WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash is speaking about the unspeakable tragedy that has touched his family. Nash\’s son Tristen passed away unexpectedly last week. He was only 26. Nash addressed the situation on the latest episode of his Kliq This podcast.
Co-host Sean Oliver said he heard from Kevin last Tuesday afternoon. Tristen had been rushed to the hospital for what they believed was a seizure.
\”The seizure caused a cardiac arrest, said Nash. \”He was basically dead in his room on the floor with the EMT working on him, and they got him back, they got him in the ambulance and.. trying to save his life, so.. to the people at Halifax Hospital, doctors and nurses, I thank you.\”
Oliver brought up that Tristen wasn\’t feeling well in the days prior to his passing. Nash said they both decided to stop drinking alcohol. The effects of abstaining from alcohol after periods of excessive consumption can be very serious.
\”We both decided that we were going to stop drinking,\” he continued. \”So, it was a situation where we both went cold turkey. I don\’t think either of us felt great, because you stop drinking coffee for a day and you get a headache. I think we were both dealing with it, but also because we\’re so close tot he cruise lines here, that Norovirus shit is always prevalent.\”
Oliver asked what precipitated the decision for them to stop drinking. Nash said Tristen had had some alcohol-related \’incidents\’ and was hospitalized earlier this year due to his dependency.
\”He had this situation, at the beginning of the year, hospitalized for almost 60 days due to drinking. This is my cross to bear. It\’s alcoholism. It took one of my dearest friends, it took Scott, and now it\’s taken my son.\”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Kevin Nash and his family during this difficult time.
WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley is working on a new television project. During the latest episode of his Foley is Pod podcast, the Hardcore Legend commented on a mysterious project in the works.
“I may or may not be within a few miles of WWE’s compound where I may or may not be working on a television show. But if I am working on a show, it is going really well.”
It sure sounds like he\’s working with WWE on this new project, but he\’s keeping things close to the vest for now.
Cody Rhodes Revisits The Throne
Cody Rhodes remains out of action after undergoing surgery to repair his torn pectoral muscle earlier this year. The American Nightmare\’s recovery is going well and he\’s expected back in action in early 2023.
On Wednesday, Rhodes posted a photo on social media of himself in front of Triple H\’s iron cross throne. The last time he stood in front of a throne like that, he was destroying it at All Elite Wrestling\’s first pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing 2019.
At the time, the defiant act symbolized his plan to chart a new path for himself outside the auspices of Triple H and WWE. Fast forward three years and Cody in front of the throne takes on an entirely different meaning.
Bobby Lashley was recently interviewed by RainmakerNYC and discussed his current run with WWE. Lashley returned to the company in 2018 after a 10-year hiatus, which saw him working primarily for Impact Wrestling.
Here\’s what the 46-year old Almighty one had to say about the biggest change during those ten years way:
“I’m older!\”, he joked. \”No, older, wiser — I mean, there’s there’s a little bit of everything. There’s a different kind of training that you have when you’re a little bit of an older athlete. You know, I take care of myself a little bit more, I have different — just different thoughts. Before when I was younger, it was like, yeah, early lifestyle, money you run around doing a whole bunch of different things. Now, I’m more of a businessman.
Green Kane
WWE legend Kane (Glenn Jacobs) is debunking the rumor that the company planned for him to wear an alternate green costume during the Attitude Era.
Kane was loosely affiliated with DX when he and X-Pac won the WWE tag team championships in 1999. Over the years, photos of Kane in a green outfit have circulated online, as seen below:
The Big Red Machine appeared on WWE\’s The Bump this week and says there were never any plans for him to wear a green outfit on television.
“There is no green gear,\” he said. \”There was never going to be any green gear, and there never will be green gear. Kane’s red and black all the way, man.\”
– Kane
Kane did change up his look over the years, including different black and red gear, as well as variations of his mask (and later, no mask at all). However, nothing green was ever considered. In fact, he hates the idea of Green Kane.
\”I think that would have kind of undermined the character, actually,\” he said. \”So that’s one of those deals that sparked on the Internet, and that’s the first time I’d ever seen it, was when people started to talk about green Kane like part of DX. To my knowledge, that was never even discussed, although maybe I would look good in green. I don’t know.”
You can watch Kane\’s comments about \”Green Kane\” below:
"There is no green gear, there was never going to be any green gear and there never will be any green gear!"
Hangman Adam Page provided a reassuring update on his health after an injury scare during the main event of Tuesday\’s AEW Dynamite. During a world title match against Jon Moxley, Paige was legitimately injured and had to be stretchered out of the arena after the match was called off.
AEW issued a statement on Page\’s condition late Tuesday night, noting that he was taken to to the trauma center of a Cincinnati hospital after Dynamite and diagnosed with a concussion. He was discharged later in the evening and will remain in AEW’s concussion protocol.
On Wednesday, Page thanked everybody for supporting him through this tough time. He\’s \”feeling good today\” and thanked AEW personnel for taking care of him at Dynamite.
All Elite Wrestling\’s flagship TV show aired on Tuesday this week due to a preemption for the Major League Baseball playoffs. The special Tuesday Night Dynamite on TBS went head-to-head with NXT on the USA Network, a throwback of sorts to the Wednesday Night Wars that ran from October 2, 2019, to April 7, 2021.
Both companies put their best foot forward in their latest battle, with AEW presenting Jon Moxley\’s world title defense against Hangman Adam Page and WWE sending several main roster stars to NXT including Kevin Owens, Austin Theory, Shinsuke Nakamura, Rhea Ripley and more.
The October 18, 2022 edition of AEW Dynamite won the night with viewership, averaging 752,000 viewers. It was the #8 ranked show on cable for the night with a 0.26 rating (P18-49).
NXT drew 676,000 fans and ranked #12 on cable with a 0.18 rating.
Dynamite returns to its usual time slot next Wednesday. NXT has a special event this Saturday night, Halloween Havoc, airing on Peacock.
Dynamite led NXT in 18-49 in every quarter-hour.
But in total viewership NXT led in 2 quarters, during Grimes & OC vs. Schism and later during the Quinn vs. Elliott.
Besides QH1, which likely benefited from the lead-in, quarter w/ MJF-Regal promo was the highest for Dynamite.
Kevin Owens is headed to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida for tonight\’s episode of NXT. Owen posted a video on Twitter announcing that it was Shawn Michaels who extended the invite.
According to KO, Michaels wants him to oversee the in-ring meeting between Bron Breakker, Ilja Dragunov, and JD McDonagh. These three men will compete for Breakker\’s NXT Championship this weekend at Halloween Havoc.
You can watch Kevin Owens\’ message about attending tonight\’s NXT right here:
Owens, a former NXT Champion, is not the only main roster Superstar appearing on NXT. The show will also feature Rhea Ripley, Raquel Rodriquez, Sonya Deville Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in action.
Here\’s a preview for the show:
Cora Jade vs. Raquel Rodriguez
Roxanne Perez vs. Rhea Ripley
The Schism (Joe Gacy, Rip Fowler, and Jagger Reid) vs. Cameron Grimes, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
Alba Fyre vs. Sonya Deville
Channing \”Stacks\” Lorenzo vs. an opponent of Tony D’Angelo’s choosing
WWE Superstar Alexa Bliss is warning her fans once again to not get scammed by people impersonating her online.
Believe it or not, your favorite celebrity is not going to contact you and ask you to send them money. This may seem obvious, but there are a lot of gullible people out there and far too many scammers willing to victimize them.
Bliss is one of the most popular wrestlers in the world, boasting nearly 6 million followers on Instagram and another 1.8 million on Twitter. She has a legion of fans who would love to interact with her and would not think twice about \’helping\’ her if she was in need.
On Monday, Bliss sent out another message from her verified Twitter account urging her fans to stay safe online. She does not talk to people on Google Hangouts or in Facebook groups and she\’s never going to ask her fans to send her money or gift cards.
Bliss expressed frustration that she has to keep sending out these warnings, but the scams continue and her fans are the ones that suffer.
I hate that I have to KEEP saying this. I only have ONE acct on Twitter, IG & Tik Tok. I DO NOT talk to people on google hangouts or any “perosnal pages” or “perosnal #” if you think you are talking to me I PROMISE YOU you are not. & I would never ask for $ or gift cards.
Bliss has had to send these warnings before. She\’s asked followers to report any accounts claiming to be her. Aside from scammers using her likeness to trick unsuspecting people, Bliss also has to deal with deranged people sending death threats to her and husband Ryan Cabrera.
To our readers, please stay safe online. Investopedia has published this resource about the top Internet Scams to watch out for.
AEW star Sammy Guevara is headed to Dubai next month to be part of a high-profile boxing event for Global Titans. Guevara will serve as a commentator and backstage interviewer for Global Titans: Mayweather vs Deji.
The main event of this card will see boxing legend Floyd Mayweather fight YouTube star Deji in a boxing exhibition. Former WWE/NXT and AEW star Bobby Fish will also be competing against Boateng Prempeh.
Global Titans: Mayweather vs. Deji takes place Sunday, November 13th from Al Wasl, Dubai at the Coca-Cola Arena.
Sammy Guevara and Global Titans
Guevara confirmed his involvement with Global Titans on social media. He\’ll serve as a backstage reporter and commentator.
Guevara\’s upcoming role with Global Titans could be the start of a broader relationship with the upstart organization. On a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that event promoters are hopeful that he will step in the ring for them at a future show.
The former AEW TNT Champion does not have any professional fighting experience, but that\’s not necessarily a hinderance to a special attraction fight.
This gig with Global Titans is an example of what makes AEW contracts so appealing to talent. Aside from a reduced travel schedule (AEW does not hold ongoing non-televised live events), wrestlers have greater freedom to accept outside projects like this.
Toni Storm knows she won\’t be the true queenpin of All Elite Wrestling until her Interim title is unified with Thunder Rosa\’s AEW Women\’s World Championship.
Storm won the \’placeholder\’ belt at September\’s All Out pay-per-view when she defeated Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter and Hikaru Shida in a Fatal 4-way match. She\’s been a fighting champion ever since, but she believes it\’s \”nonsense\” that Thunder Rosa is still recognized as the real champion.
Storm has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy the injury that\’s put Rosa out of action indefinitely. Rosa has defended herself, claiming she could barely walk and denying she has backstage heat with other women on the roster.
During a new interview with Chris Mueller for Bleacher Report, she\’s now bemoaning the fact that she\’s only an interim champion. Storm didn\’t mince words when asked what\’s next for her.
\”I guess my first thing would be to beat Thunder Rosa and stop this interim nonsense,\” said Storm. \”That’s kind of what’s been bothering me. I think that’s been bothering a lot of people because she’s still calling herself the AEW women’s world champion and I’m the one here every week doing the work.”
– Toni Storm
Just Focus on Being the Best
We don\’t have any indication that Rosa is gearing up for an in-ring return, so Storm will have to focus on what she can control, for now. Right now, she\’s focused on being a strong champion, working hard and giving her all.
\”I guess it’s about being a good champion, being a strong champion,\” she said. \”That’s what I’m up against every day. I’m working harder than I ever had in my entire career. The time is now. I look at every week as just an opportunity to prove myself. I love giving it my all and who knows where we go from here? But all I know is I’m gonna continue to work hard.”
Head over to Bleacher Report for more from this interview, including Toni Storm\’s opinion on Saraya joining AEW.
Interim Titles in Wrestling
Storm is not the only AEW star to be saddled with a \’less-than\’ Interim championship. Jon Moxley was an Interim champion prior to steamrolling CM Punk to unify that championship earlier this summer.
Interim titles are commonplace in the UFC, when champions are injured for prolonged periods of time. There\’s an argument to be made that a champion should have to forfeit their belt if they cannot defend it. Either way, it\’s less-than-ideal when a new champion did not defeat the prior champion.
This week\’s edition of Monday Night Raw takes place from the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. WWE has been on a roll as of late, with fans and pundits largely in agreement that Raw has been consistently enjoyable shows. The company looks to keep the momentum going with another eventful episode.
Approximately 5,900 tickets have been distributed for Raw, according to Wrestletix. The venue is configured to accommodate over 6,200 fans, so attendance could top 6,000 by the time Raw goes on the air.
WWE is advertising several matches and segments for tonight:
Brock Lesnar will appear. The Beast Incarnate made a surprise return last week and destroyed Bobby Lashley. Will Lesnar address The Almighty, or does he have other plans in mind?
Seth Freakin\’ Rollins will defend the United States championship against his rival, Matt Riddle.
Dexter Lumis battles The Miz, If Lumis wins, he\’ll earn a contract to become a full-time member of the Raw roster.
The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) vs. The Alpha Academy\’s Chad Gable and Otis.
Elias returns. What will the multi-talented wrestler/musician have to say about his brother Ezekiel appearing for WWE during his time away?
WWE Crown Jewel takes place two weeks from this Saturday, so expect to see more build towards WWE\’s next premium live event.
Liv Morgan is going to have an extra special Halloween this year. The former SmackDown Women\’s Champion is a big fan of horror movies, including the Child\’s Play franchise about Chucky, a murderous \’Good Guy\’ doll come to life. Chucky has his own show on the Syfy cable network, now in its second season.
Morgan recently did an interview where she revealed her dream of getting killed by Chucky on screen. She explained that she\’s not looking for a starring role in the show, she doesn\’t need to be a recurring character, she just wants to be one of Chucky\’s victims.
\”I want Chucky to kill me! It\’s a dream. I don\’t want a starring role, I don\’t want a lead, I just want to be brutally murdered by Chucky.\”
– Liv Morgan
Liv Morgan\’s dream comes true in just over a week. She guest stars on Chucky next Wednesday, October 26th.
The Chucky series serves as a sequel to Cult of Chucky, the seventh film in the franchise. Actor Brad Dourif reprised his role as the voice of the titular character. The show\’s synopsis reads, \”After a vintage Chucky doll turns up at a suburban yard sale, an idyllic American town is thrown into chaos as a series of horrifying murders begin to expose the town\’s hypocrisies and secrets.\”
Liv Morgan has been expressing her excitement about the role on social media. She\’s been writing things like, \”HONORED\” and \”I\’M SO EXCITED.\” We won\’t have to wait long to see how Morgan and Chucky get along.
Saraya is opening up about injuries forcing her into retirement in her mid 20\’s, feeling \”completely useless\” when WWE wouldn\’t use her for three years and refusing to give the company a cut of the revenue from her lucrative Twitch channel.
She discussed these topics and more on the latest episode of Chris Jericho\’s Talk is Jericho podcast. Saraya signed a WWE contract in September 2011 when she was just 19 years old. She accomplished a lot during her time in NXT and WWE, but was forced to retire in 2018 due to serious injuries to her neck.
Jericho asked how it felt to know her in-ring career was cut short at such a young age.
\”Awful,\” she said. \”The only thing is that I was in a better mindset, because if it was a couple years before, I would have spiraled 100%, but at that point, I was just like, \’You know what, I can\’t hit rock bottom again, I can only continue and try to do other things.\’
But then, I got to be GM and I loved it, but that kind of got cut short as well, and I never really understood why, because it was a great gig. I feel like everyone liked it, I never got anything negative from it, it was just shocking.
Road Dogg called me the day before I was supposed to fly out, and then he was just like, \’So, we\’re probably not going to do the GM thing anymore, so you won\’t have to come to work tomorrow.\’ Then, he decided that I was going to come and do a goodbye speech as GM, which I thought was really sweet. So, I end up flying in, doing that first segment of the show and flying back and then I was sitting on my ass for years. Still under contract, doing absolutely nothing.\”
Feeling Useless When WWE Wouldn\’t Let Her Work
\”I ended up sitting in my house for like 3 or 4 years. That\’s the most depressing thing. You just feel like you\’re completely useless.\”
– Saraya
Saraya was devastated when WWE relieved her as General Manager. The role gave her something to do on camera outside of the ring. When that fell through, she wanted to contribute in other ways. She pitched many ideas, including being a brand ambassador or a manager, but the company gave her the runaround.
\”I remember contacting them and being like, \’If you want me to do media, I can do that, if you want me to do this, I can do that, if you want me to do managerial work, I think Ronda needed a mouthpiece at the time, I was constantly pitching these different ideas. I was like, \’I can do these things, I\’m available, just let me know.\’ But I ended up sitting in my house for like 3 or 4 years. That\’s the most depressing thing. You just feel like you\’re completely useless and then you can\’t go and do anything else, because you\’re under a contract where, even though you\’re an independent contractor, you still need permission to do stuff, and then it would get turned down.\”
Twitch
Absolutely not. You can get Vince to call me if you want, but I\’m not giving you my Twitch, there\’s no f*cking way.
– Saraya
Saraya was not content just sitting at home and doing nothing. WWE wasn\’t giving her anything to do, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. She joined the Twitch streaming platform. Saraya\’s Twitch account took off and she made a lot of money interacting with her fans online from the comfort of her home.
That sounds like a great setup, until she got a call from Vince McMahon\’s assistant who said WWE wants a cut of her Twitch earnings.
\”It used to really get to me a lot, I never used to be vocal about it until they tried to take my Twitch away. I was just like, \’There\’s absolutely no way you\’re going to take my Twitch away from me.\’ Vince\’s assistant at the time called me, he only did one phone call, and he was just like, \’Well, you need to give us a percentage of this.\’ If I had spoken to Vince, he would have been way more chill about it, I believe, but his assistant just had a fucking stick up his ass.\”
I was frustrated. I was like, no way. Not only did I break my neck for you guys twice, for this company, but you don\’t let me do anything. So I\’m not earning this extra money that I would get if I was on the road doing media and all that kind of stuff. So I was like, this is what I\’m doing. It\’s keeping me sane. In the end, I just said, \’Absolutely not. You can get Vince to call me if you want, but I\’m not giving you my Twitch, there\’s no f*cking way. \’
Listen to Saraya\’s appearance on the Talk is Jericho podcast:
The main event is set for New Japan Pro Wrestling\’s biggest show of the year.
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 is scheduled for Wednesday, January 4, 2023 from the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. New Japan\’s flagship show returns to a single-night format after several years of taking place over 2 nights.
As expected, the main event of WK17 will see IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White defending against Kazuchika Okada, winner of the G1 CLIMAX 32 tournament.
Wrestle Kingdom 17 will be dedicated to Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki, who passed away last week.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White
The bout was made official during the closing segment of Monday\’s NJPW Declaration of Power, where White successfully defended his title against Tama Tonga. During a post-match promo, Okada came out and had a stare-down in the ring.
Okada is considered one of the greatest wrestlers of this generation, but some will consider him an underdog going into this bout. The Rainmaker holds a 1-4 record against Switchblade in their five battles.
WWE returns to Brooklyn, NY tonight for the (Fall 2022) Season Premiere edition of Monday Night Raw from the Barclays Center.
Raw will feature D-Generation X\’s 25th Anniversary celebration. Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Sean \”X-Pac\” Waltman and \’Road Dogg\’ Brian James will celebrate one of the most legendary factions in WWE history. DX was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019.
These days, the group\’s former leaders (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) are among the most powerful people behind the scenes. Triple H serves as WWE\’s Chief Content Officer and Head of creative, while Michaels is the Vice President of Talent Development Creative for NXT.
Roman Reigns and The Bloodline will also be on hand. Reigns won\’t be competing at Extreme Rules, but has a \’date\’ with Logan Paul at Crown Jewel on November 5th.
Matches advertised for the WWE Raw Season Premiere include:
Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley for the United States Championship.
Johnny Gargano vs. Austin Theory
In addition to these announced segments and matches, the \’new season\’ of Raw comes with some significant changes to the show\’s broadcast team:
Backstage correspondent Kevin Patrick moves to the announcer\’s booth and will call the action alongside Corey Graves.
Byron Saxton and the returning Cathy Kelly will serve as the shows\’ new backstage correspondents.
Join us here later tonight for our WWE Raw results and takeaways.
Matches for the Television Championship will have a 15 minute time limit, which adds a sense of urgency and heightens the fast-paced element they are striving for. They will also focus on younger wrestlers, as well as having the belt defended in smaller towns that don’t often see title defenses.
A tournament will be held to crown the first champion starting on October the 14th. Semifinals will be held on November 3rd in Osaka, with the first champion being crowned at Wrestle Kingdom 17.
A representative from TV Asahi Sports mentioned that title matches will eventually air for free on NJPW\’s social media channels.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman is firing back at anti-Semitic comments made by Kanye West.
West made headlines around the world overnight with his late night diatribe aimed at Jewish people. He wrote on social media, \”I\’m a bit sleepy tonight when I wake up I\’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE The funny thing is I actually can\’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.\”
Days before this Tweet, Jewish groups accused West of propagating anti-Semitic stereotypes during an interview with Fox News.
West has received blowback from various racially sensitive comments over the years, and Jews have not been his only target. In 2018, he floated the idea that African Americans \”chose\” to be slaves. He told TMZ, \”When you hear about slavery for 400 years … For 400 years? That sounds like a choice.\”
MJF Responds to Kanye West
On Sunday, MJF addressed the controversy on Twitter. He wrote:
\”Kanye calling Jewish people horrifying doesn’t shock me.
What shocks me is how little we as a society talk about antisemitism.
To put things into perspective. Slavery was very recent and the plight of POC is still rampant.
End of slavery-1865
End of Holocaust-1945
People tweeting “this is out of character”
I don’t play a character. Never have. I’m a Jew. I’m angry, And you should be angry too.\”
The tweets got a lot of replies, as you can imagine. He followed up by writing, \”And for the people out there who will try to attack me for bringing up the abolition of slavery in the US. I am not taking your very real pain away. Nor am I trying to play a game of \’who’s had it worse.\’ If you think that was the point of this tweet you’re dumb as bricks.\”
MJF has been outspoken about the anti-Semitism he\’s faced while growing up. Back in February, he cut an impassioned promo on AEW Dynamite explaining how he dealt with a high school classmate who bullied him for being Jewish.
WWE Extreme Rules 2022 is finally upon us. After weeks of build, WWE\’s latest premium live event offering rolls into the home of extreme, Philadelphia, PA.
Six matches are signed for the event. You can check out WWE Extreme Rules Predictions to see who our staff thinks will be victorious tonight.
Here are the final betting odds for Extreme Rules, courtesy of BetOnline:
Imperium is favored (-160) to defeat the Brawling Brutes (+120) in their 6-Man Tag team match.
Finn Balor is favored (-260) to beat Edge (+200) in their \”I Quit Match.\”
Karrion Kross is now favored (-400) to defeat Drew McIntyre (+250) in their Strap Match.
Bianca Belair is a slight favorite (-130) to retain the Raw Women\’s Championship against Bayley (+100).
Matt Riddle is a strong favorite (-1500) to defeat Seth Freakin\’ Rollins (+600) in the Fight Pit match.
Ronda Rousey is favored (-260) to re-capture the SmackDown Women\’s Championship from Liv Morgan (+180) in their Extreme Rules match.
Check back later tonight for our WWE Extreme Rules results and reactions.
Nigel McGuinness (Steven Haworth) is no longer with WWE. He was released earlier this week amid a shakeup to the commentary teams of Raw, SmackDown and NXT. The news was first reported by PWInsider.
The 46-year-old from London, England signed with WWE in 2016. He was hired at the recommendation of Michael Cole. He made his WWE commentary debut (alongside Cole) at the United Kingdom Championship Tournament in January 2017.
During his time with the company, McGuinness did color commentary for NXT, 205 Live, Main Event, NXT UK and NXT Level Up.
His departure comes at a time when WWE is applying a fresh coat of paint to its cable television shows for the new fall season. Earlier this week, WWE announced a major shakeup to the commentary teams of Raw, SmackDown and NXT. Amid this reshuffling, McGuinness and former Raw lead announcer Jimmy Smith found themselves on the outs.
McGuinness is former Ring of Honor World Champion, so he\’d be a natural fit to join the ROH broadcast team, if Tony Khan is able to secure a TV deal for his recent purchase.
15 years ago today, Nigel McGuinness made his dream of becoming the Ring of Honor World champion a reality during the company's 4th PPV, "Undeniable", by overcoming Takeshi Morishima. pic.twitter.com/2TKz4MflOc
Malakai Black was back in the tattoo studio this week getting worked on by Orlando-based artist Eddie Saraiva. The House of Black leader posted a video on Instagram showing off his latest piece, a (still in-progress) dragon adorning the left side of his head.
Malakai Black\’s Status
Malakai Black is currently on hiatus from pro wrestling. His most recent match for AEW took place at All Out earlier this month. Shortly after that event, there was a slew of information regarding his health and future with AEW.
Amid the chaotic fallout of the All Out post-show media scrum, it was reported that Black was seeking time off due to personal reasons. He was pulled from appearances due to \”health issues\” and later confirmed that he requested his release from AEW.
Shortly thereafter, Malakai Black \”debunked the rumor\” that he is leaving AEW. During a live stream on Instagram, he stated, \”I will see you guys in a couple of weeks, maybe a couple of months. Like I said, I’m only taking some time off. That’s it. I’m just taking some time off.\”
He reiterated that there is no \”conspiracy\” to his situation, he\’s simply taking time off.
\”I am fine,\” he said.\” \”I am going to be fine. Everything is fine. You will see me right back with AEW pretty soon. I’m just going to take some time. That is it.\”
Drew McIntyre is on the mend after battling a bad case of food poisoning. The 6\’5\” 265-pound Superstar is as tough as they come, but even he was no match for the illness.
McIntyre was in bad shape last Friday, but still appeared on WWE SmackDown after undergoing intravenous treatments backstage before the show. He was originally scheduled to compete at the WWE live events over the weekend from Stockton, California (Saturday) and Fresno, California (Sunday), but was given time off to recover.
We\’re happy to report that McIntyre is feeling better and is scheduled to be back on television this Friday for SmackDown. The 2-time WWE Champion is part of the creative team\’s plans for the show, according to a report at PWInsider.
Looking ahead for Drew McIntyre
McIntyre is one of the most popular wrestlers in WWE. He just challenged Roman Reigns for the Undisputed Clash at the Castle event from Cardiff, Wales. Reigns was victorious, but needed help from (the debuting) Solo Sikoa to defeat the Scotsman. The Tribal Chief has moved on to a feud with Logan Paul, which will culminate at WWE Crown Jewel on Saturday, November 5th from Saudi Arabia. After that Reigns has another challenger waiting in the wings.
McIntyre is currently feuding with Karrion Kross, who recently returned to WWE. The two are scheduled to clash at next weekend\’s Extreme Rules premium live event from Philadelphia. We\’ve updated our post about Extreme Rules Betting Odds, if you\’re interested in seeing who is currently favored to win that match.
Legendary wrestling faction The New Day recently reunited, but it wasn\’t for WWE. Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E got together to film a comedy sketch for G4\’s Attack of the Show Youtube channel.
The beloved trio teamed up with comedians Will Neff and Case Blackwell for a parody television commercial promoting Action Human, a fully opposable life-sized version of wrestling action figures. The sketch involved two friends are playing with wrestling action figures, but they were upset because the \”barely-opposable\” action figures don\’t properly capture the intensity of a real wrestling match. A fireball erupts and the New Day emerge to save the day. The Superstars transformed one of the guys into a \”Fully Opposable Action Human\” and well, hilarity ensues.
Xavier Woods has been an on-air host for the G4 television network ever since the gaming channel was relaunched in 2020.
Big E has been off WWE television since he suffered a broken neck on the March 11, 2022 edition of SmackDown on FOX. He provided an update on his condition last month. At the time, he was 5 months removed from breaking his neck and said he was feeling great. He still doesn\’t know if he will be able to wrestle again, but he\’s living a normal life with virtually no pain from in the incident, which is nothing short of a miracle.
For more on Big E\’s recovery from a broken neck, check out this article from last month:
John Cena attended the wedding of filmmaker James Gunn and actress Jennifer Holland over the weekend. The star-studded event took place at Dunbar Ranch in Aspen Colorado, a breathtaking property owned by Academy Award winner Kevin Costner. Other guests in attendance included Chris Pratt, Seth Green, Dr. Anthony Faucci and Zoey Saldana, according to Deuxmoi.
Dunbar Ranch
Shortly after Gunn and Holland were engaged, Cena jokingly offered to officiate their wedding dressed up as his Peacemaker character.
Gunn wrote for and directed John Cena and Holland in the Suicide Squad film and popular HBO series The Peacemaker. Following the recent news that The Peacemaker is returning for a second season, Gunns said, “Creating Peacemaker has been one of the true highlights of my life, both professionally and otherwise, with John Cena and the incredible creative team around me, as well as our partners at HBO Max.\”
Gunn also wrote and direct the Guardians of the Galaxy series, featuring Cena\’s former WWE rival Dave Bautista. Bautista’s GOTG co-stars (Pratt and Saldana) were in attendance, so it\’s possible Bautista was there as well.
Cena and wife Shay Shariatzadeh celebrated their marriage in July with a second wedding ceremony. They were first married in 2020.
Cena recently made headlines across the world for his Guinness World Records achievement of granting 650 wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation benefitting critically ill children.
Congratulations to James Gunn and actress Jennifer Holland!
Watch: John Cena and James Gunn with Margot Robbie on Jimmy Kimmel Live!:
Maxwell Jacob Friedman is making big money as part of his renegotiated contract with All Elite Wrestling. MJF has been with AEW since it was founded in 2019 and was not widely known prior to joining Tony Khan\’s promotion. As a result, he wasn\’t earning the same level of money that world famous stars like Chris Jericho and John Moxley were able to command.
The 26-year-old from Plainview, Long Island has proven himself to be an exceptional talent whose mic skills put him in an elite class of all-time great talkers such as Roddy Piper and Paul Heyman. He\’s one of the hottest acts in all of professional wrestling, but wasn\’t making main event caliber money until recently. All the while, he watched Tony Khan open the vault to sign people like CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole to lucrative deals.
MJF recently appeared on The MMA Hour podcast to promote AEW Grand Slam. During his discussion with host Ariel Helwani, MJF revealed that he recently sat down with Tony Khan and they hashed out a revised agreement that he\’s very satisfied with.
How Much Does MJF Make?
MJF boasted to Ariel Helwani that he was able to get Khan to give him a huge raise without having to extend the time frame of his current contract. He\’s set to become a free agent on January 1, 2024, a date that will kick off the Bidding War of 2024.
He intends to let his contract lapse, enter free agency and then let AEW and WWE duke it out to secure his services. He\’s sure to score a blockbuster deal at that time, but won\’t have to wait until 2024 to become a millionaire.
MJF is now one of the highest paid stars in AEW and makes seven figures, according to the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The Observer had this to say about MJF\’s new deal with AEW:
Based on things we heard, it’s was more than $1 million per year.
Only a few people in the industry make over a million dollars per year and MJF is almost certainly the youngest person on this short list. It is rare for a wrestler to re-negotiate their contract mid-way through its term. However, as MJF will tell you, he\’s a generational talent.
White Rabbit is at the center of WWE\’s latest mystery. The classic rock song by Jefferson Airplane has played at several live events in recent weeks, leaving wrestling fans to wonder who (or what) is behind this viral campaign.
We\’ve seen several other clues dropped on WWE television in recent weeks, which we\’ll break down below. WWE has hyped debuting/returning Superstars using cryptic vignettes, flickering lights and other techniques. WWE\’s TV productions are carefully orchestrated and (almost) nothing happens by accident.
The following is a breakdown of what we know about WWE\’s White Rabbit. We\’ll use this article as a master resource to track everything in the lead-up to the big reveal.
The Song by Jefferson Airplane
The White Rabbit mystery began when WWE began playing Jefferson Airplane\’s 1967 song at live events. It first happened during a commercial break at a recent Friday Night SmackDown taping.
It occurred once again over the weekend, prior to the WWE live event from Oakland, CA.
The September 19th edition of WWE Raw brought more clues about the White Rabbit.
Just before a match between Austin Theory and Kevin Owens, a QR code appeared on screen. When the code is scanned, it sends fans to a hidden section at the WWE website.
That URL displays a video showing a game of \’Hang Man\’ with the question, “Who killed the world?” The answer to the puzzle is, “YOU DID”.
A white rabbit then hops around an alarm clock that reads 9:23, an indication that a reveal may be coming on 9/23, which coincides with the September 23rd edition of SmackDown.
“Go ask Alice, when she’s ten feet tall.”
Lyric from White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane
Later in the show, Alexa Bliss dropped a White Rabbit clue that some fans may have missed. She told Bayley, \”You act like you’re 10 feet tall.” In passing, there doesn\’t seem to be anything unusual here. It just so happens, \”like you\’re 10 feet tall\” are lyrics taken from \”White Rabbit\” by Jefferson Airplane.
I didn't even catch that @AlexaBliss_WWE referenced White Rabbit during the segment. #WWERaw
There are two prevailing theories about the identity of WWE\’s White Rabbit.
One Possibility: Karrion Kross
SmackDown Superstar Karrion Kross portrayed a character called White Rabbit during his time wrestling for Lucha Underground, the defunct promotion that ran from 2015-2018.
Lucha Underground\’s White Rabbit, as well as the Jefferson Airplane song, are references to the White Rabbit in \”Alice\’s Adventures in Wonderland,\” which represents following your curiosities.
We\’ve seen Kross portray several gimmicks during his short time with WWE. If WWE is laying the groundwork for Kross as the White Rabbit, this could be the vehicle he needs to finally make a meaningful impact on the main roster.
Ever since Triple H took over as the head of creative and talent relations, fans have understandably compared his approach to that of his predecessor, Vince McMahon. We saw how McMahon presented acts that were dark, mysterious and even supernatural. It would be interesting to see how a similar approach would be handled in 2022 under Triple H.
More Likely: Bray Wyatt
Whenever anything remotely mysterious or spooky happens in the WWE Universe, some fans are convinced it\’s a sign that Bray Wyatt is returning home.
WWE has had many supernatural characters over the years, but few have resonated like the Eater of Worlds. This time, there\’s actually a lot of substance behind the wishful thinking.
WWE has given us a lot of dots to connect and breadcrumbs to follow. There is a theory going around that Bray Wyatt is WWE\’s White Rabbit. We were skeptical at first, but it\’s actually very convincing. In fact, there are so many coincidences here that we\’d be legitimately surprised if Bray Wyatt is not revealed as the White Rabbit.
Check out the theory below and decide for yourself.
All Elite Wrestling will present a special 2-hour \”Grand Slam\” edition of AEW Rampage this Friday night on TNT. These matches were taped Wednesday night after Dynamite from Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, New York.
The tapings saw rapper Action Bronson making his pro wrestling in-ring debut, a Battle Royal to determine Jon Moxley\’s next challenger for the AEW World Championship, an Unsanctioned Lights Out Match and more.
Chris Jericho, Jim Ross, Excalibur and Jim Ross are on commentary.
Tony Khan announced the winner of the Golden Ticket Battle Royal later in the show will challenge Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship on the special Tuesday, October 18th edition of AEW Dynamite. (Pre-emption due to Major League Baseball playoffs)
Sting and Darby Allin def. House Of Black (Buddy Matthews and Brody King) in a No DQ Match.
Action Bronson and FTW Champion Hook def. Jericho Appreciation Society\’s \”Cool Hand\” Angelo Parker and \”Daddy Magic\” Matt Menard.
Jade Cargill def. Diamanté to retain the AEW TBS Championship.
TNT Champion Wardlow and ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe def. Tony Nese and Josh Woods.
Jungle Boy def. AEW World Trios Champion Rey Fenix.
Eddie Kingston def. Sammy Guevara, but the decision was reversed and Guevara was awarded the win.
“Hangman” Adam Page won the Golden Ticket Battle Royale to become the new #1 Contender to the AEW World Championship.
\”Absolute\” Ricky Starks def. Powerhouse Hobbs in an Unsanctioned Lights Out Match.
The AEW rankings system has been a double-edged sword for All Elite Wrestling\’s matchmaking and storylines. When AEW launched in 2019, Tony Khan and his Executive Vice Presidents emphasized that \”wins and losses matter,\” unlike other promotions that have been hampered by directionless \’50/50 booking.\’
AEW tracks the win/loss records of everybody on the roster, but it\’s the Men\’s, Women\’s and Tag Team divisions that have generally been published each week. The records and rankings can be a useful tool when determining the challengers to AEW\’s top championships. However, there have been instances where wrestlers who are not highly-ranked receive title shots, which muddies the waters.
Over the past several weeks, we\’ve seen AEW announce and reference the rankings less frequently. At the AEW website, the most recent \’weekly rankings\’ available are from August 31, 2022.
The company still shows wrestlers\’ W/L records on-screen during match entrances, but there has been a noticeable pull-back on this initiative. Dave Meltzer mentioned on Wrestling Observer Radio, \”There was a decision not to emphasize them as much on television.\”
Of course, this could be a temporary measure and AEW could always give a renewed push to the rankings system. We know the rankings will play a big part in the storyline mode in the upcoming AEW Fight Forever video game.
The AEW rankings system has been a bold challenge to execute. The rankings are currently being de-emphasized. For the foreseeable future, we expect AEW to utilize rankings when it makes sense, without the challenges that come from regular weekly reporting.
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