On Monday, he issued a brief statement on social media thanking select people in WWE. He specifically thanked Triple H, Paul Heyman and William Regal for the years of support behind the scenes. He also thanked his fans and offered a \”big hug\” to the talent and WWE employees who he got a chance to work with.
I want to thank @TripleH , @HeymanHustle and @RealKingRegal for all these years and great support that they gave me all these years also to the fans who were always supporting me, a big hug to all the talent and workers who always behaved kindly to me. ????
Andrade is engaged to WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair. Most married men are familiar with the phrase, \”Happy Wife, Happy Life.\” Based on this tweet, the former NXT Champion subscribes to this idea.
WWE announced Andrade\’s release on Sunday. In a statement posted at WWE.com, the company wished him the best in his future endeavors.
Superstars who are released by WWE are customarily bound by a 90-day non-compete clause. If this condition applies, he would be free to work elsewhere at the end of June 2021.
The 31-year-old grappler recently filed to trademark his former ring name, La Sombra. Andrade will be a coveted free agent when he is able to work elsewhere this summer.
Pat McAfee says professional wrestling and more specifically, WWE\’s Attitude Era, made him into the man he is today.
The NFL star turned sports analyst and part-time WWE Superstar was a contestant on this week\’s episode of 10 Questions with Kyle Brandt on Spotify.
During the show, McAfee commented on pro wrestling\’s impact on his life, as well as whether or not we can expect to see him at WrestleMania 37.
\”The Attitude era is where I lived,\” McAfee said. \”The Monday Night Wars was awesome. If you listen to me on any given day, you can hear inspiration from The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, HHH, a little bit of Flair…that whole era created me into the person I am…Attitude Era is not only my biggest inspiration when it comes to wrestling, but also when it comes to life.\”
Pat McAfee got a chance to live his dream by wrestling for WWE last year. He made his in-ring debut last August at NXT Takeover XXX.
Good morning beautiful people..
I woke up a bit sore.. I couldn’t fully understand why then I hopped on the Twitter
McAfee would go on to make several more appearances for NXT. He received rave reviews for his WWE appearances, leading many to wonder when we will see him lace up the boots again. When asked by Kyle Brandt if he\’ll be at WrestleMania in April, McAfee said he\’s not sure if he\’ll have enough time to train for WWE\’s biggest show of the year.
\”Now that I’ve gotten the chance to do it, the amount of work and buy-in you have to have to be successful, it’s a lot…I’m not 100% sure I can do what’s needed to allow for a run to WrestleMania.”
This week is something I’ve dreamt about since I was roughly 10 years old… Just a little outgoing prick that was rather athletic who knew what he was put on this here planet to do.
Adam Cole will battle Finn Balor for the NXT Championship tonight on the USA Network. The former Undisputed Era leader spoke with Steven Muehlhausen to promote the event.
Cole discussed his preference of working as a babyface or heel, Undisputed Era being one of the greatest factions of all time, his rivalry with Finn Balor and much more.
Adam Cole has been a heel for most of his NXT run. He had a brief turn as a babyface/tweener before recently showing his true colors as a villain. Cole enjoys the \’shades of grey\’ in wrestling characters and feels that flexibility keeps things fresh.
\”I love the fact that I have little dips and dives in my character,\” said Cole. \”I think it allows me to explore more things creatively, especially when it comes to interviews and explaining why I did what I did. So I really dig that.\”
Adam Cole and Britt Baker
Adam Cole is in a relationship with AEW star Britt Baker. Both of them have portrayed entertaining heel characters on television. When asked which of them is the true heel, Cole says you do not want to mess with his woman.
\”Oh god,\” he replied. \”This may be a two-parter. On the screen, I think it\’s debatable. I think it depends. Britt does a heck of a job. At the house, Britt takes the cake. She\’s wonderful. I\’m sure she would say the exact same thing about me if roles were reversed. I think she takes the cake here. You don\’t want to mess with her. Don\’t ever want to mess with her. You never want to mess with a good woman.
Visit DAZN to read their full interview with Adam Cole.
WWE returns to the Capitol Wrestling Center tonight with an all new episode of NXT. This is a loaded show with a double main event fit for a Takeover special.
The following items are announced for this week\’s NXT on USA broadcast:
NXT Champion Finn Balor defends against Adam Cole
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defends against Toni Storm
NXT General Manager William Regal is set to make two game-changing announcements. WWE is hyping that these announcements will change the landscape of NXT forever.
All Elite Wrestling returns with an all-new episode of AEW Dynamite from Jacksonville, FL. This show will feature fallout from Sunday\’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view, including Kenny Omega retaining the AEW World Championship and the signing of Christian Cage.
It will be interesting to see how AEW addresses the controversial conclusion of the Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match.
AEW is advertising the following items for this week\’s TNT broadcast:
TNT Champion Darby Allin will defend against Scorpio Sky. The SCU member won the \”Face of the Revolution\” ladder match to earn this title shot.
Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks vs. Rey Fenix of Death Triangle
Hikaru Shida, Thunder Rosa and Ryo Mizunami team up against Dr. Britt Baker, Maki Itoh and Nyla Rose in six-woman tag-team action.
Cody Rhodes will be in action
Ethan Page vs. Lee Johnson
Plus, we\’ll hear from Christian Cage and the Inner Circle will hold their \”War Council\” to announce some changes to the group.
Join us here later tonight for our AEW Dynamite Results and Takeaways feature.
Christian Cage is Renee Young\’s guest on the latest episode of the Oral Sessions podcast. Hot off his AEW debut at Sunday\’s Revolution pay-per-view, Christian goes in-depth about his experience getting medically cleared after 7 years away from the ring, his jump to AEW and much more.
Returning To WWE, Jumping To AEW
Christian said when he returned at the Royal Rumble in January, he wasn\’t nervous at all. However, he was nervous at AEW Revolution. He doesn\’t know why, but he suspects the nerves were related to the new environment.
The PPV began at 8pm (Eastern) and he showed up after 7pm. He went straight onto his bus and did not mingle with anybody. He felt like the new kid in class. He really wanted to live up to the hype set by Paul Wight and AEW.
It felt great to appear in front of the AEW crowd. Obviously, these times are not ideal due to the pandemic. However, the people who were in attendance were loud. Wrestling at the ThunderDome was cool, but there\’s nothing like a live audience.
When he signed with AEW, he did not know how he\’d be introduced. He wasn\’t signed when Paul Wight announced a \’huge huge star\’ would be at the PPV.
Christian says he will be a full-time performer. If he didn\’t have the confidence to go at 100%, he wouldn\’t be in AEW. He\’s coming back to show the world he\’s one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time.
Getting Medically Cleared
He feels like his body has been preserved for 7 years. He\’s in a great place mentally and physically.
Christian visited the University of South Florida Concussion Center in June 2020 in hopes of getting medically cleared. He went there on his own and did not tell anybody about the visit. He figured, if the doctors tell him he needs to stay retired, nothing would really change.
After undergoing rigorous medical examinations, his doctor told him, \”You crushed these tests.\” He was average or above average on all the scores related to his brain. He didn\’t fail any of the tests. The doctor told him, \”You\’re good to wrestle again.\”
At this point, he knew it was time to get the rest of his body in peak physical shape. Edge referred him to Nutrition Solutions, a meal prep company. He built a minimalist gym in his garage and trained hard using basic weights, kettle bells and an assault bike. He\’s also doing a lot of planks.
As he was getting into shape, he got a call from WWE around September/October. He spoke with Vince McMahon and told him the news about getting medically cleared. Vince was very happy for him. They had a few good conversations. Christian told Vince he still wanted to get his body into better shape and they left things there. Edge was very supportive about his journey.
Who He Wants To Work With In AEW
Christian says he\’s with AEW for the long haul. He\’s not here just to wrestle a couple matches. He sees a lot of people in AEW that he wants to work with, including:
Jon Moxley: Moxley has told Christian that he\’s learned a lot from working with him in WWE. \”At some point, he and I are going to do something together.\”
Kenny Omega: Christian has never met Omega, but is familiar with his work. Renee added that Omega is a tough nut to crack. She\’s been around him a few times but hasn\’t gotten to know him.
Darby Allin: Christian says he\’s got the Jeff Hardy \”cool\” factor.
The Young Bucks: He knows the Young Bucks grew up as fans of the Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian. Renee suggested that we might see The Young Bucks vs. Matt Hardy & Christian.
MJF: Christian says Max is super talented and \”gets it.\”
Christian added that he still hasn\’t wrapped his brain around all the possibilities that await him in AEW. He can\’t wait to get started. In addition to wrestling, he\’s also excited to contribute behind the scenes. He spoke very highly of Pat Patterson and his role in WWE.
WWE returns to the ThunderDome in just a matter of hours for an all new edition of Monday Night Raw.
The following items are advertised for tonight\’s broadcast from St. Petersberg, Florida:
An Almighty WWE Championship Celebration will be held for Bobby Lashley. It will be interesting to see what the Hurt Business has in store. However, the celebration might be short lived.
Bobby Lashley will defend the WWE Championship against The Miz in a rematch from last week. Can The Miz shock the world once again, or will Lashley prove that his win was more than just a fluke?
Braun Strowman will demand an apology from Shane McMahon.
Continued hype for WWE Fastlane, which is now less than two weeks away.
Join us here later tonight for our WWE Raw Results & Takeaways feature.
WWE has posted this video of 2 things you need to know before Raw:
Christian Cage is All Elite. The former WWE Superstar appeared at Sunday\’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view as the big signee teased by Paul Wight.
Christian came out during the show and officially signed his AEW contract. AEW President Tony Khan addressed the debut during the post-show media scrum.
Khan says he met Christian around seven years ago. He\’s been a fan of Christians for a long time and called him a great person.
\”I think he’s one of the great wrestlers the last couple of decades,\” said Khan. \”He’s had great matches in different companies, he’s been a great singles wrestler, a great tag champion, and I think he’s one of the best minds in wrestling.\”
Christian at the 2021 WWE Royal Rumble
Christian Reaches Out To AEW
Christian made a surprise appearance at January\’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Tony Khan says Christian looked great at the Rumble and that appearance garnered a lot of interest. He then revealed that it was Christian who reached out to AEW looking to join their roster.
\”[Christian] was interested in wrestling on a regular basis and he gave me a call,\” said Khan. \”He said, \’I’d really like to come wrestle in AEW for you.\’ I said, ‘I’d really like to have you come and wrestle for me.’
Khan says the negotiations were easy and he has high hopes for Christian Cage in AEW. Christian signed a multi-year deal.
AEW held a post-show media scrum following Sunday night\’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view from Jacksonville, FL. SEScoops was on the call and there were several interesting news items discussed.
Paul Wight was one of the AEW performers who took the time to field some questions.
White was a significant acquisition for All Elite Wrestling after spending nearly twenty years with WWE. However you feel about the way he\’s been portrayed on television over the past few years, there\’s no questioning he is a Hall of Fame caliber talent.
Paul Wight and Vince McMahon
The giant was asked about Vince McMahon\’s reaction to the news of him jumping to AEW. Wight revealed that McMahon actually called him the day his signing was announced. McMahon was gracious, congratulated him on this new opportunity. He told Wight that he\’d be an asset to AEW and this was a good move for his career.
He felt like he did everything there was to do in WWE and sees AEW as an exciting new opportunity.
Wight was adamant that there was no heat or \’dirt\’ between him and Vince McMahon. They remain on good terms. He recently starred in The Big Show Show on Netflix (2020), a sitcom that was not renewed after its first season.
NBA legend Shaquille O\’Neil made his in-ring debut for All Elite Wrestling this past week on AEW Dynamite.
Shaq and Jade Cargill scored a win over Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet. Shaq\’s involvement was considered a big success from virtually every angle. The match topped 1.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched AEW Dynamite match since 2019. He looked great in the ring and received rave reviews for his work ethic during training and his easygoing attitude behind the scenes.
During an appearance on Access, Shaq spoke with Mario Lopez and Kit Hoover about his AEW experience. His \’ring gear\’ was one of the topics they discussed.
Shaq\’s AEW Ring Gear
(Photo: AEW)
Shaq he wore street clothes and basketball sneakers for the match. Cody Rhodes challenged him to a fight and that\’s what he showed up for.
\”Look, Cody challenged me to a fight, I’m showing up in fight clothes,\” he said. \”Sweatpants and a tank top. I respect him, I respect his family, I respect all the wrestlers, The Rock, what they’ve done. I don’t want to come in with a gimmicky costume. This man challenged me to a fight, I’m showing up like it’s going to be a fight. I’m just going sweatpants and a tank top.\”
All Elite Wrestling presents AEW Revolution tonight on pay-per-view.
WWE WrestleMania 37 is still over a month away, but the company is finally starting to firm up the card.
As of this writing, two matches are confirmed for WWE\’s biggest show of the year. The Men\’s and Women\’s Royal Rumble winners have selected their opponents:
Edge (Royal Rumble Winner) vs. Universal Champion Roman Reigns
As for the rest of the lineup, the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter details what else fans can expect for WrestleMania:
WWE Champion Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre
Randy Orton vs. The Fiend
Raw Women\’s Champion Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair
Intercontinental Champion Big E vs. Apollo Crews
The Miz & John Morrison vs. Damien Priest & Bad Bunny
United States Champion Riddle vs. Mustafa Ali
Women\’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler vs. Naomi & Lana
Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon
Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler vs. Street Profits
WWE WrestleMania 37 takes place over two nights: Saturday, April 9th and Sunday April 10th. The shows will emanate from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida. The event airs live exclusively on the Peacock streaming service.
WWE Superstar Jey Uso says his brother Jimmy is well on the road to recovery and expects him to be back in action soon.
Jimmy Uso has been out of action since last year\’s WrestleMania pay-per-view. He tore his ACL while jumping off a ladder during the Triple Threat Ladder Match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. During an interview with SportsKeeda this week, Jey Uso addressed Jimmy\’s condition.
When asked about the difference between wrestling as a singles competitor vs. being in a tag team, Jey said, \”The only difference is my brother is not holding that rope. He’s not in my corner, you know, but in due time, Uce, Uso Penitentiary will be opening soon. Hey, Uce, you just gotta keep your head on a swivel. He gonna be there, you know what I’m saying? It’s not paranoia, it’s The Usos.\”
It is certainly encouraging to hear that Jimmy Uso is still on track to return \’soon.\’
Shawn Dean is All Elite. AEW announced his signing Friday afternoon.
Dean been a regular on AEW Dark since the early 2020. He\’s been teaming with Carlie Bravo in recent weeks as part of the The Infantry tag team.
The Infantry: Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo (Photo: AEW)
AEW President Tony Khan thanked Dean on his US military service and the hard work he\’s shown in AEW thus far.
\”Thank you for your service to the USA, @ShawnDean773, + thank you for everything you’ve done for @AEW to help us thrive through the pandemic,\” Khan wrote. \”Your consistent hard work, positivity + reliability have made you so valuable to #AEW; now it’s my honor to officially welcome you aboard!\”
Shawn Dean On Signing with AEW
Shawn Dean replied to Tony Khan and expressed gratitude for his wrestling journey.
\”Wow….just Wow…..this has been a journey …hard work… dedication…against all adversity I stayed the course and it has led to this….dreams work with hard work!!! @TonyKhan and MY entire @AEW family thank you …thank you ….#Salute and….#ImWithAEW\”
Congratulations to Shawn Dean.
Wow….just Wow…..this has been a journey …hard work… dedication…against all adversity I stayed the course and it has led to this….dreams work with hard work!!! @TonyKhan and MY entire @AEW family thank you …thank you ….#Salute and ….#ImWithAEWhttps://t.co/5yUnHG5sBT
Jon Moxley challenges AEW World Champion Kenny Omega in an exploding barbwire death match this Sunday at AEW Revolution.
Moxley spoke to Steven Muehlhaisen for DAZN this week about his chemistry with Omega, the high stakes of Sunday\’s match and more.
Many people regard him and Omega as two of the best pro wrestlers in the world. Moxley said he agrees with that sentiment, but wrestling is not exactly like pro sports, where one championship game (or series) determines the best in the world.
\”In wrestling, that\’s not necessarily the case. It\’s different,\” said Moxley. \”You can be one of the best. The most important thing is how do you say who\’s better: Shawn Michaels or Ric Flair? You can\’t pick. If your favorite wrestler growing up when you were a kid was Big Van Vader or Ahmed Johnson, then they\’re the best wrestler in the world to you. It doesn\’t matter. It doesn\’t matter who drew more money or who had people think had better matches. The most important thing is you just got to be the best you.\”
Jon Moxley & Kenny Omega
Moxley said that he and Kenny Omega are being the best versions of themselves in AEW. They\’re not being held back. They\’re not being overproduced. AEW allows them to ply their craft and executive their visions.
\”You\’re getting the best version of Kenny Omega, the best version of Jon Moxley on a weekly basis on Dynamit,\” he continued..\” I don\’t think anybody\’s doing it at a higher level than me and Kenny are right now. We\’re both in our prime, both at our peak, both just really hitting on all cylinders.
We\’re in a position with AEW where we just get to go out there, be given the ball, and get a chance to score touchdowns on a weekly basis. Nobody\’s doing it at a higher level than us two right now.\”
Visit DAZN to check out the rest of the interview.
WWE returns to the ThunderDome tonight for an all-new episode of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX. The show will be headlined by a Steel Cage match. We\’ll also see 2021 Women\’s Royal Rumble winner Bianca Belair in action.
The following items are scheduled for tonight\’s WWE SmackDown from St. Petersberg, FL:
Daniel Bryan will face Jey Uso in a Steel Cage match. If Daniel Bryan wins, he earns the right to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at Fastlane.
Bianca Belair vs. Shayna Baszler
Fallout from last week\’s show and continued hype for Fastlane.
Join us here later tonight for our WWE SmackDown Results & Takeaways feature.
WWE has announced the first match for Fastlane, the final pay-per-view on the road to WrestleMania 37.
SmackDown Women\’s Champion Sasha Banks and 2021 Royal Rumble winner Bianca Belair are getting another shot at the Women\’s Tag Team Championships. The WrestleMania opponents will team up against Jax and Shayna Bazsler in a rematch from Elimination Chamber.
Visit WWE.com to check out their detailed preview for this match.
Fastlane takes place Sunday, March 21st. The event is less than three weeks away, so expect WWE to announce more matches very soon.
This will be the first WWE pay-per-view available on the Peacock streaming network. The show will also be available on the WWE Network, as WWE makes the transition to Peacock.
The reigning Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion spoke about Impact\’s women\’s division and wanting to work with several competitors in WWE and AEW. Video of the full episode can be found below.
Purrazzo touted the depth of Impact\’s knockouts division. “There are so many of those matches with Impact and our roster right now,\” she said. \”The first person that comes to mind is Tasha Steelz just because we’ve traveled together, trained together, and I just think it’s come full circle for us to be in the same company at the same time. So, first and foremost, it’s always Tasha.\”
She also named Kiera Hogan, Naveah and Tenille Dashwood as standouts.
I love WOMEN’S WRESTLING as much as the next person… But being a WOMEN’S WRESTLER has give me the confidence to LOVE MYSELF just as much. ?? pic.twitter.com/7BVgNXWlm2
Purrazzo spoke of a women\’s dream match featuring herself, Britt Baker, Chelsea Green and Karen Q vs. WWE\’s Four Horsewomen.
“I feel like it’s a cliche answer, but I also feel like each of us individually have like a dream match with these people. So, I feel like us four versus the Four Horsewomen – Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Becky [Lynch] – those four. I think we each would like to wrestle one day or if that opportunity presented itself, it would be a dream match for us. So I’m gonna go with that, whether that’s cliche or not.\”
Impact & AEW
Finally, Impact Wrestling\’s partnership with AEW opens up the possibility for several inter-promotional matches. Purrazzo has been vocal about wanting to wrestle AEW Women\’s Champion Hikaru Shida. She\’d also like to work with her best friend, Dr. Brit Baker, in some capacity.
\”I’ve not been shy about wanting to have champion vs. champion against Hikaru Shida. I would absolutely love that. I think she’s absolutely phenomenal. She’s kind of been just this strong champion and fixture of their women’s division in AEW. I would absolutely love that if we’re going to do crossover with women. Obviously, Britt Baker is my best friend, so I don’t want to wrestle her, but I’d love to tag with her.”
The next NXT Takeover event is scheduled for the week of WrestleMania 37. This year\’s WrestleMania will take place over two nights, April 10th and 11th.
If you are a WWE Network subscriber and attempt to cancel your membership, you\’ll be prompted with the following screen (courtesy of HeelbyNature).
As seen below, WWE currently lists the next Takeover taking place on Thursday, April 8th:
There is some discussion that the next Takeover could be held over two nights. The first night would be a special Wednesday night episode of NXT on the USA Network and the second night would air the following evening on the WWE Network.
WrestleMania Week Schedule
WrestleMania week is always jam packed with WWE content and this year will be no exception. The following is a current look at the WWE events schedule:
Monday, April 5th: WWE Raw
Wednesday, April 7th: NXT on USA
Thursday, April 8th: NXT Takeover
Friday, April 9th: WWE SmackDown
Saturday, April 10th: WWE Wrestlemania 37 (Night 1)
Sunday, April 11th: WWE Wrestlemania 37 (Night 2)
Monday, April 12th: WWE Raw
Looking at this schedule, one has to wonder when WWE will find time to air the 2021 Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Tuesday, April 6th is currently open. WWE could also air the HOF ceremony online, similar to the recent Slammy Awards.
Paul Wight dropped a bombshell at Wednesday\’s AEW Dynamite. During his first appearance for AEW, Wight revealed that a \’Hall of Fame\’ worthy star will debut this Sunday at AEW Revolution.
AEW President Tony Khan appeared on this week\’s AEW Unrestricted podcast and provided some new information about this signing. Khan said, \”It\’s true. There\’s going to be a major star in the world of wrestling, a huge huge star, is going to sign a multi-year deal at the pay-per-view.\”
You can listen to Tony Khan\’s comments in the player embedded below:
Khan confirmed there will actually be two debuts at AEW Revolution: Paul Wight\’s mystery man, as well as the 6th and final competitor in the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match.
So, who is the \”huge huge star\” who has signed a multi-year contract with AEW? Khan\’s \”It\’s true\” remark has some fans guessing Kurt Angle. Other possibilities could include Christian, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk or Batista.
Batista Says It\’s Not Him
Speaking of Batista, he denies that he\’s signing with AEW. In response to a fan on Twitter, Batista reiterated that he is retired from pro wrestling.
So, just how \”done\” is Batista with pro wrestling? Back in 2019, Batista told Chris Van Vliet that he would go broke before wrestling another match.
”This is a real wrestling retirement. I am done. My in-ring career is over… I will not have another wrestling match. I will go broke before I have another wrestling match, and I will not go and wrestle for another promotion. It\’s not going to happen.\”
CM Punk: It Isn\’t Me Either
Former WWE Superstar CM Punk is also urging fans to not get their hopes about him being the AEW signee. Punk held a Twitter Q&A on Thursday afternoon told people flat out – \”no, it\’s not me.\’
Let’s try this again. Q&A time! Use hashtag #askpunk and no, it’s not me.
New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced Wrestle Grand Slam featuring two stadium shows taking place in May.
NJPW Grand Slam will take place on May 15th at Yokohama Stadium and May 29th at the Tokyo Dome.
The events have several layers of significance for New Japan. The May 15th show will be the promotion\’s first-ever show from Yokohama Stadium. March 29th will be their first show from the Tokyo Dome outside January in 16 years.
NJPW has yet to announce any matches for these special events, but is telling fans to \”Stay tuned for details!\”
All Elite Wrestling Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes took part in a media call this afternoon to promote Sunday\’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view.
You can listen to full audio from the 45-minute call here.
SEScoops asked Cody about the second AEW show coming to TNT some time later this year. Will the show have a different format from Dynamite, and if so, what can fans expect?
\”I think all of our shows will end up with a different format,\” said Cody. \”It’s a bit of a braintrust in forming those formats. Right now the focus is AEW Dark: Elevation, how we can make that different, and how we can feature our younger stars to get to know them. I’ll tell you one thing we won’t do with AEW Dark: Elevation, we’re not going to bait and switch. We’re not going to give you a show on night one that doesn’t reflect what that show will be like the rest of the year.\”
Cody Rhodes once again was careful to state that the additional hour of content on TNT is not a third hour of AEW Dynamite. AEW officials have already decided upon a name for the second TNT show. Cody expects the cat will be out of the bag by the time AEW hosts its next media call.
“When it comes to the additional hour of content on TNT, and I’m careful to say third hour since people sometimes think we’re going three hours, which we are not. When it comes to that, I can only tell you that it has a name and I love its name, but I can’t tell you what it is. Hopefully, on the next media call, we’ll be talking about it, but it will happen in 2021.
He also teased that AEW talent will be appearing on another high-profile show that is part of the Warner Media family.
\”In addition to that, there’s some other news featuring some other AEW talent regarding another show that is also in the Warner Media family.\”
Cody Rhodes teams with Red Velvet against Shaquille O\’Neil and Jade Cargill tonight on AEW Dynamite.
WWE returns to the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida tonight for an all new episode of NXT.
WWE is advertising the following items for tonight\’s broadcast of NXT on the USA Network:
WWE Women\’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Bazsler return to NXT. They will put the belts on the line against Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez
NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch will face Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher in a non-title match.
Johnny Gargano is taking The Way to a therapy session.
Plus, we\’ll see the fallout of Adam Cole turning on Roderick Strong and effectively ending the Undisputed Era faction.
Join us here later tonight for our weekly NXT Results and Takeaways feature.
One of the top headlines of the week is the news of NXT leaving Wednesday nights very soon. Check out the article below for more on this developing story:
All Elite Wrestling returns to Jacksonville, FL tonight for a special edition of AEW Dynamite dubbed, The Crossroads. This is the \’go home\’ edition of Dynamite ahead of Sunday\’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view.
We say this most weeks, but the card is pretty stacked. Dynamite will see the AEW in-ring debut of basketball legend Shaquille O\’Neil, Paul White\’s first AEW appearance, the finals of the AEW Women\’s World Title Eliminator tournament and more.
The following items are scheduled for AEW Dynamite: The Crossroads:
NBA legend Shaq & Jade Cargill vs. Cody Rhodes & Red Velvet. This match will open the show.
We will hear from AEW\’s newest signee, Paul Wight.
Tully Blanchard comes out of retirement to team with FTR against The Jurassic Express.
AEW Women\’s World Title Eliminator Tournament Finals: Nyla Rose vs. Ryo MIzunami. The winner of this bout challenges Hikaru Shida for the AEW Women\’s World Championship at Revolution.
The Dark Order vs. Matt Hardy & Private Party & Hybrid2
Max Caster vs. 10 of the Dark Order (Preston Vance) to earn a spot in the Ladder Match at Revolution.
Inner Circle leader Chris Jericho and MJF will hold a press conference ahead of their tag title match against the Young Bucks this Sunday.
Immediately after Dynamite goes off the air, AEW and TNT will present the Countdown to Revolution special.
Join us here tonight for our AEW Dynamite Results and Takeaways.
NXT star Kacy Catanzaro has confirmed that she is battling a legitimate knee injury.
WWE recently ran an injury angle that saw Catanzaro suffer a leg injury at the hands of Xia Li. During the latest NXT injury report, the company noted that she is not medically cleared to compete.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer commented on the situation, noting that it was essentially a \’storyline\’ injury. “It’s not like she’s 100% but she’s fine,” he wrote.
Catanzaro took to social media to give her side of the story. She revealed that she\’s recovering from a partial LCL tear, which will keep her out of action for at least the next several weeks.
Kacy Catanzaro Confirms Injury
\”It\’s been a tough week..\” she began. \”Coming to terms with a partial LCL tear, but working with a medical staff to get back as soon as I can. You can\’t keep me down.\”
SEScoops wishes Kacy Catanzaro a speedy recovery. You can view her photo and message in the Instagram post embedded below.
Joseph Bonsignore is best known to wrestling fans as Joey Styles.
The voice of ECW has been away from the industry for several years, but recently filed a trademark application for the name, \”Joey Styles.\”
The United States Patent & Trademark Office database shows that Styles filed to trademark the name on February 25th, 2021. The \’Goods and Services\’ usage for the trademark covers the following:
\”G & S: Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer. FIRST USE: 19920101. USED IN ANOTHER FORM The mark was first used anywhere in a different form other than that sought to be registered at least as early as 11/06/2000.\”
Styles previously owned his name, but that mark was canceled in 2019.
After working for ECW from 1993-2001, Styles had a brief stint with Major League Wrestling (MLW) before joining WWE in 2005 for the ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view.
He was a WWE employee up until 2016. Styles was a key executive in WWE\’s Digital Media division from 2008-2016. He\’s been away from wrestling since 2016.
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