Roman Reigns has been the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion since WrestleMania 38 when he beat Brock Lesnar to unify the WWE and Universal Championships. He signed a new deal shortly after this that started his part-time schedule.
Manny fans expected to see Reigns drop one of his titles to Drew McIntyre when they met in the main event of the Clash at the Castle event, the first major PPV event in the UK since 1992 as it had been built around this expectation. That didn’t happen as Reigns retained the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship over McIntyre.
Leading up to the event, there was talk of WWE considering taking at least one of Roman’s titles off him, but it was revealed WWE decided to stick with its long-term plan with Reigns as a top guy. As a result, they went with that direction instead of going for the big pop that McIntyre would\’ve received from the fans there live for a title win.
“The only thing they could think of was with Austin Theory. He was going to somehow make it known that he was only cashing in for one of the belts. Therefore, it became a triple threat, and Tyson Fury stopped him like he did, and Drew would then would take one of the titles. For whatever reason, that didn’t work, and it sounds really convoluted. I don’t know how you’re gonna pull it off on TV.”
This past Saturday at Crown Jewel, Reigns retained his Undisputed WWE Universal Title over Logan Paul.
There are two stars that Bray Wyatt would like to see Paul Levesque (Triple H) bring back to the WWE that had been released during the COVID-19 pandemic alongside several other names because of what was blamed on “budget cuts.”
Wyatt was also let go by the company when Vince McMahon was still running things as he departed in July 2021, only to return last month at the Extreme Rules event after several weeks of teases that were dropped throughout WWE’s shows.
Since taking over talent relations and main roster creative, Triple H has brought back several names, including Wyatt, and it appears fans shouldn’t expect that trend to end any time soon.
The Names
While speaking with GiveMeSport, WrestleVotes stated that Wyatt wants to work with two specific names: his real-life brother Bo Dallas and former Wyatt Family member Erick Rowan.
“There’s people that Bray likes and people he wants to work with. Bo Dallas is one of them and so is Erick Rowan. If Erick wants to come back, I’m sure they’d allow that if Bray also wanted it.”
There have been rumors that Wyatt will lead a new faction called the ‘Wyatt 6.’ As of late, Wyatt’s promos have been interrupted by a dark character known as ‘Uncle Howdy,’ whose actual identity has yet to be revealed but is speculated to be Dallas or an alter-ego of Wyatt himself.
Bo Dallas and Eric Redbeard have both spoken about the possibility of returning to WWE. Back in April, Dallas announced that he\’ll be returning to wrestling \”really, really soon.\” More recently, there have been reports that his WWE return is imminent.
Last month, Redbeard said the door is open for a WWE return. He told NBC Sports Boston, “There’s always [an] opportunity and my story within wrestling. That character of Erick Rowan or Erick Redbeard, it has so much left to tell and talk about. I think when I stepped aside when Covid happened and people were let go, I wasn’t ready for my story to stop.\”
5 WWE Superstars who can Challenge Gunther for the IC Title
Bobby Lashley wants to fight Brock Lesnar for a third time after feuding with the fellow former WWE Champion throughout 2022.
Their first match took place at the Royal Rumble in January, where Lashley beat “The Beast” for the WWE Title. However, Lashley lost the title at the Elimination Chamber event in Saudi Arabia in February but was never pinned or submitted as WWE did an injury angle to get Lashley out of the match as he was dealing with a shoulder injury.
At Crown Jewel, Lesnar beat Lashley, although\”The All Mighty\” laid him out with a post-match attack. During an appearance on WWE\’s The Bump this week.
Lashley made a comment about the defeat and stated he intends to finish the trilogy after emphasizing that he won the fight, not the match. Lashley said that he would be there to greet \”The Beast Incarnate\” when he decides to return.
Bobby Lashley’s Idea
Lashley proposed that their next match occurs outside the ring, where they could fight in a street brawl. If not, he suggested that their third encounter should be something unique to reflect the level that which Lesnar has raised their rivalry.
“He’s making it personal, and if it he makes it personal, okay, we fight at a different level. That’s why, at Crown Jewel, I didn’t care about winning the match. I wanted to kick his ass, and I wanted to let him know that I don’t appreciate what he’s been doing this entire time, that he’s been making it personal. If you make it personal, it’s a street fight. So the next time we fight, I don’t even think it should be in a ring. I think we should go fight outside. I think we should grab, YouTube, let somebody grab a camera, meet us out in the street, and let’s beat each other down and see who doesn’t get up afterwards. I mean, I don’t know. It has to be something else because if he wants to make it that way, then we gotta go and fight that way, and I’m okay with it. I’m okay with fighting any way,\” Lashley said.
Before Crown Jewel, Lashley expressed his confidence that his rivalry with Lesnar would continue after the show, and it looks like that will be the case.
After going public with his announcement that he would be leaving the company once his contract expired on January 1, 2023, the NWA has suspended Nick Aldis.
The former World Heavyweight Champion has been the face of the promotion for the last five years as he was the top champion for over 1000 days during that time.
Matt Cardona, a former NWA World\’s Heavyweight Champion himself and set to face Aldis at NWA Alwayz Ready before he suffered a bicep injury, has given his thoughts on Aldis leaving the promotion.
Matt Cardona on Nick Aldis
Matt Cardona as the NWA champion
\”That\’s unfortunate. Nick and I, we have some unfinished business, we were supposed to wrestle at Alwayz Ready, but obviously, I got injured. I feel he\’s a great opponent of mine. I don\’t think he liked when I came to NWA because it was his baby and he did such a great job representing the NWA, being the face of NWA, he\’s got all the tools and I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors,\” he said while appearing on This Is Pro Wrestling.
At this Saturday’s NWA Hard Times 3 event, Cardona will challenge for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a triple threat bout against Trevor Murdoch and Tyrus.
All Elite Wrestling has additional content plans in the works.
A new report from Fightful Select touches on excitement within Warner Bros. Discovery over the new AEW docuseries that is currently filming. There had been speculation about AEW’s future with WBD after the recent merger, but things are looking more positive as a WBD source stated AEW will likely be offered a renewal with a significant increase on their rights fee deals when the time comes.
Positive News
The two sides have been collaborative and open to input from one another. The WBD source noted this year has been a huge rebound year for interest in pro wrestling across the board and that it came at the perfect time for AEW and WWE.
As previously reported, AEW began filming their new docuseries at the recent Dynamite event in Baltimore that will focus on the behind-the-scenes aspect of the promotion and through the experiences of several wrestlers, which is the point of the series.
Although not confirmed, the belief is the project will air on TBS in early 2023. All Elite Wrestling did give wrestlers the option to not be involved in the project, but there’s no word yet on which wrestlers the series will focus on.
Filming is set to go on for six weeks, through the Dynamite event on December 14 at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, TX. AEW President Tony Khan will serve as Executive Producer, while Shed Media Executive Producer Sam Berns will assist with the new series. Production is a collaboration between WBD and Shed Media.
Gunther has been pushed as a top star on WWE SmackDown since being called up to the main roster earlier this year and booked strongly as the Intercontinental Champion.
Over the last week, it’s been rumored that John Cena will make his return to WWE for another match at WrestleMania 39 next year in LA. There has been speculation about Cena wrestling Gunther at this show.
At this point in his career, Cena is considered a legend who will occasionally work a rare televised match.
Gunther was interviewed on Steve Fall\’s Ten Count YouTube channel before this year\’s WWE Survivor Series in Boston later this month. During it, Gunther talked about the rumored match.
Gunther on the Match
“Of course, we could see it. I don’t know what’s going to happen or if it’s going to happen. Obviously, that’s something I would love to do. John Cena is one of the legends. Because he’s not really active at the moment anymore, he just pops up, but when he does, if the chance is there for me, I’ll gladly take it. One of, if not the most popular babyface in this sport of all time. I think I would be a great counterpart to that. I would love to do it.”
Cena’s last match was in August 2021 when he teamed with The Mysterios (Dominik Mysterio & Rey Mysterio) to defeat The Bloodline (Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso & Roman Reigns) for a SmackDown dark match while his last televised match was a loss to Reigns in the main event of SummerSlam 2021.
It’s looking more likely that WWE is bringing back the King of the Ring tournament as a standalone event.
Dave Meltzer originally reported last week that “there is talk of bringing back the King of the Ring tournament with a show that would be both King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring.”
What was unclear about this report is how WWE would do the tournament. Originally, the tournament was held on a single night, while in later years, WWE spread out the opening round matches on television and saved the semi-finals and finals for the night of the event.
King of the Ring is Back
On Wednesday, WrestleVotes reported that there is a good chance the event is coming back and it will use the original format.
“There’s a very good chance that King of the Ring is back, and likely back in the format that had happened in the late 80s. The idea is that every single match will happen that night. In the 90s, a lot of the matches happened on Superstars and Raw, with the semi finals and finals on pay-per-view. If it’s going to come back on pay-per-view, which I would say is probably going to happen, you’re going to have a full-on one-night tournament.”
With WWE using the original format, it’s unclear how WWE would also do a Queen of the Ring tournament in a single night as there would be a lot of matches that would have to take place.
WWE recently filed a trademark application on the term Queen of the Ring, which you can read more about below.
Kofi Kingston winning the WWE Title from Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35 was a big deal as it wasn’t originally planned, but once Kingston got over as a late replacement in the Elimination Chamber match where he came up short in dethroning Bryan, there was a Kofi Mania movement among the fans.
Kingston lost the WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar in a match that lasted about 10 seconds on the premiere episode of SmackDown on FOX on October 4, 2019.
On the latest episode of his Oh You Didn\’t Know podcast, Road Dogg noted that Big E is doing well while recovering from a broken neck. He also revealed that while he was the lead writer of WWE SmackDown, he pitched Big E to win the WWE Title instead of Kingston.
Road Dogg’s Pitch
\”When I wrote Smackdown, I wanted him to be the champion,\” he said. \”I wanted him to be the champion of Smackdown. I actually pitched, and I\’ve said this before, I actually pitched Big E Mania, and Kofi got the nod because of his time and service for lack of a better word or phrase.\”
\”Kofi had been there, and look, it worked, maybe better than it would have with Big E. Only time will tell if and when he comes back and they put the title on him because he can cut great promos. He\’s a great guy. He\’s always in great spirits. Just an honor to be able to call him my friend.\”
The New Day will challenge The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles on this Friday’s episode of SmackDown.
Chris Jericho has emerged as a locker room leader in AEW alongside Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley following All Out, where there was an altercation between CM Punk, Ace Steel, Matt & Nick Jackson, and Kenny Omega
Everyone involved was suspended while Steel was fired. CM Punk and AEW are reportedly in talks about the promotion buying out his contract.
\”There was a locker room fight that happened a couple months ago between a couple of guys. When these things happen, you have to deal with them. Sometimes, the way to deal with it is guys just have to not be there anymore.\”
As previously reported, Jericho approached Punk the night of All Out after the fight and was unhappy about it. He reportedly told Punk that he was a “cancer to the locker room and a detriment to the company.\”
The discussion about the incident in this interview began with Jericho being asked about locker room altercations in general and how things are dealt with.
“It happens, sure it does. If you\’re cast in a movie and you hate your co-star, either you make it work, do your job, put on a great performance and never talk to each other again or you leave the project. It\’s that simple. If there are people you have a problem with, which I\’ve had over the years, not a lot but this guy can rub me the wrong way, \’he\’s a fucking asshole,\’ whatever, you still have to put on a good show. Sometimes you have fight in the locker room and that sort of thing. It\’s a big team. Sometimes guys get into fights, sometimes guys just have the wrong attitude for how to make the team work. That\’s how you have to look at it. Sometimes, guys just have to leave.\”
The Elite (The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega) have yet to make their return to AEW television, although they have been backstage at recent Dynamite events.
The top tag team has been away from AEW since the All Out brawl with CM Punk and Ace Steel. At All Out, they won the AEW Trios Championships, but they were stripped of the titles because of their suspension.
However, there have been indications that The Elite is on their way back to television as there have been vignettes promoting the “deletion” of the Bucks and Omega in addition to The Young Bucks and Omega being added back to television commercials for Dynamite and Rampage.
The Match
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that other stuff teased for Full Gear “is Penta & Pac & Rey Fenix vs. Kenny Omega & Young Bucks for the trios titles (I’ve heard this is probable but not 100 percent).”
A Trios Title match has yet to be confirmed for the event, nor who the champions will defend against, but with the Full Gear pay-per-view event taking place next Saturday (November 19th), the match will be announced soon.
Jon Moxley defending the World Title against MJF will serve as the main event.
Over the last few weeks, WWE has been airing mysterious vignettes to tease the arrival of a new NXT star. The company recently filed a trademark for the term Scrypts.
On Tuesday’s episode of NXT, Scrypts sent their last message, warning that they will have an imminent start on NXT television. The vignette had an altered voice left another voice message inside the halls of the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, after leaving voicemails. This mysterious person called themselves \”Scrypts,\” and said they were coming to watch NXT fall.
The Message
\”My name is written on the walls, my voice sounds through the halls, and soon I\’ll be in NXT to watch the whole thing fall. Pain is truly among thee. Imagine what will happen, has happened because it was always meant to be. Sincerely, Scrypts.\”
"Soon I'll be in #WWENXT to watch the whole thing fall…"
This person is not WWE SmackDown AJ \”Top Dolla\” Francis, or so he claims as he took to Twitter to deny he is the person behind the voice following the vignette that aired on Tuesday night.
This mysterious character comes after the success of “The White Rabbit Project” that WWE did ahead of the return of Bray Wyatt at Extreme Rules. It’s been reported that WWE will do more of these mysterious videos as they’re popular with fans.
The November 8, 2022 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
Joe Gacy defeated Cameron Grimes
Elektra Lopez defeated Sol Ruca
Charlie Dempsey defeated Andre Chase via throwing in the towel
Channing Lorenzo defeated Hank Walker
JD McDonagh defeated Axiom via ref stoppage
Damon Kemp defeated Brutus via DQ
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Kayden Carter and Katana Chance defeated Zoey Stark and Nikkita Lyons
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Five Minute Challenge
Brutus Creed vs. Damon Kemp in a five minute challenge took place.
On last week\’s episode, The Creeds insisted Kemp abide by the rules from Halloween Havoc. Kemp acknowledged his acceptance of the stipulation but did not provide a date.
The match saw Brutus jump Kemp from the get go and beat him down. Kemp tried to use a chair, but Brutus shot it down. Brutus hit him with a chair for the DQ.
.@BookerT5x is loving it! The NXT Universe is loving it!
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Kayden Carter and Katana Chance defended against Zoey Stark and Nikkita Lyons.
Stark expressed her disappointment on last Tuesday\’s NXT episode that she and Lyons had won the titles the previous week only for the referee to overturn their choice, resulting in Chance and Carter retaining the titles after the contest had resumed. Later, she was frustrated to the point of losing a match to Indi Hartwell.
The match served as the main event and was a solid match. The champs went over with their finisher. Post-match, Stark turned heel and attacked Lyons.
WWE booked the Grayson Waller Effect with NXT Champion Bron Breakker and Von Wagner.
On the November 15 episode of WWE NXT, Von Wagner will face Bron Breakker for the championship. In the last moments of last week\’s show, Wagner attacked the champion.
The match was announced by Grayson Waller in a video shared on social media on Sunday. He also revealed that Breakker and Wagner would be guests on his talk show.
So what happened? Robert Stone said the fans never gave Von a chance because they judged him. Von said the fans can complain about him on social media, but it doesn’t matter because he’s here to be champion.
A tweet noted that a fan couldn’t wait to see Bron be dethroned. Waller teases beating Bron for the title. Bron said NXT is all about the future and he used to be that, but he is now the guy and if someone wants the title then they have to take it from him. Bron said no one will take it away from him.
Von said that he is dangerous and next week, he will ragdoll him around the ring. They had a staredown to end the segment.
Axiom vs. JD McDonagh in a singles match took place.
McDonagh just defeated Ilja Dragunov on the episode from October 25. Prior to that, Bron Breakker defeated McDonagh and Dragunov in a triple-threat NXT Championship match at Halloween Havoc.
In the last moments of last week\’s broadcast, McDonagh was also seen walking toward Apollo Crews in the distance. Axiom recently lost a best-of-three match against Nathan Frazer. On the October 11 episode, he was defeated by Frazer in the third and decisive match.
The match saw JD go over with his finisher and the referee stopped it.
Post-match, JD did a promo about how it was a warning to the rest of the locker room and noted that he was looking at Apollo Crews.
Former WWE star Cain Velasquez is a free man. On Tuesday, a Santa Clara County judge granted the former UFC Heavyweight Champion bail after a pre-trial hearing that lasted almost 13 hours over two days.
“This incident is extremely serious but appears to be isolated behavior by Mr. Velasquez,” Judge Arthur Bocanegra stated (transcript courtesy of MMA Junkie). “There is also a viable heat of passion defense.”
The breakdown of his release includes a $1 million bail, a protective order to stay a minimum of 300 yards from alleged victims, and GPS monitoring and compliance to an extended set of terms.
Freedom at Last
(via WWE)
Velasquez has been jailed for over eight months while he faces several charges for allegedly being involved in a shooting in late February. The charges against him include 1st degree attempted murder, multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and shooting an occupied motor vehicle, among others. If found convicted, he faces decades in prison.
The incident alleges that Cain followed Harry Goularte, who was charged with one felony count of lewd and lascivious act for allegedly molesting Velasquez’s son, after Goularte was let out of jail under supervised release despite being charged.
The former UFC Heavyweight Champion allegedly fired shots at the vehicle with Goularte, his mom, and stepdad, where Velasquez hit Goularte’s stepfather.
His defense attorney, Mark Geragos, had previously requested bail three times but was shut down on each attempt.
R-Truth confirmed the injury he suffered on the November 1 episode of WWE NXT in a video shared on social media.
R-Truth’s most recent match was on NXT against Grayson Waller last Tuesday, where he had to be helped by the medical staff to the backstage area following a dive over the top rope that saw him land awkwardly on the mat.
The referee gave Waller the win after stopping the match. Waller then cut a heel promo after the match because it was cut short unexpectedly.
The bout was set up after R-Truth made an appearance the previous week when Waller interrupted NXT North American Champion Wes Lee, who was addressing the NXT crowd over his win at Halloween Havoc on October 22.
R-Truth Provides an Update
(via WWE)
As previously reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter by Dave Meltzer, R-Truth suffered from a serious injury.
In the video, R-Truth confirmed that he suffered a torn quad and is undergoing surgery. As of this writing, it’s unknown how long R-Truth will be sidelined depending on the recovery, but the usual recovery time is 4 to 6 months. He thanks fans for their prayers and support following his injury last Tuesday.
Before the injury, he made appearances on NXT and WWE Main Event. We wish him a speedy recovery.
The upcoming AEW Fight Forever video game will not be launching on Xbox Game Pass any time soon after all.
Fight Forever is All Elite Wrestling’s first console video game. In recent months, details about the game have been few and far between The game won the Best Sports/Racing Game Award at Gamescom. It was officially announced in August, but its release date and other information remain unclear.
Earlier this week, WrestleZone reported that Fight Forever would be included on the Xbox Game Pass when it releases, which would have made it available to more than 25 million subscribers on the subscription service.
AEW Fight Forever Update
On Tuesday, the official @AEWGames Twitter account poured cold water on the report about Xbox Game Pass. According to AEW, the game will not be part of any monthly gaming subscription services.
The next round of information about Fight Forever will be announced Saturday, November 19th during AEW\’s Full Gear pay-per-view.
This also seems like a good time to share that we don't anticipate #AEWFightForever being part of any monthly gaming subscription services.
AEW: Fight Forever will be available in store at your favorite retailers or online. Reserve your copy today at: https://t.co/Nv3IuMVxiN
AEW Fight Forever will be released on Playstation 5, Playstation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Although no official release date has been confirmed.
A website with information has been launched and a teaser trailer is out. Wrestlers, move-sets, entrances, and arenas in the game will be customizable. There will also be a deep career mode.
Laredo Kid has opened up on having emergency surgery last month after suffering an injury during his match against El Hijo del Vikingo in Monterrey on October 23. The AAA star had to undergo the knife as a result.
He spent nine days in the hospital and spoke publicly for the first time in an interview with the Laredo Morning Times. The article noted that Kid\’s representatives said he could not speak for days after the injury. Kid called it the toughest battle he had ever fought.
“As I ended my fight with Vikingo, I had to be transported to San Vicente Hospital immediately and had to receive emergency surgery, as one of my intestines have become ruptured during the fight. It has been the toughest battle I have ever fought in my career and life,\” Laredo Kid said.
Laredo Kid on The Situation
Laredo Kid
Kid said the damage was life-threatening, and he spent more than a week in the hospital. In addition to announcing his return to his native country, the AAA star thanked everyone for their support. He also acknowledged AAA\’s help.
“After being hospitalized for nine days and fighting for my life, I want to tell everybody that I am back,” Laredo Kid said. “I am back at my house with my family and my children, and it is thanks to all of you — and all of my Laredo fanaticos — that I am better, because you all sent your well wishes, vibes and prayers. I really want to thank you all for always wanting to stay updated about my condition, and I especially want to thank my company Lucha Libre AAA that was always looking as to how I was doing,\” Laredo Kid said.
Kid stated that he still has a long way to go in his recovery but that his main priority right now is getting better so he can get back in the ring. With the fans\’ support, he looks forward to getting back into the ring.
Laredo Kid was supposed to wrestle at PWG DINK on November 6. However, due to his recovery, he was unable to do so.
In the last few days, there has been a lot of drama between NWA owner Billy Corgan and former World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis, as Aldis announced on Sunday that he would be leaving NWA when his contract expires on January 1, 2023.
NWA suspended Aldis for his comments despite him being scheduled to wrestle Odinson at NWA Hard Times 3. Aldis has been part of the National Wrestling Alliance since 2017, when Corgan purchased the company and helped get the promotion to where it is today.
Billy Corgan Gives his Side
While appearing on Busted Open Radio, Corgan detailed his issues with Aldis.
\”Nick Aldis and I entered into a business relationship five years ago where we bet on one another. That proved to be a good bet. He\’s been the highest paid talent in the NWA the entire time, without question. He knows that. He\’s had a lot of say, not only over the company but also with how he was booked. That\’s transparent,\” began Corgan. \”Why is a man, who a week ago, emailed us to say, \’Thanks for everything you\’ve done, I\’m going to kind of move on.\’ \’Cool.\’ He gave his notice, privately, we didn\’t do anything. Did we retaliate or leak some rumor? No, we didn\’t say anything. We have shows booked, Nick is on the card. He\’s doing interviews for the pay-per-view. Why is a guy, who is so disgruntled, doing interviews? We\’re in business, right? A couple of days ago, he does a video where he says, \’I\’m opting out of my contract.\’ He does it publicly. I wouldn\’t do business that way, but it\’s his choice. I didn\’t like it, but okay, he\’s leaving in 55 days. Do your business and go out the door. Hopefully, we\’ll do business down the road. Then, he starts blasting the product. I want to remind everybody. Everything that he\’s said, I\’ve been hearing that stuff for years. It\’s not like I heard it and got sensitive. Why in a pay-per-view week, with a talent who is leaving the company, does he decide to start blasting me and product, 55 days before he\’s out and he can do whatever he wants to do? Why does he have to bury the locker room and the product? Again, I\’ve heard all of this stuff privately for years. These are not new criticisms. He and I have battled about the product for years and he\’s helped make the product better with those battles. This is not a sensitive reactionary thing. How do I, as the leader of this company, allow a key talent, the most highly visible talent in the company, up until he opens his mouth and tells people he\’s leaving, blast the company? He\’s still under contract and being paid. We don\’t invite him. He\’s still being paid, we didn\’t take his money. I can\’t have a guy like that show up because what message does that send to the locker room. There are a lot of people in the locker room not happy about this. They have to do their job. Why is the focus not on Matt Cardona, Tyrus, Trevor Murdoch, Kamille, KiLynn King, or Chelsea Green? The focus is on Nick Aldis, who is not on the show anymore. It\’s not an animosity, it\’s just, why are we doing this?\”
Aldis apologized to fans after his suspension for not working the upcoming show and noted he intended to finish out his commitments ahead of his deal expiring.
Corgan talked about how he thought Aldis was attempting to create some publicity by saying he would be leaving when his contract expired.
When asked if there was tension before Aldis announced his departure, Corgan answered there wasn\’t any, but he admitted that he wished he could have spoken to Nick beforehand.
How Things Have Changed
(NWA)
Corgan was certain that Aldis was using an angle throughout the entire interview. Tyrus took Aldis\’ place in the NWA World Heavyweight Title match against Trevor Murdoch before moving it to NWA 74. The angle they were working on, according to Corgan, has changed to a shoot.
\”He wasn\’t happy with the way he was booked, he told me that, and we talked about that. He\’s a top guy, he believes he\’s a top guy, and he believes the company runs best when he\’s in the top position. He was very clear about that. I told him, \’I can\’t build a company around one person.\’ I have to get other people over to heat the company up. It can\’t just be about you. If it\’s just one guy, then it\’s just the Nick Wrestling Alliance. He thinks guys in the locker room are hell of workers. He\’s told me, \’this guy is a great worker. This guy is great.\’ Okay, so let me get these guys in position.”
Aldis said on social media that Corgan\’s opinions about NWA EmPowerrr and the reasons he chose not to launch a second show were driven by his desire to depart the company. Corgan has commonly noted that he doesn\’t think there is enough female talent to carry the show and raise it to the same level as the inaugural event.
When Corgan decided to make Aldis the center of the NWA in 2017, he was warned of his attitude, which Corgan then explained.
Corgan continued by saying, \”None of this needed to be public. We could have all these intense feelings and still be thinking what we\’re thinking, but why is this in public? That\’s my argument. Nick picked this fight. Now we\’re in wrestling-land. What are we talking about? A talent running a non-wrestling angle angle. He picked the fight. Now he\’s in a fight. I\’m not a weakling. I\’ve been in the public forum for 34 years. Nick wants to fight, let\’s fight. That\’s not a challenge. Do you hear me blasting Nick or spilling family secrets? No. I\’m talking strictly on a business level. This is a stupid play. He will regret this play later. I believe it hurts his stock in the public. If he were talking about running this angle on someone else, I would say, \’Don\’t do it.\’ Nick had a reputation before coming to NWA as a bit of a headache and a locker room problem. He\’s just reinforcing a stereotype that he spent five years erasing. Why? It\’s bad for business. It\’s bad for Nick Aldis business. I hope none of this rubs off on Mickie and hopefully I can resolve my issues with Mickie down the road. The issues with Mickie were business, nothing personal. If she felt disrespected, she felt disrespected on a wrestling business level. I would never disrespect Mickie as a woman or talent. She\’s a Hall of Famer.\”
Corgan concluded by stating that he was not working from an angle and that everything was a shoot.
WWE is again using JBL on television as Baron Corbin\’s manager. In recent weeks, the WWE Hall of Famer has been doing promos on the behalf of Baron and calling him a wrestling god, a nickname he had when he was still wrestling.
This continued on Monday’s episode of Raw as JBL did a heel promo and Corbin beat Cedric Alexander in a quick match.
In a post on Twitter, WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair called out WWE for using JBL while endorsing an anti-bullying program and knocked WWE for having JBL in the Hall Of Fame. Flair wrote the following:
Ric Flair’s Tweet
(WWE)
“I Guess The Anti Bullying Program You So Heavily Endorsed Does Not Apply To Bradshaw!! Jason Roberts And Joey Styles!! What A Joke! And He’s In The HOF! Sad!”
For years, there have been stories from wrestlers and talent about JBL that have claimed he was a bully backstage in WWE by taking ribs/pranks too far that were not in good-nature.
Former ECW star The Blue Meanie accused him of taking hard shots at him during their brawl at an ECW One Night Stand show that left him bloodied and injured. Also, Justin Roberts accused JBL of being a bully in his book, while there were issues with former WWE announcer Mauro Ranallo when he paired with JBL on the SmackDown commentary team.
Joey Styles was bullied by JBL and punched him out as a result. This past July, Flair partnered up with his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo and faced Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett in the main event of “Ric Flair’s Last Match” event during SummerSlam weekend.
I Guess The Anti Bullying Program You So Heavily Endorsed Does Not Apply To Bradshaw!! Jason Roberts And Joey Styles!! What A Joke! And He’s In The HOF! Sad!
AEW star MJF is making his film debut in a pro-wrestling-related project, as he will be part of an upcoming biopic on The Von Erich family.
It was reported via Deadline today that MJF is joining the cast of \”The Iron Claw.” The role that MJF will be playing hasn\’t been revealed.
Sean Durkin is writing and directing the movie. The synopsis for the film notes that the movie \”follows the rise and fall of the Von Erich family, a dynasty of wrestlers who made a huge impact on the sport from the 1960s to the present day.\”
The Movie
(AEW)
Zac Efron (Kevin Von Erich), Harris Dickinson (David Von Erich), Jeremy Allen White (Kerry Von Erich), Holt McCallany (Fritz Von Erich), Maura Tierney (Doris Von Erich), and Lily James are also part of the cast.
A24 released a first-look picture of Efron in the ring as Kevin Von Erich on Monday. Marshall Von Erich, who wrestles for MLW and is one of Kevin Von Erich\’s sons, previously commented on Efron playing his father by noting:
FTR is set to wrestle at the Tokyo Dome for the first time ever for the NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 event.
Dave Meltzer confirmed on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) will be wrestling at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 as they’ll defend their IWGP Tag Team Titles at the event.
FTR’s History with NJPW
The AEW stars won the IWGP Tag Team titles by defeating Jeff Cobb & The Great-O-Khan and Trent Beretta & Rocky Romero in a three-way match at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door this June.
Since becoming the champions, FTR has retained against Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) and Great-O-Khan & Cobb in their two title defenses.
NJPW did an angle after NJPW Battle Autumn in Osaka last Saturday with FTR and Aussie Open as Aussie Open confronted FTR backstage, saying that they\’re going to win NJPW\’s World Tag League tournament and then go on to challenge FTR at Wrestle Kingdom.
This upcoming event is taking place at the Tokyo Dome on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. FTR wrestling at the event means they\’ll miss that week\’s episode of AEW Dynamite. It’s been previously reported that other AEW stars will also be working the show.
The trend of WWE bringing in NXT stars to work episodes of Main Event at weekly Raw events has continued.
At Monday’s Raw (November 7), a fan favorite NXT star made their main roster debut: Wendy Choo, also known as Karen Q and Mei Ying.
Wendy in Action
The episode featured Wendy Choo going up against Tamina for an upcoming edition of Main Event that will air later this week.
Since introducing the character, she has been a hit with the fans and gotten over with her character shedding their cheerful vibes from backstage to show off a more vicious side once the bell rings.
Choo recently competed in a match against NXT\’s long-reigning Women’s Champion Mandy Rose, but came up short in her title pursuits.
Another NXT star that worked Main Event was Xyon Quinn. This marked his main roster TV debut as he has previously worked a dark match on the main roster as he wrestled in a pandemic-era SmackDown match under a former name.
Carmelo Hayes and Von Wagner are just some of the NXT names that have been put in this spot for WWE officials to get a look at these stars on a bigger stage.
Mia Yim is back in WWE as she returned to the company during this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw.
Yim made a comeback as a member of The OC and the equalizer that AJ Styles had mentioned. WWE United States Champion Seth Rollins entered the ring to begin his open challenge.
The Judgment Day cut him off, and shortly after that, The OC entered the ring. A brawl broke out between the two factions as Yim emerged from the crowd and attacked Rhea Ripley, with The OC standing tall in the ring to end the segment.
WWE released Yim in November 2021 after a run on WWE Raw as Reckoning, and in between, being swapped between brands without appearing anywhere. Yim didn’t wrestle any matches for 15 months while being sidelined by WWE and having her non-compete run out.
She spent five months with Impact Wrestling until parting ways with the promotion following their set of Bound For Glory tapings last month when she was free to wrestle once her non-compete clause expired.
WWE was reportedly interested in bringing back Yim after the expiration of her contract with Impact. WWE recently welcomed Emma (Tenille Dashwood) back to the company after years of being away.
Chelsea Green has commented on a potential return to WWE, as it has been reported that WWE has discussed bringing Green back to the company.
While speaking with Bill Pritchard of WrestleZone, Green was asked about potentially signing an exclusive deal with a company.
Before being called up in 2020, Green signed a contract with WWE in 2018 and wrestled on the NXT brand. She made her SmackDown debut on November 13 but fractured her wrist during a match. In April 2021, Green was subsequently let go in a round of layoffs.
Chelsea Green is Open to WWE Return
Chelsea Green
“I think that I wouldn’t go to AEW, and that’s just a reality for me. It’s not gonna happen. With WWE, I’m really glad that I left on good terms, although I was sad that I didn’t get to fulfill myself creatively as a wrestler. I still had a great relationship with Triple H. I had a great relationship with Vince, so I am really happy that I’m able to hold my head up high knowing there’s an opportunity for me to possibly go back if they decide it’s the time and the place. But this time would be different because I went into it the first time, and I was just so doe-eyed and naive, and just thought that I deserved to be listened to and deserved to be heard.
Now I realize it’s not always like that. And it’s not always wrestling. It just shows business. Acting is the same way. You’re not going to get everything that you ‘deserve’ or everything that you work for, and all you can do is just go in with a totally open mind and just let things happen. So if I did get the chance to go back, and if someone contacted me, I would absolutely have that conversation.”
Green continued by saying that, given the outcome of her first stint with WWE, she still had unfinished business. She said she would approach it differently this time, but the decision to return to WWE ultimately is a decision the company will have to make.
Green stressed that, even though she has enjoyed her independence on the open market, some of her will always wonder what may have been if she hadn\’t left. She compared her situation with her husband, Matt Cardona, who worked for the company as Zack Ryder for a significant amount of time.
Many fans were surprised to see how Vince McMahon handled Karrion Kross’ WWE main roster run last year as he changed up Kross’ entrance and didn’t use Karrion’s wife Scarlett as his manager.
He also booked Kross to be beaten in matches. They returned to WWE in August 2022 – less than a year after the company had released both stars.
They are just two of many former stars that have returned to the company since Triple H took over creative following the retirement of Vince McMahon.
How Did it Happen?
WWE.com
While speaking to The Sun, Kross explained how his relationship with Triple H helped lead to the couple’s comeback.
He noted he stayed in touch with a lot of people in WWE after his release and viewed it as a good experience.
“So every once in a while, we would check in on Hunter and see how he’s doing, just personal stuff – we never talked about work – and he would check in on us. One day he was wondering if we were around for a call. And then I think it was the week that you guys saw me on TV. I jumped on a call with Hunter and he proposed the concept of coming back. He said, ‘Would you guys like to come home?’ And we were like, ‘Of course we would’. And then you guys saw us two days later, we were on TV.”
“We’ve always had a good relationship with everyone. We loved our experience there. That bridge was never ever burned or damaged or anything like that. It was just a series of unfortunate events that led to where we’re at and we came full circle.”
Johnny Gargano, Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt, and Dakota Kai were just some of the names brought back after McMahon\’s controversial retirement.
The possibility of the fourth season of Dark Side of the Ring on VICE TV looks to be more like a reality.
The show is on pause while creators Evan Husney and Jason Eisener work on Tales from the Territories, which also airs on the network. There’s still been no confirmation on Dark Side of the Ring coming back by the network, which has led to speculation that Dark Side of the Ring had been canceled after the third season.
The Update
Pwinsider.com reported today that the forthcoming season is forthcoming, but unknown when it will exactly air. Per the report, WWE Hall of Famer Hacksaw Duggan was recently interviewed by the DSOTR team for a future installment.
The series has been the most viewed Vice TV series in the cable network\’s history.
The series focuses on controversial subjects and events within the realm of professional wrestling. Subjects covered on the first season included Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth, The Montreal Screwjob, Bruiser BrodyVon Erich family, Gino Hernandez, and \”The Fabulous Moolah\” The Fabulous Moolah.
The second season had Chris & Nancy Benoit, & Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit double-murder & suicide, New Jack, WWF Brawl for All, Jimmy Snuka, Dino Bravo, David Schultz, Herb Abrams & UWF, The Road Warriors, and the Owen Hart accident. The third season covered Brian Pillman, Nick Gage, Collision in Korea, The Ultimate Warrior, Grizzly Smith, Jake Roberts, Sam Houston, & Rockin\’ Robin Dynamite Kid, Plane Ride from Hell, Chris Kanyon, FMW, Johnny K-9, Luna Vachon, Rob Black & Xtreme Pro Wrestling, and the United States v. Vince McMahon.
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