SEScoops

Author: Mike Reichlin

  • Lance Archer Tests Positive For COVID-19, Jon Moxley Reacts

    All Elite Wrestling star Lance Archer has tested positive for COVID-19.

    The Murderhawk Monster posted a message on social media Wednesday afternoon announcing the diagnosis.

    Archer says that after he returned home from AEW\’s most recent TV taping, he returned home and learned that a family member was ill. He found out later a friend who had been around that family member had contracted the virus.

    \”While at home, now I\’ve also gotten sick tested positive,\” Archer revealed. \”I feel ok, expect to see me in 2 wks.\”

    It remains to be seen if he will be healthy enough to be back in the ring in just two weeks time. The status of Lance Archer\’s AEW title match against Jon Moxley at the Dynamite Anniversary show on October 14th is now in question..

    Lance Archer will be unable to wrestle on this week\’s AEW Dynamite. He was scheduled to team up with Ricky Starks and Brian Cage against AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, Darby Allin and Will Hobbs.

    We wish Lance Archer a full and speedy recovery.

    Jon Moxley vs. Eddie Kingston

    Jon Moxley wasted no time in posting his own reaction on social media. Molxey tweeted that he\’ll be defending the gold tonight on Dynamite.

    Eddie Kingston took notice of Moxley\’s declaration. Kingston has been angling for a title shot, claiming that he was never eliminated from the Casino Battle Royal match at All Out. Lance Archer won that bout to earn the shot at Moxley.

    https://twitter.com/MadKing1981/status/1308870086984429569

    AEW President Tony Khan has since announced that Eddie Kingston will in fact get his shot at Jon Moxley tonight on Dynamite.

  • John Cena To Star In \’Peacemaker\’ Animated Series On HBO Max

    John Cena has signed on to star in a new animated comedy headed to HBO\’s new streaming network, HBO Max.

    Cena will star in The Peacemaker, a spinoff series based on the character he is portraying in the new Suicide Squad movie.

    Cena wrote on Twitter, \”Working alongside James Gunn on Suicide Squad was an absolute masterclass in how to best bring beloved character to life in a new and fun way. I cannot wait for the DC Universe to experience more of absurdity that is The Peacemaker in this new project on HBO Max!!!\”

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    The 8-episode series will begin production next year. James Gunn (Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy) will write and direct.

    The eight-episode series will look at the origins of the Peacemaker character. 

    Via Wikipedia:

    \”The Peacemaker is Christopher Smith, a pacifist diplomat so committed to peace that he was willing to use force as a superhero to advance the cause … Smith later learns that his peace-through-violence efforts were the result of a serious mental illness brought on by the shame of having a Nazi death camp commandant for a father. He believes his father\’s spirit haunts him continually and criticizes his every move, even as he tries to live down his past.

    Becoming a particularly deadly vigilante who would kill at the slightest notice, he begins to believe that the ghosts of the people he killed, or who were killed in his vicinity, are collected inside his helmet and can offer him advice and commentary.\”

    In addition to the Suicide Squad movie and this new Peacemaker project for HBO, John Cena recently signed on to host the game show Wipeout on TBS.

  • AEW Dynamite Preview: Big 6-Man Tag, TNT Title Match, Miro Debuts

    All Elite Wrestling returns tonight with an all new episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT. The following matches are confirmed for tonight\’s live broadcast from Jacksonville, FL at Daily\’s Place Amphitheater:

    • AEW World Champion Jon Moxley teams with Darby Allin and newcomer Will Hobbs against Lance Archer and Team Taz members Brian Cage and Ricky Starks.
    • AEW TNT Champion and Dark Order leader Brodie Lee puts the gold on the line against Orange Cassidy.
    • \”The Best Man\” Miro makes his AEW in-ring debut.
    • AEW Women\’s World Champion Hikaru Shida and NWA Women\’s World Champion Thunder Rosa team up against Women\’s Tag Team Cup tournament winners Ivelisse and Diamente.

    The next special edition of AEW Dynamite will take place Wednesday, October 14th. This \’first anniversary\’ show will see Jon Moxley defend the AEW World title against Lance Archer.

    AEW\’s next pay-per-view, Full Gear, takes place Saturday, November 4th.

  • Bound For Glory Updated Card, Impact Preview For Next Week

    Two matches are now official for Impact Wrestling\’s upcoming Bound for Glory pay-per-view:

    • Impact World Champion Eric Young vs. Rich Swann
    • Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo vs. Kylie Rae

    Bound For Glory Saturday, October 24th live on pay-per-view.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQW1A6W9GyM

    Here are the Top 5 \’must-see\’ moments from this week\’s Impact Wrestling TV:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CmQuvuPIlw

    Impact has confirmed four matches for next week\’s show:

    • Johnny Swinger vs. Fallah Bahh (Winner is John E. Bravo’s Best Man)
    • Rosemary and Taya vs. Havok and Nevaeh
    • Rascalz vs. Good Brothers
    • Ace Austin & Madman Fulton vs. The North

    Heath Slater Claims Several WWE Superstars Are Interested In Joining Impact

  • The Rock Says He\’d Be Honored To Put Roman Reigns Over At WrestleMania

    Dwayne \”The Rock\” Johnson says he\’d be honored to wrestle Roman Reigns at a future WrestleMania.

    The Rock recently sat down with his brother-in-law Hiram Garcia for a project called, \’The Rock: Through the Lens,\’ a photographic record of a brotherhood over twenty years in the making. Garcia serves as President of Production at Seven Bucks Productions. Through the Lens can be seen at The Rock\’s YouTube channel.

    During the latest clip from Through the Lens, The Rock spoke about his experiences hosting Saturday Night Live five times, working with Hollywood legend Danny DeVito and his cousin, Roman Reigns.

    The Rock said Reigns is a hero to millions of people around the world. He amassed a legion of fans wrestling for WWE, but showed people his true warrior spirit when he went public with his heroic battle against Leukemia.

    When asked if he\’d ever return to WWE for one more WrestleMania event, The Rock named Roman Reigns as the one opponent that would make sense. He officially announced his retirement from wrestling last year, but a match against Reigns would be a box office blockbuster.

    Garcia asked The Rock the big question. If he did return to WWE for a WrestleMania dream match against Roman Reigns, who goes over?

    The Rock joked, \”I\’ll tell you this right now. I\’m not going down that road, because I know how that conversation goes.\”

    Imitating WWE boss Vince McMahon, they continued, \”Here\’s what we\’re thinking. Roman beats you now at this WrestleMania. But, listen, before you guys say anything … then on the next one… that\’s when …\”

    In actuality, The Rock said it would be an honor to put Reigns over on that stage.

    \”You know what,\” he began, \”the truth is, I would be honored not only to share the ring with Roman and to go back to the WWE, but of course, I would be honored to have him raise his hand on that one.\”

    You can see The Rock\’s full comments about working with Roman Reigns below:

  • Previews For Tonight\’s AEW Late Night Dynamite & Dark Shows

    All Elite Wrestling is dropping two new shows Tuesday night featuring more than a dozen fresh matches.

    In addition to the weekly AEW Dark YouTube series, a one-hour Late Night Dynamite special will air on TNT following the NBA Playoff game.

    Below are previews for both shows:

    AEW Dark:

    • The Butcher and The Blade vs. Calvin Stewart and Puf.
    • The Gunn Club (Billy and Austin) vs. M’Badu and Cruz.
    • Sonny Kiss and Joey Janela vs. Kevin Blackwood and Daniel Garcia
    • The Dark Order (Evil Uno and Stu Grayson) vs. Rembrandt Lewis and Fuego Del Sol
    • Will Hobbs vs. Serpentico
    • Ben Carter vs. Lee Johnson
    • Sereena Deeb vs. KiLynn King.
    • Eddie Kingston vs. Brian Pillman Jr.
    • Lucha Bros. (Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix) vs. Donte Smiley and Maxx Stardom
    • The Dark Order (5 and 10) vs. Ryzin and Xander Gold
    • Ricky Starks vs. Christopher Daniels

    Late Night Dynamite on TNT:

    • Scorpio Sky vs. Ben Carter
    • Brandi Rhodes vs. Anna Jay
    • Matt Sydal vs. Shawn Spears

    Chris Jericho will join Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone and Excalibur on commentary.

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  • Gerald Brisco Teasing That He Is Headed To AEW

    Gerald Brisco could be the next wrestling legend taking his wealth of knowledge to All Elite Wrestling.

    Brisco was recently released from WWE after being furloughed back in April. He had been with the company since 1984, before the first WrestleMania took place.

    The 74-year-old WWE Hall of Famer from Oklahoma City has teased that we haven\’t seen the last of him. He released a video on social media this week teasing that he\’s got a \”big announcement\” to make this Wednesday night.

    Brisco says he \”khan\’t wait\” to share his big news with everybody. The typo appears to be a reference to AEW President Tony Khan. There is no doubt that Brisco would be an asset behind the scenes in AEW, along with other producers/coaches such as Arn Anderson, Dean Malenko, Jerry Lynn and B.J. Whitmer.

    Over the past two weeks, the company has announced the signings of Miro, Will Hobbs, Tay Conti and Serena Deeb.

  • WWE-Branded Wines Now Available For Pre-Order

    \”Stone Cold\” Steve Austin has his own Broken Skull IPA beer. Chris Jericho\’s A Little Bit of The Bubbly champagne was a viral sensation. Now, Wrestling fans of legal age will soon be able to enjoy WWE-branded wine.

    The company has partnered with Wines That Rock to produce the first WWE Wines collection bearing the likeness of The Undertaker and the Ultimate Warrior.

    “We knew these bottles would look amazing and be perfect for collectors and fans alike but wanted the quality of the wine to ultimately be the real winner here,” said Wines That Rock winemaker Andrew Nelson.

    “For The Undertaker’s Limited-Edition 30 Barrel Series, we used 100% premium Cabernet Sauvignon from Lodi, California aged in oak. For The Ultimate Warrior, we looked to Mendocino County for a high quality, full bodied and flavorful Zinfandel.”

    Pre-orders are now live at WWEWines.com with the first shipments going out Thursday, October 22nd.

  • AEW Dynamite & NXT Viewership For Sep. 16th

    The Wednesday Night War resumed this week after a one month hiatus due to preemptions. AEW Dynamite once again scored a big victory over NXT in average overnight viewers and the Adults 18-49 demographic. Courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

    • AEW: 886,000 viewers, 0.34 rating (3rd cable for the night)
    • NXT: 689,000 viewers, 0.18 rating (31st on cable for the night)

    For comparison, Monday\’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.689 million viewers with a 0.50 demo. Naturally, AEW and NXT were down a bit from last week\’s unopposed shows, but 3rd for the night is the best AEW has done since the first episode of Dynamite last October.

    Chris Jericho Says AEW Embarrassed NXT Every Week & Urges Them To Move To A Different Night Permanently

    AEW viewership was down 12.6% from 1,014,000 for last Wednesday. Dynamite featured a wild parking lot brawl between Santana & Ortiz and Best Friends, Hangman Page returning to singles action (with snarky commentary from Kenny Omega), FTR picking up a non-title victory over Jurassic Express and much more. (Results & Takeaways)

    NXT viewership was down 17.8% from last week\’s Super Tuesday II episode, which averaged 838,000 viewers. This week\’s NXT saw several of the brand\’s champions in action, including Damien Priest retaining the North American Championship over Timothy Thatcher, Breezango fending off Imperium and Io Shirai besting Shotzi Blackhart. NXT General Manager William Regal also made some big announcements about the next Takeover special. (Results & Takeaways)

  • Will Hobbs Signs With All Elite Wrestling

    Will Hobbs is All Elite. AEW announced the signing Wednesday afternoon.

    Hobbs has been competing on AEW Dark over the past few weeks and picked up his first victory two weeks ago. He racked up another win this week, bringing his record to 2-5 for the year.

    The big man tweeted, \”Been through hell and back. Dreams do come true. BELIEVE IN #\”

    The news of Will Hobbs joining AEW was well-received by several members of the AEW roster. Jim Ross, Jungle Boy, Sammy Guevara, Isiah Kassidy and Peter Avalon are among the wrestlers who tweeted their approval.

    Congratulations to Will Hobbs. You can follow him on Twitter at @TrueWillieHobbs.

    Check out Hobbs\’ latest match rom this week\’s AEW Dark:

  • Next NXT Takeover Announced For Sunday, October 4th

    NXT will hold the next Takeover special Sunday, October 4th. The event will air live on the WWE Network.

    The most recent Takeover saw Damian Priest win the vacant North American Championship in a ladder match, Io Shirai defend the NXT Women\’s Title and Karrion Kross capture the NXT Championship from Keith Lee. Finn Balor has since won the NXT title after Kross had to vacate the gold due to a shoulder injury.

    WWE will begin promoting NXT Takeover XXXI on tonight\’s edition of NXT TV on the USA Network. WWE has yet to announce if Takeover will take place from the Performance Center or the ThunderDome at Orlando\’s Amway Center arena.

    NXT Championship Roll Call

    The following is a roll call of NXT\’s champions:

    • Finn Balor (NXT Champion)
    • Io Shrai (NXT Women\’s Champion)
    • Damian Priest (NXT North American Champion)
    • Breezango (NXT Tag Team Champions)
    • Santos Escobar/Jordan Devlin (NXT Cruiserweight Champion)

  • Update On Jeff Cobb\’s Future & Which Company He Signed With

    Jeff Cobb\’s future is coming into focus.

    The 38-year-old Olympian has been one of the top free agents in pro wrestling. He\’s had notable runs with Lucha Underground, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor. He was briefly aligned with Chris Jericho\’s Inner Circle earlier this year with a 2-week stint on AEW Dynamite.

    Cobb has teased in recent months that he signed with a major wrestling promotion, but did not reveal which company he committed to.

    On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said it\’s all but certain that Cobb has signed with New Japan Pro Wrestling.

    Jeff Cobb will enter this year\’s G1 Climax Tournament, one of several signs that NPW is his new home. The general feeling within the industry is that Cobb\’s goal was to use Ring of Honor as a stepping stone to New Japan.

    With this news going public, keep an eye out for public comments from Cobb himself.

    Discussion: Do you think Jeff Cobb made the right call by joining NJPW?

  • New Details On WWE\’s Crackdown On Talent Monetizing Third-Party Services

    WWE has come under fire in recent weeks regarding the company\’s classification of talent as independent contractors.

    Earlier this month, WWE held a talent meeting to address the issue of wrestlers generating revenue for themselves independently. WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon also sent out a memo instructing wrestlers to cease money making ventures with third-parties by October 2nd.

    WWE\’s communication with talent was said to be vague and misleading. There were conflicting reports about whether or not wrestlers could still use services like Cameo, Twitch and YouTube using their WWE-owned names or their \’real\’ names.

    WWE received a lot of pushback within the industry, amongst fans and even from that of former US Presidential candidate Andrew Yang. They addressed the controversy in a statement released over the past week. WWE comparing their need to protect intellectual property similar to Disney and Warner Bros:

    \”It is the control and exploitation of these characters that allows WWE to drive revenue, which in turn enables the company to compensate performers at the highest levels in the sports entertainment industry.”

    A lot of the backlash about the \”third party restriction\” has focused around wrestlers making money on services like Twitch, but that is not the main reason behind WWE\’s crackdown. Several talents have simply stopped using their ring names for these accounts (such as Paige), switched to using their real names, and can continue without skipping a beat

    SEScoops has learned that several high-profile wrestlers, including Mandy Rose, have been doing high-dollar VIP meet-and-greets online and making a small fortune. One source stated, \”It’s a pretty cut and dried violation of any WWE contract for the past 20-30 years.\”

  • NXT Draws Strong Viewership Tuesday, Could Be Changing Nights

    This week\’s special Super Tuesday edition of NXT on the USA Netework averaged 849,000 viewers. The show did a 0.26 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic to finish 10th on cable for the evening. The data comes courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily.

    It was NXT\’s second highest viewership and best performance in the key demo this year.

    NXT has aired unopposed without competition from AEW for the past three weeks.

    At this point, it is becoming abundantly clear that NXT and AEW benefit from running without direct competition from one another.

    There is buzz within the industry that the USA Network has expressed interest in moving NXT off Wednesday nights. We\’ve heard that WWE is receptive to the idea, but talks are still preliminary.

    To get a more concrete look at NXT\’s performance with and without competition, let\’s take a look at how the show has performed over the past 6 weeks.

    • For the most recent 3 weeks that AEW and NXT went head-to-head, NXT averaged 693,000 viewers.
    • For the past 3 weeks running unopposed, NXT averaged 842,000 viewers.

    NXT will air unopposed once again next Tuesday before settling back in to the Wednesday night timeslot on September 16th.

    Discussion: Do you think AEW and NXT would benefit if NXT moved to a different night permanently?

  • Brock Lesnar No Longer Under WWE Contract

    Brock Lesnar is a free agent after he and WWE failed to come to terms on a new agreement. The news was first reported by PWInsider.

    As of this writing, Lesnar\’s bio remains live at the WWE website. However, his page has been pulled from WWE Shop and WWE is no longer selling Lesnar merchandise.

    Brock Lesnar\’s most recent appearance for WWE took place at WrestleMania 36 back in April, where he dropped the Universal Championship to Drew McIntyre. Lesnar has been one of the highest paid and most prominently featured performers since returning to WWE back in 2012.

    As seen on WWE television this past week, Lesnar\’s advocate, Paul Heyman, has aligned himself with new Universal Champion Roman Reigns. In light of the news that Brock Lesnar is no longer with WWE, the company\’s decision to pair Heyman and Reigns together indicates they do not expect Lesnar back in the fold any time soon.

    The former WWE & UFC Champion is legally able to gauge interest from All Elite Wrestling, should that be an avenue he wants to explore. Lesnar instantly becomes the hottest free agent in all of professional wrestling, but it remains to be seen if AEW is willing to meet the sky-high price tag Lesnar is sure to command on the open market.

  • NXT Will Air On Tuesday For The Next 2 Weeks, AEW Returns To Wednesday

    NXT will air on Tuesday night at 8pm (Eastern) on the USA Network for the next two weeks. The USA Network website has been updated to reflect that NXT is airing on Tuesday, September 1st and Tuesday, September 8th.

    NXT is being pre-empted for NHL hockey. In an effort to make sure fans tune in, WWE is billing this coming Tuesday\’s show as a \”Super Tuesday\” special. It will be a historic broadcast that will feature a 4-way Iron Match to crown a new NXT Champion. The competitors will be Finn Balor, Johnny Gargano, Tomasso Ciampa and Adam Cole.

    The title was vacated by Karrion Kross last week due to a shoulder injury he sustained at Takeover XXX.

    On the other side of the Wednesday Night War, AEW Dynamite returns home to its usual Wednesday night time slot this coming week. NXT had a chance to run unopposed in its usual time slot for the past two weeks. AEW will have that same opportunity the next two weeks.

    The next two unopposed editions of AEW Dynamite will be the the weeks before and after the big All Out pay-per-view scheduled for Saturday, September 5th.

    AEW will now have a chance to show what they can do airing in their normal time slot unopposed for 2 consecutive weeks.

    The next time NXT and AEW run head-to-head will be Wednesday, September 16th.

    https://twitter.com/TonyKhan/status/1299512692919734272

  • WWE NXT Viewership For This Week\’s Unopposed Show

    Wednesday\’s edition of NXT from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL averaged 824,000 viewers, down from 853,000 last week. The show did a 0.24 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic (even with last week) and finished 24th on cable for the evening.

    This was the second consecutive week that NXT ran unopposed and without direct competition from AEW Dynamite, which airs tonight on TNT.

    The post-Takeover episode of NXT went up against the Republican National Convention and news coverage of the Hurricane Laura storm.

    NXT saw Karrion Kross relenquish the NXT Championship due to injury, Breezango capture the NXT tag team championships from Imperium and a hot main event featuring Dakota Kai & Raquel González defeating Io Shirai & Rhea Ripley.

    AEW has been preempted the past two weeks due to the NBA playoffs. Next week, NXT will also be preempted and will air Tuesday night instead of Wednesday.

    The main event of next week\’s \’Super Tuesday\’ edition of NXT will feature a 60-minute 4-way Iron Man Match to determine the next NXT Champion. The participants will be Finn Balor, Tomasso Ciampa, Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano.

  • AEW Dynamite Preview: Tag Team Gauntlet, Tables Match, Contract Signing

    All Elite Wrestling returns tonight for a special Thursday episode of AEW Dynamite. Next week\’s show will also take place on Thursday before Dynamite returns to its usual Wednesday night timeslot September 9th.

    We are less than two weeks away from the All Out pay-per-view. The card is starting to take shape and Dynamite will bring the All Out card further into focus.

    Scheduled for tonight\’s stacked AEW Dynamite live on TNT:

    – All Out Contract Signing between AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and MJF. MJF has demanded that Moxley be barred from using his Paradigm Shift finisher be banned from their match. We will find out tonight if Moxley agrees to the stipulation.

    – Brodie Lee\’s TNT Championship victory celebration continues. The Dark Order leader destroyed Cody Rhodes last week to capture the gold. Cody is expected to be out of action for an extended period of time due to injuries he sustained during and after their match.

    – Sammy Guevara and Matt Hardy will square off in the first-ever Tables match in AEW history.

    – A Tag Gauntlet match between the young Bucks, The Natural Nightmares, Best Friends and FTR. The winners of the gauntlet earn the right to face Kenny Omega and \”Hangman\” Page for the AEW Tag Team Championships at All Out.

    – Big Swole will face Britt Baker, Penelope Ford and Reba in a 3-on-1 handicap match.

    – The Lucha Bros., The Butcher & The Blade (with Eddie Kingston) vs. Joey Janela, Sonny Kiss, Brian Pillman Jr. and Griff Garrison

  • Top AEW Star To Be Out Of Action For Extended Time

    Cody Rhodes will be off television for an extended period of time.

    \”The American Nightmare\” lost the TNT Championship to Brodie Lee last week on Dynamite. Cody got absolutely steamrolled by the Lee, the leader of AEW\’s Dark Order.

    Cody was placed on a stretcher, but the attack continued. Other members of the Nightmare Family were brought out, beaten up and left for dead. It was a disturbing sight to say the least.

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    AEW has promised an update on Cody\’s condition this Thursday on Dynamite. Unfortunately, wrestling fans should not expect to see Cody back in action any time soon.

    According to PWInsider, the expectation is that Cody will be off television for an extended period to \’sell\’ the beating he took at the hands of Brodie Lee. Cody will not work the upcoming All Out pay-per-view on Saturday, September 5th.

    One possible reason for Cody being written off television is the start of production for Stephen Amell\’s new wrestling-themed series on Starz, Heels. The show is being produced in Georgia, where Cody lives, and he is already announced as having a role in the series.

  • AEW Dynamite Viewership For Special Saturday Episode

    AEW Dynamite drew strong viewership on TNT this past Saturday night. It was the first of several episodes preempted and airing on a different night due to the NBA playoffs.

    The August 22nd edition of AEW Dynamite averaged 755,000 viewers and a 0.31 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. Dynamite was the #5 most-watched show on cable for the evening in the key demo. The numbers come courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily.

    Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics has also provided the quarter hour breakdown for the show. Dynamite opened at over 1 million viewers (thanks to the strong lead-in from the NBA playoffs), settled in throughout the show then spiked for the TNT Championship match int he final quarter hour.

    P2+ (total audience)

    • Q1: 1002k
    • Q2: 724k
    • Q3: 791k
    • Q4: 767k
    • Q5: 712k
    • Q6: 666k
    • Q7: 640k
    • Q8: 738k

    P18-49 (key demo)

    • Q1: 575k
    • Q2: 416k
    • Q3: 444k
    • Q4: 423k
    • Q5: 386k
    • Q6: 361k
    • Q7: 288k
    • Q8: 356k

    AEW had stiff competition from NXT Takeover on the WWE Network, as well as UFC Fight Night and the NBA Playoffs. Overall, this is a strong showing for AEW to retain most of their audience with Dynamite airing on a different night than usual.

    Dynamite featured Brodie Lee squashing Cody to capture the TNT Championship, the finals of the Women\’s tag team cup tournament, MJF continuing his campaign against AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and in-ring action from FTR, Darby Allin and The Elite.

    This week\’s AEW Dynamite airs Thursday night on TNT at 8pm (Eastern).

  • Shaquille O\’Neal Wants To Wrestle Cody In AEW

    Shaquille O\’Neal says he\’d love to step inside an AEW ring and rough up Cody Rhodes.

    WarnerMedia announced on Monday that it has entered into a multi-year sports and entertainment deal with Shaq that spans far beyond his role as an basketball analyst.

    Shaq has been a key part of TurnerSports\’ NBA coverage since 2011. As part of the new agreement with WarnerMedia, he will executive-produce projects for Bleacher Report, develop a new show for NBA TV, host a new podcast and be part of CNN’s New Year’s Eve coverage. He also wants to wrestle Cody Rhodes for All Elite Wrestling.

    Shaq called out Cody on Monday while discussing his new deal with Warner.

    \”I\’d love to fight Cody,\” told The Athletic. \”Write it. Print it. Text it to him. Call AEW up and tell them.\”

    The 7-foot-1 star has been a huge pro wrestling fan since childhood. He\’s made multiple in-ring appearances throughout the years. He was ringside for Hulk Hogan\’s WCW debut against Ric Flair back in 1994. He\’s attended multiple WWE shows over the years and even competed at WrestleMania 32 back in 2016.

    Shaquille O\’Neal played in the NBA for 19 season. He was an All-Star for 15 of those seasons and won 4 championships during his career. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

    Cody lost the AEW TNT Championship to Brodie Lee this past Saturday night on AEW Dynamite. It was a stunning defeat that saw Cody wheeled out in a stretcher. We should get an update on Cody\’s condition this Thursday on Dynamite.

  • NXT Draws 853k Viewers, 0.24 Demo Unopposed

    This week\’s edition of WWE NXT on the USA Network averaged 853,000 viewers. The show did a 0.24 in the Adults 18-49 demographic and finished 23rd on cable for the evening.

    NXT ran unopposed this week without competition from AEW, which was preempted due to the NBA playoffs on TNT. Dynamite airs this Saturday night at 6pm (Eastern).

    This was the most-watched episode of NXT this year and ties for the 2nd best demo rating of 2020. Viewership was up 38% from last week, while the key demo rating was up 50%.

    NXT featured Johnny Gargano defeating Ridge Holland in an NXT North American Championship Ladder Match qualifier, Legado del Fantasma in action, Shotzi Blackheart and Rhea Ripley teaming up and Velveteen Dream defeating Finn Balor in the main event in another NXT North American Championship Ladder Match qualifier.

    Click here for our full recap and takeaways from this week\’s WWE NXT.

  • AEW Announces Fans Can Attend Live Events At Limited Capacity Starting Aug. 27

    AEW has announced the return of live events with fans in attendance.

    Starting with the August 27th edition of Dynamite, AEW live events will be open to limited, physically distanced fans in compliance with state and local regulations, as well as CDC guidelines.

    Tickets will be sold for shows at Daily\’s Place Amphitheater and will accommodate 10-15% capacity. For the first ticketed show on Thursday, August 27, a maximum crowd of 10 percent capacity will be permitted. From there, as long as things go smoothly and safety guidelines are followed, they will increase the weekly capacity to 15%.

    This special Thursday edition of AEW Dynamite is part of a revised schedule this month. Several episodes of Dynamite on TNT have been preempted due to the NBA playoffs.

    • Details on AEW Dynamite Preempted by NBA Playoffs This Month

    AEW Taking Precautions

    \”Guests will be required to wear face coverings that cover the nose and mouth, and to physically distance from any person who is not a member of their pod. Guests will also be asked not to attend the day of the show if they have COVID-19, symptoms of COVID-19 or have had close contact exposure to someone who they know has COVID-19 or symptoms. In addition, all guests will have their temperature scanned prior to entry.

    An increased number of hand sanitizing stations will be available, and floor markings will also be used to assist with physical distancing. Industrial fans were also added this past year to further improve air circulation at the open-air venue.\”

    \"\"/

    AEW President and CEO Tony Khan commented on this development:

    “We’ve missed the incredible energy of our fans at shows, and from what we’ve heard from them, they’ve missed being with us. With our enhanced safety measures and outdoor venue, we look forward to welcoming our fans back to become part of the action in-person.\”

    \”Please be assured, we are mindful and respectful of the situation,\” Khan added. \”The health and safety of our AEW family and our fans remains our highest priority. Our leadership team and medical staff have adjusted our operations for limited, physically distanced fans in an outdoor, open-air setting in compliance with the most current state and local regulations and CDC guidelines. We can’t wait for the August 27 DYNAMITE, as the road to ALL OUT will represent the beginning of a new chapter in AEW history.\”

    The following is a look at the seating chart AEW will be using for these limited capacity shows at Daily\’s Place:

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  • WWE SummerSlam Betting Odds For Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton

    This Sunday at SummerSlam, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre faces Randy Orton in what\’s sure to be his most difficult title defense to date.

    McIntyre has battled a wide array of competition since he dethroned Brock Lesnar for the gold back in April at WrestleMania. He defeated the Big Show the following night on Raw before moving on to a feud with Seth Rollins. McIntyre retained against Rollins when the two clashed in the main event of Money in the Bank. He beat Bobby Lashley at Backlash before most recently fending of Dolph Ziggler at Extreme Rules.

    Randy Orton is a whole different animal. McIntyre has had a strong reign thus far, but the Viper is currently favored to walk out of SummerSlam as WWE Champion.

    According to Sports Betting Dime, Randy Orton is favorite to defeat McIntyre for the WWE Championship this weekend. Orton\’s odds are listed as -140, while McIntyre\’s is the underdog at +100.

    Even though McInture\’s belt makes him the top dog on WWE\’s Raw brand, there is no question that Randy Orton casts a big shadow as an 18-year veteran.

    Orton is one of the most decorated champions in WWE history. He also has a strong record competing at SummerSlam, where he has captured world championships three times. In 2009, Orton beat John Cena to win the WWE Championship. In 2011, he took the [retired] World Heavyweight Championship off Christian. Two years later in 2013, he beat Daniel Bryan to win the WWE Championship once again.

    Randy Orton\’s last WWE Championship reign ended at WrestleMania 33 in 2017. As a 9-time WWE Champion and a 4-time World Heavyweight Champion, it\’s almost unusual to see him with a bare waistline.

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    Drew McIntyre spoke with Mirror UK this week to promote his big showdown with WWE\’s Apex Predator. He admitted, \”Randy is completely on fire right now\” and said Orton is on another level as a competitor and performer. \”It was up to me to step up to Randy’s level and hopefully I showed that I’m truly capable of that, like I did on Raw, when let loose with a talent like Randy Orton.\”

    We will see what happens when Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton collide this Sunday at WWE SummerSlam. The show airs live on the WWE Network from the Amway Center in Orlando, FL. It will be the first WWE pay-per-view event to utilize the company\’s new ThunderDome production setup.

  • Renee Young Leaving WWE, Triple H Comments

    Longtime WWE broadcaster Renee Young has given notice that she is leaving the company.

    Young, real name Renee Good, has been with the company since 2012. She is married to Jonathan Good, better known as AEW World Champion Jon Moxley.

    News of Young\’s departure from WWE was first reported by Outkick. PWInsider reports that she informed WWE of the decision last week. We have since independently verified the story.

    Renee Young is expected to work this weekend\’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view. It is unclear when she will wrap up her duties with the company.

    Young has been a very popular figure during her time as an on-air talent. She has worked as a backstage interviewer, commentator and host of various programs including WWE\’s kickoff shows, WWE Backstage and the beloved Talking Smack SmackDown post-show. She made history in August 2018 when she became the first woman to serve as a full-time announcer for WWE Raw.

    Triple H was asked about Renee Young leaving WWE during Wednesday\’s NXT media call to promote this weekend\’s Takeover XXX event. He would not confirm or deny that she is leaving, instead saying that it is up to Renee to address the situation herself. Triple H then praised Renee Young as an important part of the WWE family. He said she\’d done an amazing job with everything and he\’s enjoyed working with her.

    Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.