AEW Officially Signs New Star To Full Time Deal

Add him to the list. AEW has put together a pretty amazing roster over their short history, with a mixture of up and coming stars, established veterans and younger wrestlers getting their first break. It can be fascinating to see what they can do when they are given the chance and now another one is going to be able to do that, as he has officially signed with the company. AEW President Tony Khan appeared on Busted Open Radio and revealed that Lee Moriarty has signed a full time contract with Ring of Honor. Khan had previously announced that Moriarty had signed a deal with the company but it was not clear what kind of deal the two sides had made. Moriarty has yet to win a match in AEW, but he appeared during this week’s Rampage Buy-In show, losing to Bobby Fish. Moriarty is pretty great. Check out what he can do in the ring: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is the kind of..

WWE Ignored A Crown Jewel Match And One Wrestler Isn’t Happy

Can you blame him? We are less than a week away from WWE Crown Jewel, which will be one of the biggest events of the year. WWE will be heading over to Saudi Arabia for the first time in over a year and a half for the event, which is featuring a stacked card. There is all kinds of good stuff set for the show, but one match has not warranted the same kind of attention. One of the wrestlers is not happy about it. This week’s edition of SmackDown featured a rundown of the Crown Jewel card. Every match was mentioned, save for the grudge match between Mustafa Ali and Mansoor. There was no reference to the match, which prompted Ali to send out a tweet of an image of the match, saying that it will be on the card as well. The match was added to the card earlier this week after the team split on Monday Night Raw. just a reminder, this match is also taking place at #WWECrownJewel despite not being promoted at all at the end of #SmackdownonFS1 https://t.co/gv7D5b6ViN — Mustafa Ali / Adeel Alam ..

REVIEW: Monday Nitro – September 4, 2000: The Horror

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over twelve years now and have reviewed over 6,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be? Monday Nitro #259 Date: September 4, 2000 Location: Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Jeremy Borash, Mark Madden This is a special (kind of) show for me as I remembered hearing about WarGames 2000 on Thunder and wanting to see it. Being a moron of twelve at the time, I stayed home to watch that while Monday Night Raw was taking place ten minutes from my house and a buddy of mine had an extra ticket. To this day I can’t explain what I was thinking. Let’s get to it. On a side note: this is ..

Backstage News On How WWE Views AEW Internally

It’s all about perspective. The wrestling world has changed a lot in the last few years and the majority of that is due to the rise of AEW. As the company has rapidly risen up the charts, WWE has been forced to make some adjustments to address them. That is not how WWE would put it though, but how does WWE see AEW when the cameras are not rolling? Now we know a bit more about the situation. When asked, WWE’s response to questions about AEW being competition is to say that they are in competition with everyone rather than just AEW. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is taking AEW more seriously because of their recent successes. However, WWE does not feel that it is a fair fight, as AEW does not have to make money like AEW does. WWE also believes that AEW President Tony Khan has overspent to achieve his success. There is no word on how WWE will continue to adjust to deal with AEW. Both companies have been working hard as of late. Check out some of their recent efforts..

AEW’s Cody Rhodes Says He’s Woody From Toy Story

That’s an interesting take. AEW has changed the way the wrestling world works and has also come a long way in its short history. The company has rocketed up the charts, though things have also changed behind the scenes. This includes some adjustments to how much influence the top names have behind the scenes, which has changed the way they are viewed in front of the cameras. Now one of them has quite the opinion on how he is perceived. AEW Executive Vince President Cody Rhodes was a guest on Busted Open Radio and discussed the fans’ more negative reactions to his recent appearances. Rhodes talked about how his reception will be different depending on the location and he does not want to take the simple route of a boss abusing his power. He then went into an explanation based on Woody from the Toy Story franchise, saying that while he once was the most popular, now some new people have replaced him. Rhodes also said that he wants to ride this wave and enjoy all of it. Here are some of ..

Roman Reigns Slams CM Punk, Says A Match “Doesn’t Do Anything For Him”

That would be a dream match. The battle lines have been drawn between WWE and AEW, as both companies clearly have their eyes on each other in one way or another. You do not get to see something like this very often but it can make for some very interesting moments. Some of the biggest are when one top star takes aim at another, and that is the case all over again. In an interview with Complex, WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns was asked about a potential match with AEW’s CM Punk. Reigns said that if there was a clamor for the match that couldn’t be ignored, he wouldn’t say no, but the match does nothing for him on a personal level. Reigns sees Punk as older and having lost a step, along with saying that Punk’s size would hinder him. After Punk’s losses in the UFC, Reigns does not believe that Punk could hang with an athlete of his caliber. The two have met in one singles match, with Reigns defeating Punk on the January 6, 2014 Monday Night Raw. There is a bit of history here. Check..

Paul Heyman Teases Surprising Addition To The Bloodline

That would be a way to go. Stables have been used in wrestling for a very long time and will continue to be as well. They are an idea that makes a lot of sense, as a company can put several wrestlers together and use them as part of a major story instead of a bunch of minor ones. Seeing someone new added can be a big deal and we are being teased by just that again. SmackDown’s Paul Heyman was recently interviewed by Sportskeeda. During the interview, Heyman was asked about Naomi potentially joining the Bloodline (Heyman’s stable, along with the Usos and Roman Reigns). Heyman asked how the interviewer would know that Naomi isn’t already in the group. Naomi is married to Jimmy Uso, with Heyman saying that fans see the Bloodline for two hours a week, leaving a lot of time for other things, such as speaking with Naomi, to happen. It was quite the discussion. Check out the interview, plus Heyman and Naomi at work: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, cli..

How Roman Reigns Is Viewed Backstage In WWE

He’s one that matters. WWE’s roster has been shaken up more than once in recent months and there is nothing to suggest that the changes are done for good. With so many moves taking place, there are bound to be some that surprise you. You would think that some wrestlers are going to be around forever because of one reason or another, and now there is someone else on that list. Roman Reigns has defended WWE and criticized AEW in recent interviews, including taking several shots at CM Punk. According to Wrestling Observer Live, none of these statements are Reigns shilling for WWE, as he is seen to be a lifer who believes everything he says about the company. It was noted that there are wrestlers, with Seth Rollins being named, who will defend WWE in interviews but don’t believe the statements themselves. Reigns is seen as someone who truly does believe his praise for WWE and would do so even if he didn’t work there. Reigns is a force in WWE. Check out some of his recent work: [This pos..

AEW Rampage Results – October 15, 2021

Rampage Date: October 15, 2021 Location: James L. Knight Center, Miami, Florida Commentators: Excalibur, Ricky Starks, Taz This is another special edition of the show as we have a bonus first hour airing on YouTube, which seems to be retaliation for WWE running an extra half hour of Smackdown this week. The bonus hour will feature Bryan Danielson vs. Minoru Suzuki while the regular show has CM Punk against Matt Sydal. Let’s get to it. Buy-In: Tay Conti vs. Santana Garrett Anna Jay is here with Conti, who takes Garrett down by the arm to start. Neither of them can hit am armdrag as commentary hypes up the Rampage card, including a commercial free opener. Conti’s leglock has Garrett in more trouble and she kicks Garrett in the face for two. Garrett is sent to the apron but misses a kick to the face, allowing Conti to roll her back inside for two. There’s a forearm to Conti’s face to stagger her again and a running elbow in the corner makes it worse. Conti fights out of a leglock and a..

SmackDown Live Coverage And Results – October 15, 2021

Smackdown Date: October 15, 2021 Location: Toyota Arena, Ontario, California Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee We’re in a unique situation as this is the go home Smackdown for a pay per view but there is one more Raw to go. Crown Jewel is in less than a week with Brock Lesnar challenging Roman Reigns for the Universal Title. Lesnar is here tonight as part of the special Supersized show. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Here is Edge and, after we see a video on his feud with Seth Rollins and the announcement of Hell in a Cell at Crown Jewel, it’s time for a chat in a chair. Edge talks about how the two of them have had problems for a long time but now Rollins has gone to Edge’s home. That’s the place where he breaks bread with his family and tucks his little girls in at night. It was right out of Edge’s playbook, like the time he slapped John Cena’s dad. They have traded wins and now it is time to settle this inside the Cell. Rollins is the only one who can match Edge’s inten..

Impact Wrestling Results – October 14, 2021

Impact Wrestling Date: October 14, 2021 Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown We’re less than two weeks away from Bound For Glory and that means it is time to really hammer home the stories. Most of the card is set, save for the final spot in the X-Division Title match. Things have been going well as of late and I’m actually interested in where the show goes. Keeping that up is not going to easy but maybe they can make it work. Let’s get to it. The opening recap looks at last week’s main event as Josh Alexander vs. Christian Cage continues to heat up. X-Division Title Qualifying Match: Rohit Raju vs. El Phantasmo vs. Willie Mack The winner joins Trey Miguel and Steve Maclin for the title match at Bound For Glory and the rest of the Bullet Club is in Phantasmo’s corner. Phantasmo is sent outside to start, leaving Mack to shoulder Raju down. Phantasmo replaces Raju and can’t get anywhere with some shoulders of his own. This time it’s Ma..

AEW Has Several Contracts Expiring Within The Next Year

Someone’s out? Despite being one of the biggest wrestling promotions in the world today, AEW has not been around all that long. The company has not even celebrated its third anniversary yet but the company has already come a very long way. Somehow they have not yet seen that many problems so far, but now they could be coming up on their first set of changes. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, several “key deals” in AEW are coming up in both 2022 and 2023, meaning the company could be seeing several free agencies. There is no comprehensive list of deals running out, but almost every star on the roster signed a three year deal when the company was founded in 2019. It is not clear how many will be re-signing with the company, though some, including Scorpio Sky, have signed new deals. The company has come a long way. Check out some of its early days and some of the names who have helped them get this far: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video..

Chris Jericho Taking Some Time Away From AEW TV Due To Fozzy Tour

Back in a bit. There are a lot of stars on the AEW roster but some of them are bigger than others. The company has its share of legends who have been around for a very long time, with Chris Jericho at the top of the list. Jericho has been around for a very long time now and was the first AEW World Champion. Now though, he is going to be taking a bit of time away from television. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Jericho will be touring the United Kingdom with his band Fozzy, meaning that he will be missing time from AEW TV. Jericho will be on tour from November 29 until December 12 and will miss two editions of Dynamite and Rampage each. There is a chance that Jericho will still appear in pre-taped videos. It is not clear if AEW will announce the tour or use a storyline to write Jericho off of television. He’s done well in AEW. Check out some of Jericho’s time with the company: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [Thi..

Top WWE Star Injured Going Into Crown Jewel

On the mend. We are less than a week away from WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, which is going to be a stacked show. The card is going to be the company’s major event for the month and one of the biggest of the year, as tends to be the case for the shows taking place in the country. The top matches have already been announced, but one wrestler might not be 100%. During an appearance on the most recent episode of the CarCast podcast, Goldberg revealed that his knee will not be 100% going into his Crown Jewel match against Bobby Lashley. Goldberg’s knee was injured in storyline during his match against Lashley, which ended when the referee decided Goldberg was too injured to continue. Goldberg said his knee will be good enough to beat Lashley. Goldberg can be a force when he is healthy. Check out what he can do in the ring: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: I’m almost scared abou..

NXT UK Results – October 14, 2021

NXT UK Date: October 14, 2021 Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd It’s championship week as Ilja Dragunov is back to defend the United Kingdom Title against A-Kid. That has all the makings of a great match, but more importantly, there will be a crowd here for the first time in WAY too long as the United Kingdom has started to lighten their Coronavirus restrictions. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence, with a new song. The fans are back! Blair Davenport vs. Stevie Turner Davenport jumps Turner before the bell as we start fast. That’s fine with Turner, who fights back at the bell and scores with a Thesz press to hammer away. Some right hands in the corner don’t work out so well as Davenport drops her face first onto the turnbuckle and scores with a basement dropkick to the back of the head. Turner is back up with a running boot to the face and some neckbreakers get two. Davenport BLASTS her with a kick to the head for two more but ..

WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE And AEW May Be Getting Into A Bidding War Soon

Is he next? AEW has a heck of a roster, with a fine mixture of legends, up and coming talent and rookies who are getting their first break. That kind of a mixture can offer a lot of different possibilities but at some point you need to bring in someone new. Those wrestlers could come from anywhere, with the independent scene being a prime target. We might be ready to see someone new show up in a few months. According to Bodyslam.net, Mance Warner will be a free agent in January 2022. There has been interest in Warner from both WWE and AEW, the latter of which brought Warner in for visits at multiple shows last year. There is no word on where Warner will sign, as he has not been allowed to enter formal negotiations due to his current contract. Warner is currently under contract with Major League Wrestling but has not wrestled for them since March of 2020, instead wrestling on the independent circuit. Warner will get your attention. Check out what he can do in the ring: [This post con..

AEW’s Entire Full Gear Card May Have Been Spoiled

In black and white. AEW has already become the second largest wrestling promotion in the country and they have done so while doing things a little bit differently than WWE. One of the major differences is how infrequently AEW runs pay per view events, with only one a quarter rather than one a month. That makes the existing shows all the more important, and now we might know what to expect. A photo of AEW President Tony Khan was taken at this weekend’s Jacksonville Jaguars game. In the photo, Khan is seen with a piece of paper, which seems to contain the card for Full Gear, which will be held on November 13. Currently, only one match has been announced, as Hangman Page will challenge Kenny Omega for the AEW World Title. There are eleven matches listed, including Page vs. Omega, with Page’s name circled. Here is what is listed, which is in no way confirmed for the show: * AEW World Title: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Hangman Page * Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley * MJF vs. Darby Allin * Britt Ba..

Popular NXT Star Could Be In For A Complete Makeover

Going with something new. No matter how talented a wrestler might be, sometimes they need to switch things up a bit, just to keep themselves fresh. This can be done in a variety of ways and some of them are a lot more effective than others. Sometimes the best way to go is with a complete visual shakeup, and that might be what we are seeing with a popular star. According to Wrestlingnews.co, NXT’s Cameron Grimes may be in for a makeover in the coming weeks. Grimes has been searching for romance in recent weeks and was told by Grayson Waller that the problem may be in how he looks. This comes after Vince McMahon did not draft Grimes to the main roster because he does not like the look of the character. There is no word on what the new character would look like. Grimes certainly is worth a look. Check out what he has done in NXT: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: I’m not sure how ..

How WWE Is Making Changes To Address Its Major Roster Problems

It is indeed a problem. WWE has been changing a lot as of late and there is nothing to suggest that the changes are done. You never know when WWE might shake things up again and that is rather interesting for a company that has been on top of the industry for so long. At some point, something needs to be adjusted though and we might know why WWE has been making some changes. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE is aware that several of its top stars are in their 40s and that something need to be changed. This is part of the reason why NXT has been completely revamped, as WWE wants to appeal to a younger audience as well as start preparing some younger stars to be the future of the company. NXT’s previous roster was filled with wrestlers in their 30s, which was something WWE wanted to change. NXT has certainly changed. Check out some of their recent efforts: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click ..

Two Strikes: Here’s Why An NXT Star May Never Be Called Up To The Main Rosters

At least they have a reason. NXT is a unique promotion in that it exists for its wrestlers to leave. As the official developmental territory for WWE, NXT is there to build up the WWE roster. That is easier said than done in a lot of ways, but NXT has managed to make it work for a long time now. There are some names who are almost never called up though, and now we know why that is the case in one instance. The main event of this week’s NXT saw Santos Escobar unsuccessfully challenging Isaiah Scott for the North American Title. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Escobar has not been called up due to being too small and too old. Escobar is billed at 5’11 and 205lbs and is 37 years old. He has been wrestling on NXT TV since February 2020 and is a former NXT Cruiserweight Champion. There is no word on if he will ever be called up to the main roster. Escobar is worth a look. Check out what he can do in the ring: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, c..