chamber PLE, WWE will be ramping up the build for the show.
Pwinsider.com reports that a match that has been teased in recent weeks is confirmed: Logan Paul wrestling Seth Rollins. Per the report, the match is \”100% set in stone\” for the show.
Several months ago, WWE reportedly had plans to do Paul taking on John Cena at the show, but plans changed and that was obvious with the booking of the 30-Man Royal Rumble match where Paul eliminated Rollins.
Since then, in various interviews, Rollins has been taking shots at Paul and stating that Paul doesn\’t care about the wrestling business. Instead, Rollins feels that Paul only cares about getting attention.
Paul\’s last one-on-one match happened when he came up short while challenging Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel in November.
Updated WWE WrestleMania 39 Card
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes
WWE SmackDown Women\’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley
WWE Raw Women\’s Champion Bianca Belair vs. Elimination Chamber winner
Kenny Omega has some options on the table when his deal with AEW is up as he could stay with the promotion or be the next AEW star to jump ship to WWE.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported today that numbers sources have overheard AEW founder Tony Khan say that Omega has substantial injury time that \”could be\” added to his deal if he decides to extend it.
The option has been confirmed to be in Omega\’s contract, which is standard in AEW deals. One wrestler stated, \”Considering that Omega has good representation, it might not necessarily be a slam dunk, or might have some concessions to it.”
Those in AEW don’t believe the injury time has been added yet. One source stated late last year that Omega\’s deal would be up \”soon\” and Omega could be working without one, while another source stated, \”Omega\’s deal would not be up that soon” and dismissed that talk. Obviously, the latter was the case as that time period has passed.
Interest From WWE
Regarding WWE, several in the company believe that they can land Omega. While there is a rivalry between AEW and WWE, it’s been said Omega had a positive relationship with WWE. Triple H even discussed Omega coming to the promotion in 2018 before the launch of AEW.
The report added, “It was also reiterated to us that Omega has it written in his AEW contract that he has the freedom to appear in NJPW as long as it doesn\’t conflict with AEW duties or an agreement is made.”
The latest development in the storyline of who has Snoop Dogg’s WWE Golden Title came to light today. When WWE first started this storyline, it got some mainstream attention and generated a lot of buzz among wrestling fans.
Snoop, an iconic rapper, is part of the WWE Hall of Famer and got the golden WWE Championship from Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch at the WrestleMania Launch Party at SoFi Stadium in August. When he brought it on the Holidaze of Blaze Tour “to show the fans how dope it is” last December, the championship was stolen.
Title Changes Hands
Last week, actor/comedian Pete Davidson was spotted with Snoop Dogg’s golden WWE Championship during a Pro Bowl game. Rob Gronkowski had the title last week as well just before the Super Bowl and now, it’s in the hands of legendary actor William Shatner.
WWE has released this video of Shatner with the title:
The time is nearly here for the highly anticipated bout between Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn at the 2023 WWE Elimination Chamber PLE for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title.
In recent weeks, there has been much debate among fans regarding how WWE should handle the booking of this match with some even pushing for WWE to add Zayn to the already announced bout between Reigns and Cody Rhodes for the title at WrestleMania 39 in April.
In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that the original plan for Reigns vs. Zayn at the WWE Elimination Chamber PLE was for Reigns to retain the title.
The idea was for Jey Uso to turn against Zayn at the show, leading to Reigns retaining and Zayn teaming with Kevin Owens to challenge The Usos for the Undisputed Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania.
The Usos can travel to Canada for the show even though WWE shot an angle last week where they were told to stay home.
Things Have Changed
Meltzer wrote that “a lot has changed since that time” with Zayn becoming “major TV ratings mover” in recent months. The belief is that Zayn beating Reigns would be a “late deviation of the script. Meltzer wrote the following about the situation:
“It’s tricky for a lot of reasons, because Zayn does not fit into the mentality of what a mainstream ratings mover looks like, nor has his booking been what traditionally leads to it. It just happened, and it not handled right, it could end. Maybe it would have ended with a win as well, because the chase is over and maybe it was the build to the angle and chase that were the draws. Either way, this is the first booking decision in a long time that can actually make a difference to full show ratings.”
Reigns is a heavy betting odds favorite at -2000 to beat Zayn at the Elimination Chamber.
Charlotte Flair is slated to be in another title match at WWE’s biggest event of the year when she defends the SmackDown Women\’s Championship at WrestleMania 39 against Rhea Ripley.
They previously wrestled each other at WrestleMania 36 in 2020 with Charlotte defeating Ripley to win the NXT Women\’s Championship. Ripley earned this title match at WrestleMania 39 by winning the women\’s Royal Rumble match.
Just like in past years, WWE will have WrestleMania take place across two nights. The second night is expected to be headlined by Roman Reigns defending the Undisputed WWE Universal Title against Cody Rhodes. Charlotte believes her bout should headline one of the nights, most likely the first one.
Charlotte Flair on WrestleMania Bout
\”Rhea and I are main event quality, it\’s a main event story, and I want to be in the main event with her. I know it\’s going to be that good,\” she told Kevin Raphaël and Pat Laprade on Les anti-pods de la lutte.
No other matches have yet to be confirmed for WrestleMania 39. H/T to Fightful for the transcription
After countless matches with her, Bianca Belair knows how good Bayley is inside the squared circle.
Belair has shared the ring with Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch, including at WrestleMania. Belair and Bayley feuded off and on for years where they’ve been part of ladder, last woman standing and WarGames matches.
Although they’ve been rivals on television, Belair has nothing but respect and praise for Bayley, one of WWE’s top female stars.
Bianca Belair on Bayley
Belair made an appearance on Ryan Satin’s Out Of Character podcast, where she shared her belief that Bayley doesn’t get the credit she deserves.
“I love Bayley. I feel like she’s one of the Four Horsewomen that doesn’t get as much credit as she should. She does so much that’s not for herself. Anybody that she steps in the ring with, she brings the best out of them and that’s what she did for me. I remember our Last Woman Standing match in particular. I was watching a lot of other Last Woman, Last Man Standing matches and you have your table spots and you have your ladder spots and your chair spots.
We just wanted to make it as creative as possible and different. We’ve always been able to do that because Bayley is amazing in the ring physically, but when it comes to mentally, her creative mind is so amazing. We were able to create some amazing and iconic moments in that Last Woman Standing match like the golf cart. Like, we’re in Saudi Arabia and there’s women driving golf carts. That doesn’t happen all the time. It was really cool to create these fun and unique moments for these matches. The ladder match as well, that was our goal. Bayley is one of my favorite competitors to go up against.”
Belair scored a win over Bayley and Lynch in a triple threat match this past Monday night on Raw that prevented them from being added to the upcoming Elimination Chamber match where the winner will be Belair’s WrestleMania opponent.
Thunder Rosa is back on the road with AEW for the first time in months due to an injury as she joined the Spanish announce team. There was a backstage meeting held with talent last week at Dynamite regarding Rosa’s return.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reports there was a locker room meeting for all of the women on the roster who were present at the show and those who were there said it was done as an effort to ease the tension between Rosa and the locker room due to several frayed relationships.
Making Amends
Those there stated that Rosa did a lot of \”making amends\” for several issues along the way during her previous run in promotion. Some talent had taken issue with how she handled things in the past and felt she made certain people on the roster come across as bullies.
There were also complaints about sandbagging and working stiff in the ring with Rosa. One talent stated that Rosa was met with some of that early in her AEW run, which had been rectified.
Some talent took issue with her not being on the road with AEW while traveling for other work and questioned the legitimacy of her injury, which Rosa addressed publicly.
Sources indicated that Rosa was happy to do commentary work and wouldn\’t be wrestling immediately. Rosa is getting closer to being medically clear. One AEW management member stated the meeting was productive and hoped it was a \”clean slate.\”
Jacy Jayne explained why she turned on Gigi Dolin last week after losing to NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez in a three-way bout at NXT Vengeance Day.
She said that the name that is on everyone’s tongue is her after last week. She said she doesn’t regret what she did last week and the only thing she does regret is not doing it earlier. She wants to see the moment again and aired the footage again. She said that Gigi wasn’t the victim and her days of taking all the credit are over. She called her Janetty, a play on Marty Janretty. She said that she’s done protecting Gigi.
"Toxic Attraction went onto become the most dominant female faction in WWE history, and look who's the last woman standing."@jacyjaynewwe is here to stay. #WWENXTpic.twitter.com/kzAvSVTzz8
NXT Champion Bron Breakker made his return to the weekly TV show after retaining his title over Grayson Waller at NXT Vengeance Day inside of a steel cage.
Breakker said tonight feels a little different and his next challenge feels bigger. He said that this is the match that everyone wants to see. Jinder Mahal walked out instead. Mahal said a great champion should expect the unexpected. Mahal praised him for putting NXT on his back and the stress that comes with it. He knows what it’s like to be the champion. Mahal challenged Breakker to a title match on next week\’s show. Breakker called Indus Sher the new 3MB.
Meiko Satomura & Roxanne Perez vs. Kayden Carter & Katana Chance
Following their defeat at Vengeance Day, Carter and Chance approached Perez in a backstage interview last week and dared her to find a partner. As a result, the match was made. Perez called Satomura, who she later revealed would be joining her.
This served as the main event of the show. Perez went over with the Pop Rox. Post-match, Meiko challenged Perez to a title match. Perez said it would be her honor. They had a showdown to close the show.
Wes Lee held an open challenge for the NXT North American Championship.
Lee, who successfully defended the North American Championship at Vengeance Day, informed Tony D\’Angelo and Stacks backstage that they could challenge the championship in his open challenge.. Hank Walker later told Drew Gulak that he might be the one to respond to the challenge. When Charlie Dempsey entered and challenged him, the two decided to rematch.
Von Wagner answered the challenge. Lee quickly beat him with his finisher.
Tyler Bate vs. Grayson Waller took place in a singles match. It opened the show. Waller tried to roll him up and use the ropes, but the referee saw it and Bate reversed it and pinned him.
Dutch Mantell was the first to break the news today, and then the tributes poured in for the iconic wrestling promoter and father of Jeff Jarrett.
Mantell wrote, “SAD NEWS: I’m hearing reports of my friend and long time booker/promoter Jerry Jarrett died this morning in TN. I last saw him last year when we did the VICE show THE TERRITORIES in Atlanta. Very creative booker. Condolences to Jeff/Deborah and the Jarrett family.”
Dave Meltzer later reported on F4Wonline.com that Jarrett passed away undergoing treatment this morning, according to a family friend, as he had been battling esophagus cancer.
Jarrett promoted spot shows as a teenager and worked with his mother. He later worked as a wrestler alongside Tojo Yamamoto and Jackie Fargo before retiring full-time.
Jarrett started up his own promotion in 1977 along with Jerry Lawler, Lance Russell, and Dave Brown in Memphis, TN. They dominated the market before territorial wrestling was done.
Jarrett and Lawler would rotate as bookers over time before Lawler made a power play with Russell and got 50 percent of the promotion. Jarrett later sold it in 1997. He and his son, Jeff, started TNA Wrestling before they ad to sell the majority interest in that company to the Carter family.
Mick Foley has given some advice to AEW’s Darby Allin regarding his character.
Allin has been a fan favorite long before he signed with AEW, but he found further success and became more popular with fans when he signed with the promotion.
Allin is known to take risks during his match and put his body on the line, just like the WWE Hall of Famer.
Foley on Allin
Foley gave his thoughts on the AEW star while speaking on AdFreeShows.com, Foley is Pod.
“He’s a phenomenal athlete and he comes from the world of extreme sports. He’s like a cat and then he lands on his feet. He’s got incredible body control. But I think every performer has to find a different gear that they can go into as much wild stuff as I did. I was able to temper it with the promos and by shifting gears and injecting humor.
I think almost every guy with a long history, not talking about the guys who could go from territory to territory and basically recreate that same push each time, talking about the guys who had the long runs in WWE, WCW found another gear and that it often involved humor. And so Darby, I haven’t seen him in a couple of years or talked to him, but he’s a soft spoken young man and he probably should find a way to add layers to that character that doesn’t necessitate taking those risks all the time.”
Mick Foley reveals his concerns about Darby Allin to @adfreeshows fans:
“He probably should find a way to add layers to that character that doesn’t necessitate taking those risks all the time”
WWE is returning to Los Angeles on April 1-2 for WrestleMania 39, and just as they did in 2005, WWE will be doing something special for the show to get the word out.
The promotion for the show will include stars parodying classic Hollywood films. WWE has been showing the original clips on social media as of late such as Braveheart, Dirty Harry, Taxi Driver, A Few Good Men, and Pulp Fiction.
Stars featured in these trailers included the likes of John Cena, JBL, Rey Mysterio, Batista, Triple H, and more.
The List
WrestleVotes reported the list of which movies and wrestlers will be involved this year.
The Bloodline in Goodfellas, The Miz & Maryse in Top Gun, The Judgement Day in Stranger Things, Drew McIntyre & The Brawling Brutes in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch as Batman & The Joker.
I’m told the list below are the planned “WrestleMania Goes Hollywood” movie trailers:
Miz & Maryse: Top Gun Rhea / Judgment Day: Stranger Things Brawling Brutes & Drew McIntyre: 40 Year Old Virgin Becky & Seth Rollins: Batman & Joker The Bloodline: Goodfellas
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes
SmackDown Women\’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley
Raw Women\’s Champion Bianca Belair vs. the winner of Saturday\’s Elimination Chamber Match
Charlotte and Bianca currently do not have matches booked for this Saturday\’s Elimination Chamber PLE while Reigns will defend his title against Sami Zayn at the show.
Former WWE NXT UK wrestler Jinny has opened up on her retirement from wrestling, something she announced last month.
Before signing with WWE in 2018, Jinny was one of the most prominent women’s wrestlers on the United Kingdom indie scene. She last wrestled for NXT UK in November 2021. Jinny is married to WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther.
The Details
While speaking to Ring The Belle, Jinny confirmed that she retired from wrestling due to concussion issues.
“When I was injured, this was the longest time I had been out with any injury. During the time of being injured and having the symptoms, I was like, ‘Wow, this is taking so long for my body to heal.’ The injury that I had, it was a concussion, unfortunately, I took quite a few blows to the head, and it was the worst one I ever had. Halfway through, I was like, ‘If my body is taking this long to heal, if I get hit again, is it going to take even longer?’ I had to be smart about it. I love wrestling. I’m a wrestling fan, I always will be. It was a really hard decision because if it wasn’t for that, would I be wrestling still? Yes, but your health is wealth, and as difficult as it is, and as much as I love this business and as much as I like, ‘maybe I’ll be okay,’ I had to be smart about it and make sure that I look after myself, not just for now, but in the long run as well,” she said.
The topic of a potential retirement match came up. For now, she’s unsure she wants to take the chance of doing that and getting hurt, but gave the classic never say never answer. She is focusing on her health for now. She called it unfortunate but knows it is what it is and when you get into wrestling, this is a risk you take.
Jinny said she is grateful for her time in the business because she went after her dream and had a blast. She met her husband in the business and achieved so much.
Cody Rhodes got made fun of when he decided to get a giant neck tattoo in 2020 ahead of his match against MJF at the AEW Revolution event. Many fans laughed at him for doing so. However, it’s just part of his look now.
It turns out that Rhodes had another questionable tattoo idea years ago. He discussed this while making an appearance on ‘My Mom’s Basement with Robbie Fox.’
Rhodes revealed that he almost got the faction logo of Legacy tattooed on his hand prior to their Triple Threat showdown at WrestleMania 26 in 2010 when he took on Randy Orton and Ted Debiase.
Luckily for Rhodes, Kofi Kingston stepped in and talked him out of it.
The Tat
“I almost got a tattoo on my hand of the Legacy logo before the match. I want to say, and I hope I’m giving credit to the right guy, Kofi Kingston was the one who told me absolutely not to do that.
Like, yeah, Legacy was cool. Yes, I was excited about having this first real WrestleMania, but it’s not that place on the card that you need this tattoo. I thought, okay. I also liked the L. I thought it was a pretty cool logo, but I didn’t get the tattoo, so Kofi was right.”
Rhodes is expected to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title at WrestleMania 39.
Sami Zayn called out Cody Rhodes on this week’s WWE Monday Night Raw episode.
This was days before Zayn steps into the ring to challenge Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns for his title in the main event of Saturday’s Elimination Chamber PLE event.
Some fans have felt that Zayn should be in Rhodes’ spot, as the former AEW star made his return from injury last month by winning the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match to earn the right to challenge Reigns for his title at WrestleMania 39.
The Segment
Zayn said he came to Raw to hear Rhodes say again that it’s looking more like Reigns won’t make it to Mania as champion and Zayn would be in the spot to make it Cody Rhodes vs. Sami Zayn at WrestleMania.
Zayn wanted to know that Rhodes believed Zayn could beat Reigns.
Rhodes stated he believed Zayn could win this Saturday and asked Zayn if he really believed he can. Zayn said he didn’t know because he\’s been in the trenches with The Bloodline, and Reigns somehow finds a way to win. Zayn said he believes he is compatible of winning and worthy of being in the headliner role at WrestleMania 39 but isn’t sure whether he can walk out as champion on Saturday night.
Rhodes stated there are cracks in The Bloodline because of Sami Zayn and they both need to finish their own stories. Rhodes told him that he didn’t want to see Zayn next week because he wanted to see him at WrestleMania 39.
???BOTH THESE GUYS ??? For reals this promo work by both Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes was extraordinary. They did so much here to further elevate the entire story. #WWERAWpic.twitter.com/cGAzLu42tC
Cody Rhodes opened up on the fight between The Elite (Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks) and CM Punk at the AEW All Out pay-per-view last September.
The Elite have since returned to TV while Punk, who suffered an injury in the All Out main event, is still on the sidelines. AEW President Tony Khan has yet to comment on Punk’s status with the promotion.
Rhodes was one of the names that helped launch the promotion in 2019. While appearing on Monday\’s episode of The MMA Hour, Rhodes commented on the Brawl Out incident.
The Next Day
Rhodes recalled waking up to 63 text messages and was worried that someone from AEW said something about him at the press conference.
Rhodes noted he still has a great relationship with The Young bucks and Omega. He admitted it was tested by them being younger executives and having different opinions on wrestling, but that made them work. He said they’re bonded forever because of that. He also had a great relationship with Punk and had dinner with him every week in AEW.
Rhodes went on to talk about his relationships with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, noting that it was indeed tested by their differing opinions on the sport of pro wrestling. Rhodes also talked about his relationship with CM Punk, noting that they had a great relationship despite not talking much.
“So when I watched it just from me sitting there, I was not — there was some people texting me. I remember somebody texted me, \’Man, you\’re the smartest guy in the room. I wanted to write back like, \’F— you, man.\’ I don\’t feel that way. I feel this thing we built got damaged. I\’m not putting any blame on anybody. Sorry, super Switzerland.\”
The Brawl
Rhodes stated he doesn’t put any of the blame on anybody but didn’t like to see it.
“I just hated seeing that, because as the company grows, and I hope it continues to grow, I hope people remember the mission in the first place and why we were there. If you bring in people who don\’t know the mission, then things like that can happen.
I\’m not saying he didn\’t know the mission or anything of that nature, but I was just bummed out. That\’s how I felt, I was bummed out. because I have — you win the title, it\’s a feather in your cap. You win the Royal Rumble, it\’s a feather in your cap. Building an alternative wrestling promotion is definitely a feather in the cap. I don\’t want that to be erased. I don\’t want that to go away.\”
\”Plus, there\’s not as many jobs in wrestling as people think. There\’s about 1000 people who work there structurally, infrastructure and talent. I\’m proud of them. I want to make sure they\’re able to feed their families and that was a situation that was so big and heavy. I don\’t think it was helpful. I don\’t know, maybe you could make it helpful. Maybe you can do something with it. That\’s how I felt.
No heat on Punk. No heat on Matt, Nick, Kenny, or Tony, I was just bummed out when I saw it. That\’s not how we envisioned it. The spirit of \’All In,\’ if you ever lose the spirit, you\’re lost. I think the spirit was gone in that moment, doesn\’t mean can\’t get it back, but it was just a bummer.\”
Rhodes departed from AEW last year to make his return to WWE at WrestleMania 38. Rhodes will challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title at WrestleMania 39 this month.
A24’s “The Iron Claw,” a movie about the rise and fall of the Von Erich family, has wrapped up filming.
Zac Efron (Kevin Von Erich), Jeremy Allen White (Kerry), Harris Dickinson (David), Holt McCallany (Fritz Von Erich), Maura Tierney (Doris Von Erich), Aaron Dean Eisenberg (Ric Flair), AEW‘s MJF (Lance Von Erich), and Kevin Anton (Harley Race) make up the rest of the cast.
Done Filming
The Iron Claw began principal photography beginning in Louisiana in October. Pwinsider.com reported today that it recently wrapped up filming. The film will now enter post-production. The release date for it has yet to be made, but it\’s looking like late 2023 or early 2024.
The film\’s synopsis reads, \”Based on the true story of the Von Erichs, the film follows the rise and fall of the family dynasty of wrestlers who made a huge impact on the sport from the 1960s to the present day.\”
The film is written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Sean Durkin. A24 and Access Industries are co-financing the film. Producing alongside A24 are Tessa Ross, Derrin Schlesinger, and Harrison Huffman.
2K Games has announced the complete roster for the WWE 2K23 video game.
The game is slated to be released on March 17, 2023. Fans who pre-order the standard edition of the game early will be able to play as Bad Bunn. Those who get the Deluxe or Icon editions will have access to the game on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
John Cena is the game\’s cover star and will be featured on the front of each edition of the video game.
Legends like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Macho Man Randy Savage will be part of the roster. Of course, top stars such as Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Brock Lesnar will be featured.
Tony Khan has signed the AEW Tag Team Champions The Gunns to new contracts.
This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite featured a controversial main event that left a lot of fans unhappy as Austin and Colten Gunn beat The Acclaimed to win the AEW World Tag Team Championships.
The title change was a surprise as many fans weren’t expecting it as The Acclaimed has been protected in recent months and is one of the most over acts in the entire promotion.
The Deal
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported today that both Austin and Colten have re-signed with the promotion and will remain with them for the foreseeable future, although specific details of the terms were not given. Fightful was able to confirm that they have signed multi-year deals with AEW.
Austin signed with AEW in January 2020 while Coten was never given an official ‘All Elite’ announcement when he joined his father, Billy, and brother, Austin, on television.
Although not confirmed, it\’s likely All Elite Wrestling will book a rematch between the two tag teams for the gold at AEW\’s next pay-per-view event, Revolution, which takes place on March 5.
AEW President Tony Khan has addressed potentially expanding its pay-per-view calendar in the future, especially if a streaming deal comes to the promotion.
Khan was asked about this topic while doing an interview on the John Chuckery Show. For Khan, he feels the focus should remain on AEW’s big five events (Double or Nothing, All Out, Full Gear, Forbidden Door, and Revolution) as he sees those as the flagpole AEW events.
“Well, we’ve been able to really make the events keep that super special feel, where there is so much anticipation building up to Revolution, Double or Nothing, Forbidden Door now, and of course, All Out and Full Gear,” said Khan. “I think that with the current model we have, which is a la carte pay-per-view, true pay-per-view like so many of us grew up with, it makes a lot of sense. The price is about $49.99, and if somebody’s going to give us that $49.99, I would like them to feel like they’re getting a show they’ve really looked forward to for a long time and are getting maximum value.”
Expansion
Khan did state that should a streaming offer come along he would consider expanding the PPV calendar, but the events mentioned above would still be considered the big five.
“I think for us right now, the way we’re doing pay-per-view makes sense, but if the right offer came along on streaming to expand the calendar, that’s something we have the capacity to do. I would only want to do it if we can make sure that we keep Revolution, Double or Nothing, Forbidden Door, All Out, and Full Gear as premium, top-end events like they are right now.”
AEW holds its Revolution pay-per-view event on March 5, 2023. Transcribed by Fightful
Jade Cargill has been protected and pushed as a top star in AEW since signing with the promotion in 2020, where she was used in a top angle right out of the gate.
She made her in-ring debut by teaming with NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal in a win over Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet on an episode of AEW Dynamite in March 2021.
Since that match, she has gone on a lengthy winning streak and booked strongly as the TBS Champion, the only champion in the history of the title after she beat Ruby Soho in 2022.
However, she has yet to face any top-tier AEW talent, something she is looking to change. Cargill expressed her interest in wrestling for the AEW Women’s Title while speaking with Liam Crowley of ComicBook.com.
Bigger Goals
“I’m just going to give these ladies some time before I want to go for the big belt. That’s something that I want to accomplish. I want to go for the main belt, I know that’s for sure.”
Jade also shared her desire to mix it up with stars such as Britt Baker, Saraya, and Toni Storm.
“I wouldn’t say so soon because right now I’m just focused on getting reps and getting better. Having longer matches, better feuds, and actual storylines. However, I believe it’s time for me to start having storylines with a Britt Baker, or Jamie Hayter, or a Saraya, or Toni Storm and working those storylines. I know I can do it. I have the charisma to do it. If you stand me next to any of these ladies, the work, the look and the aura of who I am speaks for itself.”
This week’s episode of WWE Raw featured a heavily praised segment between Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman that saw them both get emotional.
The promo segment was done to promote further Cody Rhodes challenging Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.
Fightful Select had details on the backstage reaction to the promo that was said to have benefitted from looser scripting under Triple H compared to what he had been under Vince McMahon.
Those close to Heyman stated that he was surprised by Rhodes mentioning Dusty Rhodes getting booked by ECW in 2000 and that the family needed those bookings. People close to Cody stated they weren’t sure whether Heyman had been told how important the ECW bookings were to the Rhodes family in general.
The Reaction
Heyman wrote his part of the promo, while Cody wrote his. Those involved with the segment were very pleased with it, and WWE officials were thrilled with the content and the reactions from fans.
One WWE higher-up source told Fightful: “Cody Rhodes is a star, and Paul Heyman is a starmaker. They were in a difficult position, and made something that seemed like a manufactured booking decision become a personal, WrestleMania main event if it ends up going that direction.”
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