WWE broadcaster Charly Carusso (Charly Arnolt) has landed a new gig with ESPN.
Carusso, Kimberley A. Martin, and Chiney Ogwumike will host \”First Take, Her Take\” podcast. The project is a spinoff of the popular ESPN morning talk show, First Take.
First Take, Her Take premieres Wednesday, January 20th and will drop a new episode each week. According to an ESPN press release:
\”On Wednesday, January 20, ESPN Podcasts will debut a new weekly offering, First Take, Her Take, with format similar to ESPN TV’s weekday morning discussion show, First Take. The new podcast will feature three prominent women in sports – ESPN’s Charly Arnolt, Kimberley A. Martin and Chiney Ogwumike – discussing the biggest sports stories but also providing insight into their unique backgrounds and personalities as they delve into other topics about their lives and culture.\”
Charaly Caruso said, \”The First Take brand speaks for itself–and now to combine such a tried-and-true formula and give it a female twist is exactly what we need in 2021! Honored and pumped to be part of First Take, Her Take!\”
She also posted a message on Instagram expressing her excitement. She wrote that she is \’SOOOOOO EXCITED\’ about the new podcast. \”The @espn “First Take, Her Take” podcast is launching this week and it will feature none other than yours truly, along with my girls @chiney and @kimberleymartin! You already know we are going to bring the heat ? with our crazy bold takes, insane stories dealing with our jobs in the world of sports, the latest and greatest in pop culture and we will definitely be spilling the tea ? subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Link in bio!! First episode drops TOMORROW ?? oh and go follow @firsttakehertake!\”
AEW President Tony Khan recently spoke with Renee Paquette for the Oral Sessions podcast.
The following are some highlights from the discussion, including Khan\’s views on competition in wrestling, whether or not he watches WWE/NXT, how AEW\’s relationship with Impact Wrestling came about and not wanting to be an on-screen authority figure in AEW.
Competition in Wrestling
Competition is great for wrestling and he can only imagine how frustrated wrestling fans would be if AEW was not around for the past year. Tony Khan feels that Dynamite is the the best wrestling show on television. He admits he is biased. He\’s not saying Dynamite is the only good wrestling show out there, but he thinks it\’s consistently the bet show. He believes competition is a good thing for AEW and it\’s good for the fans.
Khan keeps up with a little WWE programming, because he wants to make sure they are not doing the same exact thing creatively as fans can see elsewhere. He just likes watching wrestling, including New Japan Pro Wrestling, some of the big AAA shows and others. He enjoyed Wrestle Kingdom 15.
Overall, he thinks all wrestling promotions have worked hard to keep fans entertained during the pandemic. He is proud that AEW has not only kept their full staff but also hired new people over the past year.
AEW\’s Relationship with Impact
AEW\’s relationship with Impact Wrestling was Kenny Omega\’s idea. A lot of wrestlers pitch him ideas and he\’s trying to get better about picking the right ones. Sometimes there are good ideas that don\’t work, for one reason or another. Omega put a lot of time and thought into the Impact storyline that is currently unfolding.
Kenny Omega was a strong proponent of bringing in Don Callis as his heel manager. Sometimes, wrestlers are turned heel, but fans aren\’t ready to boo them. Khan named Steve Austin in 2001 as an example. When Omega turned, fans were ready. Omega has put a lot of effort into reinventing himself for this new character. Tony Khan touted Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley as the two best pro wrestlers in the world.
Tony Khan as an On-Screen TV Character
Finally, Renee asked Tony Khan if we are seeing the start of him as an on-screen character. Khan said definitely not. He made a big exception for the Brodie Lee special. The \”paid ads\” on Impact Wrestling exist in a bubble, outside of the AEW \’universe.\’ We are not going to see him as a \’Mr. McMahon\’ type figure.
General Managers do not have to be on television. He owns professional sports teams and he\’s never on television in that capacity. In the case of AEW, the GM will sometimes make matches. He doesn\’t need to be on television for that. The announcers can say, \”Tony Khan made this match\” and that\’s enough, as a storytelling vehicle.
Tony Khan also revealed that his father was not pleased when he was pitching the idea of starting a wrestling league. They had some loud, uncomfortable conversations about it. Shad Khan knew nothing about wrestling before AEW. Now, he enjoys the product and he\’s able to impart some of his business advice.
You can listen to the full episode in the player embedded below:
Tony Khan is the latest guest on Renee Paquette\’s Oral Sessions podcast. The discussion lasted about an hour and covered a wide range of topics. The following are the highlights:
Brodie Lee Tribute
Renee congratulated Tony for the Brodie Lee tribute shown on AEW Dynamite a few weeks ago. Tony said he\’s so proud of everybody in the company for how they handled a very difficult situation. The entire AEW crew was told about Brodie Lee\’s deteriorating condition several weeks before he passed away. TK was pleasantly surprised that there were no leaks about the situation and Brodie Lee\’s family was able to be there for him without the world knowing he was sick. It was Shawn Spears\’ idea to bring in Eric \”Rowan\” Redbeard for the tribute.
AEW\’s Early Success
Tony Khan is proud, but not surprised, of AEW\’s early success. He has learned a lot and is expecting a big year ahead. AEW hopes to have fans back in full capacity \”sometime soon.\” He feels that AEW has come up with a great solution for having a limited number of fans attending their shows. They\’ve they\’ve had great experiences with fans, who have said they feel safe at their \”pods\” at Daily\’s Place. The concept behind their current seating configuration was inspired by drive-in movies. They can currently accommodate 1,080 fans if they open up the top balcony. If they don\’t open the top area of Daily\’s Place, they have 750 fans.
Additional TV, PPV Format
Tony Khan is very excited to add a third hour of television. That is the most important thing on the horizon for them. They are looking forward to having the ability to showcase the entire roster. This will NOT be a third hour of Dynamite. He is aware of the dangers of overexposure. The \’third hour\’ of weekly television will be on a Warner Media property, but will not air Wednesday nights. He loves their current format of four pay-per-view events per year, with special editions of AEW Dynamite airing throughout the year. He just spoke to TNT executives on the phone this week and they told him AEW is doing great.
Biggest Lesson Learned In 2020
2019 was a good year for AEW, but 2020 was even better. The biggest lesson Tony Khan learned last year was accountability. He is getting comfortable filtering out bad ideas. In 2019, there were a few ideas he didn\’t love and had low expectations for, but still gave them the green light. Those wound up being poorly received by fans.
He has learned to trust his instincts and is not afraid to exercise his power to \’veto\’ ideas. AEW is now more organized and more logical, which has made for better programming.
AEW Talent
Tony Khan says Jon Moxley is his favorite person to collaborate with. He revealed that Moxley is currently writing a book. He\’s read some early drafts and loves it.
Looking ahead over the next several years, he is looking at guys like Jon Moxley and MJF to be among the top stars in AEW. So many of the company\’s main event wrestlers are early-to-mid 30\’s and in their prime with a lot left in the tank. He believes AEW\’s top guys will be on top for many years to come. He is excited about younger stars of AEW, such as MJF, Jungle Boy, Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, Ricky Stars, Private Party and Top Flight. In the women\’s division, Khan touted Anna Jay, Tay Conti and Britt Baker. Thunder Rosa is awesome, although she is not full-time with AEW.
You can listen to the full episode in the player embedded below:
Impact Wrestling returns tonight with an all-new episode of Impact on AXS-TV. This will be the first episode featuring the new commentary team of Matt Striker and D-Lo Brown.
How will Impact Wrestling World Champion Rich Swann react to getting pinned by AEW World Champion Kenny Omega?
Moose filled in for Alex Shelly in the main event of Hard to Kill. He put on an impressive showing, despite his team coming up short. Will Moose turn his sights
Fire \’n Flava (Tasha Steelz and Kiera Hogan0 are the new Knockouts Tag Team Champions.
Deonna Purrazzo is still the Knockouts Champion.
How will X-Division Champion Manik (TJP) react to being unmasked at Hard to Kill?
Matt Cardona is hinting that he\’ll be at Impact following his debut at Hard to Kill. Impact is selling a new Matt Cardona t-shirt, so it does look like he\’ll be sticking around.
WWE official Adam Pearce appreciates fans who have shown him support in recent weeks.
Pearce, a former NWA World Champion, recently earned the right face Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble. He was the last man standing in a Gauntlet Match a few weeks ago on SmackDown. It was his first time lacing up the boots in several years.
Last week, it was revealed that he is not medically cleared to compete at the Rumble. Instead, Kevin Owens was named as his \”suitable replacement\” in the match against Reigns.
Adam Pearce\’s Message
Adam Pearce won\’t get to wrestle on the big stage as planned, but he\’s thankful for the people who followed his journey. In a message posted to Twitter on Sunday evening, Pearce his gratitude:
\”Wrestling fans have amazed me for 25+ years and now is no different,\” he wrote. \”That said, some things just aren’t meant to be, and \’not medically cleared\’ is a status I wish on no one.”
The Royal Rumble takes place Sunday, January 31st from St. Petersburg, FL. The event airs live on the WWE Network.
A note of #gratitude to those that supported the idea of seeing me face Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble. Wrestling fans have amazed me for 25+ years and now is no different. That said, some things just aren’t meant to be, and “not medically cleared” is a status I wish on no one. ?
NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis takes a lot of pride in being a \’traveling champion.\’ He\’s not satisfied with his lack of recent title defenses and is looking ahead to 2021.
The National Treasure recently spoke with Wrestling Headlines about the significance of the NWA title. Aldis recalls taking bookings around the world when he first became champion. His willingness to defend the title in other promotions all around the world strengthened the legacy of the prize.
\”You could tell that the momentum was there because right away all of those promoters were contacting me and going, ‘Can we make it an NWA title match?’ … We have a unique opportunity here because just as luck would have it I happened to have bookings in Europe, Australia, and across the states. We have a unique opportunity here to re-establish the folklore of the traveling world champion. The real world champion.\”
Nick Aldis is proud that former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Tim Storm was elevated by his title reign. He remembers fans telling him that they fell in love with Tim Storm and saw him as being on the same level of himself and Cody Rhodes.
\”I took great pride in that,\” said Aldis. \”I’m business. I want people to work with who generate interest and sell tickets for a pay per view. I don’t like the fact that I haven’t defended the title much lately. I don’t need to be champion forever…I just wanna be in the most important thing.\”
The NWA in 2021
The National Wrestling Alliance is looking to regain its footing and build some momentum in 2021.
Billy Corgan recently exercised an option to keep Nick Aldis under contract with the NWA for one more year. Nick Aldis told Konnan and the Keepin\’ It 100 podcast, \”I truly believe in what we’re doing with the product and I wouldn’t walk away from it because we haven’t even scratched the surface of what we could accomplish.”
The NWA went on hiatus last year partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They\’ve partnered with UWN to produce new content, including the NWA Shockwave series on YouTube.
We\’ve seen NWA performers on AEW programming in recent months, including NWA Women\’s Champion Serena Deeb and Thunder Rosa. Deeb appeared on The Hashtag Show last month and said she believes the NWA will be holding TV tapings soon.
“For the foreseeable future, I’m really excited,\” said deeb. \”The NWA is probably starting back up again with some tapings in January or early next year. My intention as champion is to defend it all over the world. I would love to be a platform to showcase other women. The possibilities are endless.”
WWE returns to the ThunderDome tonight with an all-new live edition of Raw from St. Petersburg, FL.
Here\’s what\’s advertised for this week\’s show:
Alexa Bliss faces Raw Women\’s Champion Asuka in a non-title match.
Randy Orton will address the WWE Universe after Alexa Bliss attacked him with a fireball last week.
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair mentioned on his Facebook page that he at Raw, so expect the latest chapter in his storyline with Lacey Evans and daughter Charlotte Flair.
Plus, we\’ll get more hype for the WWE Royal Rumble, which takes place in less than two weeks. Expect to see more entrants announced for the Men\’s and Women\’s Royal Rumble matches.
Join us here later tonight for our WWE Raw Results and Takeaways feature right after the show goes off the air.
Asuka tweeted the following ahead of her match against Alexa Bliss. Asuka says she\’s not scared of Bliss or \”her monster.\”
Adam Cole is the latest NXT star to declare that WWE\’s \’black and gold\’ brand is on par with Raw and SmackDown.
The former NXT Champion commented on Undisputed Era and the NXT brand on social media late Saturday night. Cole is the leader of Undisputed Era, the faction also comprised of Kyle O\’Reily, Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish.
The foursome has been a dominant force in NXT since they were first established in the summer of 2017. At one point, they held all the brand\’s top titles, including the NXT Championship, the North American and Tag Team Championships.
Undisputed Era cleaned up at the 2020 NXT Year-End Awards. Members won Male Competitor of the Year (Adam Cole), Tag Team of the Year (All members), Match of the Year (O\’Reilly vs. Finn Balor at TakOver 31) and Rivalry of the Year (Cole vs. Pat McAfee)
Adam Cole says the Undisputed Era\’s reign of success will continue in 2021. He tweeted, \”#UndisputedERA has run @WWENXT since we’ve arrived…2021 will be no different. Enjoy the ride boys & girls.\”
\”NXT Is The Main Roster\”
A fan on Twitter told Adam Cole that he should advance to the \’main roster\’ in 2021, implying that he should join Raw or SmackDown. Cole replied by saying that NXT is the main roster, \”No debate. End of story.\”
This is an idea that has been pushed by many people in NXT, including Triple H. During a recent appearance on WWE\’s digital series The Bump, he said that Finn Balor returning to NXT full-time established the brand as the \’main roster.\’
The WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony is one of the highlights of the annual pro wrestling calendar. Last year\’s event was unfortunately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WrestleMania 36 was moved from a football stadium to the Performance Center and the 2020 HOF ceremony was scrapped entirely.
Over the weekend, WWE made some major announcements regarding the next three WrestleMania events. It was revealed that this year\’s WrestleMania 37 will take place over two nights at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, FL. From there, WrestleMania will hit Dallas, TX and Los Angeles, California in 2022 and 2023. More details on those announcements can be found here:
WWE has yet to address the status of the 2021 Hall of Fame induction ceremony, but Dave Meltzer addressed the situation on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio.
While a limited number of fans will be able to attend WrestleMania 37, the current plan is for the 2021 Hall of Fame ceremony to be held virtually. Meltzer stated, \”The last I heard was to hold a WWE Hall Of Fame virtually without fans, but that could change. That might be tough.\”
We also expect last year\’s class of inductees to be honored this year. The well-rounded class includes:
Batista
The nWo (Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman)
The Bella Twins, Brie and Nikki
John Bradshaw Layfield (\’JBL\’)
\”Jushin\” Thunder Liger
We will provide an update whenever WWE makes an official announcement regarding the 2021 Hall of Fame.
WWE has announced upcoming dates and locations for WrestleMania, from 2021-23:
Tampa Bay: WrestleMania 37, Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11, 2021 at Raymond James Stadium
Arlington/Dallas: WrestleMania 38, Sunday, April 3, 2022 at AT&T Stadium
Inglewood/Los Angeles: WrestleMania 39, Sunday, April 2, 2023 at SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park
“Florida is excited to welcome back WrestleMania to Tampa in April at Raymond James Stadium. Florida has continued to work with professional sports and entertainment to safely operate while generating revenue and protecting jobs. WrestleMania will bring tens of millions of dollars to the Tampa area and we look forward to hosting more sporting and entertainment events in Florida this year,” said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
“The opportunity for Tampa Bay to host WrestleMania in April is, in true WWE fashion, the perfect comeback story and marks a clear indication that our beautiful city is poised to bounce back stronger than ever. We can’t wait to once again showcase all that team Tampa Bay has to offer,” added Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.
“We are elated for WrestleMania’s return to Arlington’s AT&T Stadium and look forward to building upon the success from 2016 when more than 101,000 fans were in attendance for WrestleMania 32,” said Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams.
“The City of Inglewood looks forward to the opportunity to host WrestleMania in 2023 and celebrates the deferral of this year’s event to Tampa Bay so they can have their rightful WrestleMania moment. Our time will come,” said Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr.
“On behalf of everyone at WWE, we thank Governor DeSantis, Mayor Castor, Mayor Williams and Mayor Butts for their graciousness and flexibility in what was a collaborative effort to bring the next three WrestleManias to these iconic stadiums in their world-class cities,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO.
In coordination with local partners and government officials, WWE will announce ticket availability and safety protocols for WrestleMania37 in the coming weeks. Information on additional WrestleMania Week events is forthcoming.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre is currently out of action while battling COVID-19.
During his time away from the ring, McIntyre took part in a virtual panel at the CES consumer technology tradeshow. He joined the GlobalVC Sports panel. The organization brings together sports business executives, investors and entrepreneurs.
McIntyre was interviewed by veteran sports journalist Bonnie Bernstein. Despite having COVID-19, he remains asymptomatic and feels good. He fully intends on being medically cleared by the end of the month, when he is scheduled to faceBill Goldberg at the WWE Royal Rumble.
McIntyre also touted WWE\’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. He emphasized the serious nature of the disease. According to the champion, WWE\’s protocols have prevented him from interacting with and potentially infecting others.
Other topics discussed include his journey to WWE, making his debut at just 22 years old and finally reaching the top of the mountain by defeating Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at last year\’s WrestleMania.
You can watch Drew McIntyre\’s comments from the GlobalVC Sports virtual presentation at NYVCSports.com.
WWE WrestleMania 37 will no longer be taking place on Sunday, March 28th, as originally scheduled.
We\’ve been hearing in recent weeks that WWE has been considering pushing the event later by a few weeks. Fightful Select reports that the new targeted date for the show is Sunday, April 11th. A WWE source has confirmed to us that the date change has been discussed in recent weeks and April 4th and 11th were under consideration.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, WWE held a press conference to announce that WrestleMania 37 would be held at the new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Early branding for the event touted the WrestleMania was \’going Hollywood\’ in 2021.
WrestleMania 37 Location Change
The final location of WrestleMania 37 is still unclear. Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida is still the frontrunner, according to what we were told. The venue was originally supposed to host WrestleMania 36 before that show was moved to the Performance Center in Orlando, FL.
WWE has yet to address if the event will still take place from California or have any fans in attendance. The fact that WrestleMania 37 tickets never went on sale to the public makes this date change a lot easier.
In an interesting bit of trivia, April 11th would be the latest date in the calendar year that WrestleMania has ever occurred. That current record is held by WrestleMania 34, which took place April 8, 2018.
We will provide further update when WWE publicly addresses the date change.
Impact Wrestling has sent in word that there\’s been a change to the main event of Saturday night\’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view.
The scheduled main event was supposed to be AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Impact World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers vs. Impact World Champion Rich Swann and the Motor City Machine Guns. Unfortunately, MCMG member Alex Shelley will be unable to appear and has been pulled from the match. His replacement will be Moose.
According to Impact, Alex Shelley contacted the company late Thursday night and informed them he will be unable to travel to Nashville, TN for the PPV. The company cited \”unavoidable circumstances\” as to why Alex Shelley cannot appear.
Moose commented on Twitter, \”Hey Kenny Omega, I heard you put on 5 star matches…. GREAT. But the real question is have you ever met a God? You meet one tomorrow night.\”
Impact executive Scott D’Amore also commented on the situation:
“When we got the news from Alex there was no question what we needed to do. Extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures – I personally contacted Moose and he accepted the match immediately. I know Rich Swann in particular has his issues with Moose. but this is time to put personal issues and egos aside.
“HARD TO KILL is a huge event for IMPACT Wrestling and a historic one for professional wrestling in general. IMPACT Wrestling needs to put our best foot forward. Moose fits that bill. He is a physical specimen, a five-tool athlete, and has proven himself to be a world-class professional wrestler. Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers will have their hands even more full now when they step into the ring with IMPACT World Champion Rich Swann, IMPACT Original Chris Sabin, and the TNA World Heavyweight Champion Moose.”
Hard To Kill: Updated Card
The following is the updated lineup for Impact Wrestling\’s Hard to Kill PPV:
Rich Swann, Chris Sabin & Moose vs. Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers
TV ratings are in for Wednesday\’s AEW Dynamite and NXT TV. Dynamite scored a decisive win over NXT with New Year\’s Smash (Night 2). Here\’s the breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
AEW: 762,000 viewers, 0.30 Rating (A18-49), 31st on cable
NXT: 551,000 viewers, 0.14 Rating (A18-49), 70th on cable
Both shows were impacted by coverage of US President Donald Trumps\’ second impeachment, which dominated the list of Top 30 shows on cable for the evening. Unfortunately, NXT was hit much harder by this competition.
AEW viewership was up around 15% from last week (+20% in the key demo), while NXT viewership fell around 14% (-12% in the key demo). This was the lowest total audience for NXT since March 2020.
Charlotte Flair is fed up with ignorant fans and publications questioning her worthiness to be featured in main events.
Earlier this week, the Daily DDT blog ran an article titled, \”Does Charlotte Flair Deserve the Hate She Gets?\” Writer Max Everett had some mixed things to say about the 12-time Women\’s Champion. He acknowledged she is very talented, but also labeled her an \’intolerable\’ corporate champion who gets priority treatment at the expense of others who \’legitimately\’ earned their spots.
\”Charlotte Flair is the latest corporate champion to be selected by Vince and the selected face of the women’s roster… What makes Flair so intolerable to many is how she lingers at the top and threatens to demean and squash any worker that has legitimately made their way up the mountain.\”
Charlotte Flair: \”I Will Always Be In The Title Picture\”
Charlotte Flair replied to the article on Twitter and did not hold back. She took issue with the author \’garbage\’ take.
\”I should just scroll block this garbage, but words matter, so I will take a few moments to educate you since both a human and I would assume an editor allowed this bullshit to sully Al Gore’s internet.\”
Charlotte Flair responded to criticism that WWE thrusts her back into the title picture whenever she takes time off. She defended her occasional breaks and pointed out the double standard as it relates to her male counterparts.
\”I have taken time off three times while on the main roster. First time was when my dad was sick. Second time was a 6 week injury that was followed up by 18 months of staring at lights to help create a star. 3rd time is now. What exactly is it that I’m avoiding? I keep looking for the article where you trash one of the male champions for taking time off and being inserted back into the title picture. Didn’t find one. Shocking. Wonder why.\”
She then laid out clearly why she always winds up in the title picture. \”I am in the title picture, and I will always be in the title picture. It’s one of those unfortunate side effects of excelling at something; you wouldn’t understand.\”
Bully Ray & Ric Flair Defend Charlotte
Former WWE Superstar Bully Ray recently defended Charlotte Flair on Busted Open. Bully calls her one of the greatest women\’s wrestlers of all time. Unfortunately, says some \’foolish and ignorant\’ fans can\’t appreciate that. \”She’s possibly in the top three females of all time,\” said Bully. \”It’s not even up for debate. That’s a cold hard fact. And to sit there on social media and to talk crap about Charlotte? ‘Oh, she’s only in that spot because her father.’ I mean, how old is that one? Because OF COURSE if she didn’t have the last name Flair? She wouldn’t be as athletic as she is, she wouldn’t look as good as she does. She wouldn’t have the gear that she does…just stop it already!\”
Charlotte\’s father Ric Flair also recently sang her praises. Of course he may be a bit biased, but if anybody knows what it takes to make a successful pro wrestler, it\’s Ric Flair. He told CBS Sports, \”She’s the best woman on the roster, but she’s the best woman of all time. I’ve been in the business 49 years. Give me an example of who you think is better. You can’t.\”
Charlotte Flair\’s track record of success speaks for itself. Pay per view main events, singles matches, tag team matches, Royal Rumbles, she does it all. She is a 5-time SmackDown Women\’s Champion, a 4-time RAW Women\’s Champion, held the NXT Women\’s Championship twice and was the final WWE Divas Champion. She\’s one half of the reigning WWE Women\’s Tag Team Champions and won last year\’s Women\’s Royal Rumble.
We have an update on Jay White\’s status, courtesy of AEW broadcaster Tony Schiavone.
Switchblade has been in the news as of late. He recently competed at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15. He challenged Kota Ibushi for the IWGP World & Intercontinental Championships, but came up short. A despondent Jay White announced after the event that he was leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling. He bemoaned, “I will never be appreciated like I should be” before stating that it might be time to take his talents elsewhere. \”I am not going to do this anymore.. maybe my time would be better spent some place else.”
It has been rumored that Jay White\’s contract with New Japan is expiring soon. If this was the case, he could test the waters by negotiating with other promotions.
During Wednesday\’s AEW Dynamite post-show, Tony Schiavone was asked about the possibility of AEW signing Jay White. Schiavone revealed this is unlikely. He thinks Jay White is committed to NJPW longterm.
\”I don\’t think so,\” Schiavone responded to a fan question. \”I think he\’s pretty much locked into what he\’s doing there.\”
Dave Meltzer on recently stated on Wrestling Observer Radio that AEW was interested in signing Jay White when the company launched in 2018. White reportedly told AEW executives that he had several years left on his NJPW contract.
For what it\’s worth, Jay White\’s profile has been pulled from the NJPW Website.
At only 28 years old, Jay White is one of the top pro wrestlers in the world. He would certainly be a top free agent, if he did leave New Japan. For now, it appears he is staying put for the foreseeable future.
According to sources, MSK is the name WWE will use for Desmonz Xavier and Zachary Wentz, formerly known as The Rascalz in Impact Wrestling. Xavier and Wentz are among the latest class of WWE Performance Center recruits.
The Dusty Classic kicks off tonight with two opening round matches: The Undisputed Era vs. Breezango and Ever-Rise vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans. MSK will face Isaiah \”Swerve\” Scott and Jake Atlas in a first round match that is expected to take place over the next two weeks.
A tweet sent out by WWE indicates that we may find out the identities of MSK on tonight\’s episode of NXT TV.
Impact Wrestling World Champion Rich Swan is gearing up for one of the biggest matches of his life. This Saturday night, Impact presents Hard to Kill live on pay-per-view. Swann will team with the Motor City Machine Guns against AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Impact World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers (Gallows & Anderson).
Swann appeared on Wrestling Epicenter this week and spoke to host James Walsh about the significance of this match. The full interview is embedded here, with highlights below.
Rich Swann is currently the top dog in Impact Wrestling, but it almost didn\’t happen. He suffered a wave of injuries last year that almost forced him into retirement.
\”It was excruciating, it was painful, it was something that I wouldn\’t ever wish on my worst enemy,\” said Swann. \”I broke my leg, my fibula, my ankle… Everything in my ankle, my foot… And then, not only that, my back. My lower back was broken. You know, I was told that I probably would never wrestle again let alone walk the same way again. That was just another something that I had to overcome.\”
Thanks to exhaustive physical therapy, he eventually trained himself back into fighting shape. Swann captured the Impact World Championship at Bound for Glory 2020. He says \”the crown is heavy on the head\” because so many legends before him have held that title. It means the world to him that he\’s the leader of a company that has such a rich history.
Impact Working With AEW
Impact Wrestling\’s working relationship is one of the hottest angles in pro wrestling. As Impact World Champion, Swann is one of the key players involved in the inter-promotional conflict. He feels that the two companies working together is \”awesome\” for the business and for fans.
Last week, we saw The Good Brothers crash AEW Dynamite and come tot he aid of Kenny Omega. The Young Bucks joined in and the group embraced in what appeared to be a reunion of former Bullet Club members. Swann says he\’s not surprised at what we saw. He feels that it was just a matter of time before the Bullet Club members threw up the Too Sweet symbol and showed their true colors. Even though he\’ll be standing across the ring from Omega and the Good Brothers this Saturday night, he can\’t help but admit that it\’s cool to see them together again.
Don Callis has been claiming that Kenny Omega is the \”real\” world champion, which has to be seen as a slight to people like Rich Swann. When asked how he feels about this, Swann said he does not let it get under his skin.
\”No, it doesn\’t get under my skin because I know what I had to do to win the World Heavyweight Championship,\” said Swann. \”So, for someone to say that they\’re the \”real\” world champion, guess what? You are the real world champion… in AEW! Maybe thanks to the tactics that he used with Don Callis, don\’t forget to mention! I did it the old fashioned way – With heart, determination, and the power of love of professional wrestling. If you look at our wins, if you compare those two, who is the real World Champion?\”
AEW World Chamion Kenny Omega has made it known that he is on the hunt for more titles. Would Rich Swann be interested in a match to unify the AEW and Impact World titles?
\”I\’m from Baltimore, Maryland.\” said Swann. \”I\’m not afraid to step into the ring with no man. I fear no man and I only fear one thing. The thing is, that is not one thing that I would ever fear. If he (Kenny Omega) wanted to step into the ring and do a Unification… We\’ve it. We\’ve seen seen him go into Mexico and he beat Loredo Kid in AAA. Do I think he could come into my house and do what he did there? I don\’t know. Time will tell.\”
With just days until Impact\’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view, Rich Swann says he and the Motor City Machine Guns are ready with \”a whole lot of ammunition and we\’re ready to unload.\”
Order Impact Wrestling Hard to Kill now at FITE.TV.
Don Callis says nobody is on Kenny Omega\’s level, including his \”onetime close friend\” and former partner, Kota Ibushi.
The former Golden Lovers partners sit atop the wrestling world with championship gold to prove their worth. Omega is the reigning AEW World Champion and the AAA Mega champion. Ibushi was the big winner coming out of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 by winning and defending the IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental titles.
\”The Invisible Hand\” recently spoke with Talk Sport about Omega\’s success. He says Ibushi was a good friend of Kenny Omega \”at one point.\” He knows Ibushi is a great wrestler. But he\’s not the best.
\”Kenny Omega is still the best wrestler in the world and number two isn’t close,\” said Callis \”Whether it’s [Impact World Champion] Rich Swann or Kota Ibushi, you’re getting in the ring with Kenny Omega, a generational, once in a lifetime performer.\”
Callis thinks that no matter how good of a wrestler Kota Ibushi is, he exists in a bubble. Ibushi hasn\’t tested himself around the world like Kenny Omega has.
“What makes Kenny great isn’t just the athleticism, it’s his next level thinking. Kota Ibushi thinks in the IWGP bubble. It’s all he knows and all he’s ever known. In order for Kota Ibushi to truly evolve into the Kota Ibushi he can be, he needs to get on an airplane. He needs to come from Japan and defend that title around the world like Kenny Omega does.\”
The Problem With Kota Ibushi…
Don Callis honed in on what he believes to be, \”the problem\” with Kota Ibushi. Naturally, Callis will promote his guy and is protective of how Kenny Omega is perceived.
“The problem with Kota Ibushi has never been a lack of ability, it’s been a lack of imagination,\” he began. \”But Kota is very much like the wrestling fans we spoke about, he has a limited world view. He has been a great friend of Kenny’s in the past, the reality is, sometimes as we move through our lives we have to shed friends like we shed dead skin cells. What once worked in a friendship or relationship no longer works for us, so we move on.\”
Callis finished by teasing that he and Kenny Omega have plans that most of us are thinking \’too small\’ to comprehend. “A lot of people would love to see Kenny and Kota Ibushi reunite, but that’s very small-minded thinking and it is what it is. People get excited about their dream matches.\”
Head over to Talk Sport to check out their full interview with Don Callis.
With Wrestle Kingdom 15 and New Year\’s Dash!! in the books, we look ahead to New Japan Pro Wrestling\’s next big events, The New Beginning.
You can visit the NPJW website for the Road to The New Beginning tour dates. The New Beginning takes place over three nights from two cities (Nagoya and Hiroshima) NJPW has announced the lineups for all three shows and there\’s a lot to get excited about. All three shows will stream on NJPW World.
New Japan\’s top champions will be in action, including IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion Kota Ibushi, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi, NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi. The full lineups are below.
The New Beginning in Nagoya (1/30)
Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NEVER Openweight Championship)
Satoshi Kojima vs. Will Ospreay
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Great-O-Khan
Kota Ibushi, Tomoaki Honma, SHO, and Master Wato vs. SANADA, Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, and BUSHI
Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano vs. EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi
The New Beginning in Hiroshima (Night 1: 2/10)
Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. SHO (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship)
Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa (c) vs. Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. (IWGP Tag Team Championship)
Kota Ibushi and Tomoaki Honma vs. SANADA and Tetsuya Naito
Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, and YOSHI-HASHI vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo, Taiji Ishimori, and El Phantasmo
BUSHI vs. Master Wato
Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Yota Tsuji, Yuya Uemura, and Gabriel Kidd
NJPW The New Beginning in Hiroshima (Night Two: 2/11)
Kota Ibushi (c) vs. SANADA (IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships)
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., and DOUKI vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Jado
Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano vs. EVIL and Dick Togo
Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, and BUSHI vs. Tomoaki Honma, SHO, and Master Wato
Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori, and El Phantasmo
Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, and YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yota Tsuji, Yuya Uemura, and Gabriel Kidd
Impact Wrestling returns to AXS TV tonight for the \”go home\” show before Saturday\’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view.
The big angle headed into the PPV is AEW World Champion Kenny Omega aligning with Impact World Tag Team Champions, the Good Brothers. The trio will battle Impact World Champion Rich Swann and the Motor City Machine Guns. The Bullet Club alums have gotten the upper hand in recent weeks, so you can be sure Swann & the Machine Guns are looking to make a statement.
Impact has confirmed that Kenny Omega and Don Callis will appear in the Impact Zone tonight.
Mexican wrestling star Mil Muertes is set to debut for Major League Wrestling this week on MLW Fusion.
The \”Man of 1,000 Deaths\” has been summoned to MLW by Salina De La Renta, who will serve as Executive Producer of MLW Fusion for the next few weeks.
Mil Muertes was previously known as Ricky Banderas when he wrestled in Puerto Rico. He was a 5-time IWA Heavyweight Champion. In Mexico City he was known as El Mesias, where he held the AAA Heavyweight Championship 4 times.
Mil Muertes reigned supreme in Lucha Underground. His death grip loomed over all… until his temple fell. Since then, he has wandered the earth with an unquenchable desire for revenge. The \”seemingly invincible\” Mil Muertes now looks to build a shrine of death with the bodies of the men he’s conquered and careers destroyed.
Mil Muertes Arrives in MLW
Wednesday\’s episode of MLW Fusion will feature:
MLW World Tag Team Champions The Von Erichs vs. Los Parks: Tornado Match with \”Filthy\” Tom Lawlor serving as special guest referee
Mil Muertes will debut. There is an \’open contract\’ for whoever chooses to fight him.
MLW Fusion premieres this Wednesday, January 13 at 7PM (Eastern) on MLW\’s YouTube Channel, Fubo Sports, DAZN and Roku.
Catch up on the latest MLW News and check our takeaways from last week\’s Kings of Colosseum special:
Adam Pearce admits he\’s not in the prime of his career, but he\’s ready to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble.
Pearce earned the title shot on Friday\’s SmackDown. He was the last man standing in a Gauntlet Match that also included Shinsuke Nakamura, Daniel Bryan, Sami Zayn, King Corbin and Rey Mysterio.
The 42-year-old WWE producer now has a date with destiny. On Sunday, Adam Pearce tweeted video of a match he believes shows off the fighting spirit he will bring to the Rumble.
He wrote, \”Of course I’m not in my wrestling \’prime\’ – I haven’t had a match in 6+ years! But I didn’t ASK for this. With no choice but to fight, I’ve got to do whatever I can to make Roman feel EXACTLY like I did at the end of this match many years ago.\”
The match, seen below, is Adam Pearce defending the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Brent Albright from August 2008.
Pearce continued, \”And yes, I lost that match. Lost a championship that meant a lot to me. Lost a piece of myself. But in the process I learned a lot. A lot about me. A lot about the agony of defeat. A lot about how to avoid it. Again, I NEVER wanted this. But sleep on me, I beg you.\”
Adam Pearce faces WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble on Sunday, January 31st. The event airs live on the WWE Network.
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