News

Why WWE Does Not Need Major Matches On Pay Per Views Going Forward

May 13, 2022 • Admin

It kind of changes things. While their product might not be the greatest thing in the world right now, WWE has figured out how to make money like no other wrestling promotion has ever done. As a result, the company is virtually guaranteed to make a profit, no matter what they present. It seems that WWE has learned that too, and it will be changing how things are done going forward. During the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed night one of this year’s WrestleMania 38 doing well, even without a World Title match taking place. As a result, WWE feels that it does not need a World Title match on every show, as it will continue to draw well no matter what. In addition, WWE receives the same amount of money from Peacock no matter how well the show does, meaning a World Title match is not required. Opinion: This is not something that you want to hear as a fan, as while it means the company is doing well, it also means that WWE does not need to try that hard t..

Vince McMahon Wanted WWE Title Match At WrestleMania To Last Two Minutes

May 13, 2022 • Admin

What could have been. There are a lot of wrestling events throughout the year but nothing really comes close to WrestleMania. Making it to WrestleMania is one of the highest points that a wrestler can achieve and it means a lot for them. Getting to be in a major spot on the show is an incredible moment for a wrestler’s career, but two legends almost got their spot cut down. During a recent edition of Talk Is Jericho, Chris Jericho talked about his WrestleMania 28 match against CM Punk for Punk’s WWE Title. The feud between the two involved Jericho attacking Punk and insulting his family, as well as pouring alcohol down his throat. This caused Vince McMahon to plan the match to last two minutes, with Punk getting disqualified for attacking Jericho, as McMahon thought would make sense. As a result, the match had a stipulation added where Punk would lose the title if he was disqualified. Punk would defeat Jericho at WrestleMania and then again in a street fight at Extreme Rules. Opinion..

Not So Fast: Wrestling Legend Refutes Reports About Health Problems

May 13, 2022 • Admin

That’s an improvement. There are very few things sadder in wrestling, or anything really, for hearing about someone dealing with serious health issues. It happens with a lot of people, but sometimes you get a break and find out that things are not as bad as they seem. That might be the case again, as a wrestling legend is refuting reports about his health status. Earlier this week, Jim Ross mentioned that AEW’s Jake Roberts was dealing with serious health issues involving his breathing, which was keeping him off of AEW television. However, Roberts has responded to the story on Twitter, saying that it is untrue and he will be around for a long time. Ross has not responded to Roberts’ statement. Roberts has been serving as Lance Archer’s manager in AEW. Hey guys once again someone wants to make a splash on the internet and what better way is there than putting out Jake Roberts is in bad health. Totally untrue. I’m going to be around a long time. — JakeSnakeDDT (@JakeSnakeDDT) May 12, ..

Swap Him In: WWE May Be Planning A Replacement Tag Team

May 13, 2022 • Admin

They have a plan for that. With so many wrestlers on the WWE roster, it can be easy to see someone fall through the cracks. This might be due to something that they bring on themselves but sometimes it can be due to something out of their control. That is the case again in NXT, but now WWE might be doing something to make the whole situation that much better. Last month, WWE released Nash Carter from his contract after a photo of Carter dressed as Adolph Hitler was posted on Twitter. As a result, Carter and Wes Lee were stripped of the NXT Tag Team Titles, leaving Lee with nothing to do. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Lee and Nathan Frazer may be paired up as a new team. The two were shown in a backstage vignette earlier this week, though it is not clear if they will be officially paired together. Opinion: I could go for the two of them being a team, though Frazer seems more destined to be a singles star. Maybe WWE doesn’t see enough in Lee on his own, but it would be nice to..

Double Trouble: Two AEW Stars Possibly Out With Injuries

May 13, 2022 • Admin

It can happen to anyone. Injuries are one of the great equalizers in wrestling as anyone can get hurt at any time. You never can tell when someone is going to go down with an injury and that can stop anything they are doing at the drop of a hat. It is horrible to hear that someone is hurt and now we might be seeing it twice at once in the same company’s division. Two AEW women are reportedly injured. First up, according to Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com, there is a believe among the AEW locker room that Leylah Hirsch has torn her ACL or MCL. This is NOT confirmed at the moment but if it is true, Hirsch would require surgery and miss several months. Hirsch was injured during a Dark match in April. Second, Hikaru Shida has reportedly suffered an injury of some kind. Shida has been wrestling this month in Japan so any injury would have likely taken place there. Opinion: This is never something that you want to hear as it is the kind of thing that could keep either wrestler on the shelf f..

Back To It: Major Change Possibly Coming For NXT

May 13, 2022 • Admin

That would be a change. There have been several moves made in and around NXT in the last several months. The show has been relaunched as the new NXT 2.0, which has included a variety of moves that have left NXT barely resembling its original version. Some of these changes have been for the better, but now we might be seeing one of the older norms reestablished. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE is considering taking NXT back on the road. The return to touring would take place in the near future, with the touring likely taking place around Florida, as was done before the Coronavirus pandemic took place. It should be noted that these talks have been held before but nothing came of them. NXT has only run one event outside of the WWE Performance Center since the relaunch of NXT, with Stand & Deliver taking place in Dallas, Texas. Opinion: This is something that has been needed for a very long time as NXT wrestlers have only been training in the Performance Center and wrestling m..

MJF Might Be A Bit More Serious About Leaving AEW Than It Seems

May 13, 2022 • Admin

Call it a hint? The rise of AEW has changed the wrestling world and that will be the case for a long time to come. With the new company now a very strong presence in the industry, both wrestling fans and the wrestlers themselves have a lot to look forward to. One of the most important things that AEW can offer is a place for wrestlers to appear, but te opposite might be true in this case. According to Fightful Select, Maxwell Jacob Friedman is reportedly “on edge” about his AEW contract status. Friedman and AEW President Tony Khan had an issue earlier in the year when Friedman was interviewed by Ariel Helwani without clearing it with AEW first. This led to a discussion between Khan and Friedman which seems to have soured their relationship. Friedman has referenced possibly leaving AEW when his contract expires in 2024 during on-camera promos, which are said to more than just in-character statements. Opinion: This is firmly in the category of “I’ll believe it when I see it”, as Friedm..

WWE Makes An Important Change To Hell In A Cell

May 12, 2022 • Admin

Shake it up. WWE is in a strange period at the moment as they company has put almost everything they have behind one wrestler. That would be Roman Reigns, who is closing in on two years as WWE Universal Champion. That is the kind of thing you do not see happen very often and WWE is pushing the length of Reigns’ time as champion as a once in a generation deal. Now it seems that they have found a new way to extend it even further. As announced by Fightful on twitter, Reigns is no longer advertised for Hell In A Cell on June 5. The show’s original poster featured Reigns, but he has now been replaced by Cody Rhodes. This comes as Reigns has recently signed a new contract with WWE, which will allow him to work several fewer dates. Reigns is expected to be working on some television shows, where he will be heavily advertised in advance. Original WWE Hell in a Cell poster and updated WWE Hell in a Cell poster. Roman Reigns is no longer advertised on the poster or WWE's website. pic.twi..

KB’s Review: Speaking Of Which

May 12, 2022 • Admin

So I’ve been sitting around trying to come up with something to talk about this week. It’s a few days after WrestleMania Backlash and the show was quite good, including a title change that was probably long overdue. Then we have had Monday Night Raw, NXT, Dynamite and some news here and there. After all that, I have come to a conclusion: nothing is worth a full column this week. Therefore, it is time to break the glass and go into the slightly off inner workings of my head, as I’m going to do a stream of consciousness deal this time. That means starting with any given topic in wrestling and talking about it until I move on, with a grand total of nothing connecting these things whatsoever. Don’t bother trying to find some theme or anything close to it, as these are going to be things that just come to my mind one after another. I really miss Coliseum Video. There were some terrible entries in its series, but the idea of getting a new WWF tape every so often (normally once a month or s..

WATCH: CM Punk Meets Hook And Danhausen After AEW Dynamite (It Didn’t Go Well)

May 12, 2022 • Admin

It’s a different world. While there are a lot of people watching a wrestling event on television, there are also a good number of people who are watching the show in the arena. That can make for a difficult balance, as the promotion has to find a way to appeal to the fans at home but they also have to keep the people in the arena happy or the atmosphere will be ruined. That was the case again this week in a unique way. This week’s AEW Dynamite took place in Long Island, New York, the hometown of Maxwell Jacob Friedman. The company’s debut in the area last year took place when Friedman was feuding with CM Punk, causing the venue to not like Punk. After Dynamite went off the air, Friedman came to the ring but Punk came out to confront him. As a result, Friedman left and sent Hook to the ring instead. Punk left, but ran into Danhausen, who cursed Punk back to the ring. Hook then t-bone suplexed Punk and choked him out, leaving Punk laying. This is a special one. Check out Punk meeting H..

REVIEW: Takeover 36: The Last Hurrah

May 12, 2022 • Admin

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? Takeover 36 Date: August 22, 2021 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett This might be the last version of the classic Takeover that we see and that is rather saddening. Takeover has been so special for such a long time but things in NXT are going to be shaken up in the near future. If this is it, they’re going out with a pretty big card, with three matches you could call the main event. Let’s get to it. Kickoff Show: Ridge Holland vs. Trey Baxter..

Drew McIntyre Wants To Bring Back A WWE Attitude Era Championship

May 12, 2022 • Admin

It worked before. Titles are a simple concept in wrestling, but they are perhaps the most important thing a company can have. A wrestler holding a title will instantly be seen as more important and it can be their first step up the ladder. Some titles are seen as less valuable than others, but now a top WWE star wants to bring back one of the less important ones for a simple purpose. During a new interview with Talk Sport, Drew McIntyre said that he wanted to bring back the WWE European Title. McIntyre said that he wanted to bring the title back because he wanted to win it as a child but can’t now that it has been retired. He made it clear that he only wants to bring it back so he can win it and then instantly retire it again. There is nothing to suggest that WWE is planning to bring the title, which existed from February 26, 1997 until July 22, 2002. Opinion: This is the kind of thing that could be rather fun if WWE actually went through with it. There is no reason to make it into a..

Here Is How WWE Internally Ranks Some Of Its Wrestlers

May 12, 2022 • Admin

They have rankings. The WWE roster has changed quite a bit over the last few months and it has left things looking more than a little different. That is not a bad thing and the changes are often needed to keep things fresh. At the same time though, it can be a bit difficult to figure out how the new roster is ranked. Now we know at least about at least a specific division. According to PWInsider.com, WWE has updated the internal roster of the Monday Night Raw women’s division. This includes the rankings of the wrestlers and whether they are considered to be either a babyface or a heel. This comes after the returns of Asuka and Alexa Bliss, plus Lacey Evans being moved from Monday Night Raw from SmackDown. Here is the list: Babyfaces Bianca Belair Alexa Bliss Liv Morgan Asuka Dana Brooke Heels Becky Lynch Rhea Ripley Lacey Evans Carmella Zelina Vega Doudrop Nikki Ash Tamina Opinion: There are a few surprises on this list, with Evans being third on the villains’ side and Asuka being ..

More Details On Roman Reigns’ New WWE Deal, Not Appearing As Often

May 12, 2022 • Admin

That explains a bit. There are a lot of changes taking place in WWE but a few things have stayed the same. That can be a good or a bad thing, but what matters is keeping the good things as strong as possible. WWE knows how to present some of its top stars rather well, though it might not be able to present one of them nearly as often in the future as they have been as of late. One of the bigger recent WWE stories has been Roman Reigns signing a new deal with WWE, which will allow him to appear less frequently. According to PWInsider.com, Reigns’ new deal will be similar to Randy Orton, who only works selective live events in bigger cities. Reigns is only expected to appear at major events with no television appearances for July and August. Opinion: This is a big better for WWE, as it seems that Reigns will be more of a featured attraction rather than just someone who will not be around at all. I can see WWE wanting to keep Reigns around as much as possible, but what matters is keepin..

WWE Hall Of Famer Reportedly Going Through Serious Health Issues

May 12, 2022 • Admin

That doesn’t sound good. There are certain wrestlers throughout the history of the sport who have become such legends that fans follow what happen to them once they have left the ring. Unfortunately that is not always the best news as sometimes you hear about someone who is not doing so well and that seems to be the case again, as a legend is not in great shape. During a recent edition of his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross revealed that WWE Hall of Famer Jake Roberts has been dealing with serious health issues. Without specifying, Ross mentioned that Roberts was having issues breathing but is trying to deal with it. This includes some upcoming surgeries. The health issues are the reason why Roberts has not been appearing on AEW television as frequently in recent weeks. Opinion: This is one of those things that might not be the biggest surprise, as Roberts has had a long history of health issues over the years. It does explain why he has not been around as of late, as Roberts has only ..

Worth The Wait: Update On Cesaro’s Wrestling Status

May 12, 2022 • Admin

It might be a bit. Even though WWE and AEW get most of the attention, there are a lot of wrestling promotions throughout the world. Just because a wrestler is not appearing for one of those promotions does not mean that they have no value, as there are several wrestlers who can work for multiple promotions at once. That is the case with one prominent name, but at the moment he does not seem interested in appearing anywhere. Fightful Select has more information about former WWE star Cesaro’s status. According to the report, Cesaro has been contacted by several promotions about coming in he has not accepted any bookings. Cesaro’s asking price is said to be higher than most promotions can afford, which may be by design, as he may be waiting for the right offer to come along. Cesaro is currently a free agent and allowed to appear anywhere he wants at any time. Opinion: If Cesaro is happy and able to stay at home without a need to work, good for him. There is no requirement for him to get..

RUMOR: Problems Between Kota Ibushi and NJPW

May 12, 2022 • Admin

This is only a rumor, so take it for its worth. According to Brian Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Radio, some further drama is taking place between Kota Ibushi and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Apparently, Ibushi is not happy with NJPW as he feels the company is trying to get him back in the ring before he is fully healed. Ibushi suffered a shoulder injury after taking a hard landing during his G1 Climax finals match against Kazuchika Okada in October 2021. Ibushi was initially planned to participate in this year’s New Japan Cup. He was pulled from the tournament as he wasn’t ready to return to action. This adds to the potentially current drama, as he recently posted a series of cryptic tweets in Japanese. This left many foreign fans confused, due to mistranslations, as some shocking terms were seen through the translation tool on Twitter, such as “sexually harassing bosses.” Ibushi signed a “lifetime contract” with NJPW back in 2019. [h/t to SEScoops] Editor’s Opinion: While rushing h..

Maybe? Two More Matches Added To AEW Double Or Nothing Card (Kind Of)

May 12, 2022 • Admin

The card continues to grow. AEW has an interesting pay per view schedule, in that they run quarterly events rather than a pay per view every month. That allows their events to feel a bit more special, as the fans are asked to wait longer between each event. We are less than a month away from their next offering and now we know a little bit more about what to expect from the show. On Sunday May 29, AEW will present its spring pay per view event on Sunday May 29 over Memorial Day weekend. This week on AEW Dynamite, a match was announced for the Double Or Nothing Buy In Show and another match might have been announced for the card itself. On the Buy In Show, the team of Hookhausen (Hook and Danhausen) will face Mark Sterling and Tony Nese. On the proper Double Or Nothing card, Wardlow is expected to face Maxwell Jacob Friedman. However, Friedman listed some stipulations that Wardlow has to achieve to make the match happen, including taking ten lashes and defeating Shawn Spears in a cage..

AEW Dynamite Live Coverage And Results – May 11, 2022

May 12, 2022 • Admin

Dynamite Date: May 11, 2022 Location: UBS Arena, Belmont Park, New York Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone We’re back on Long Island this week and that means it’s going to be a bit of a Bizarro World situation. CM Punk is getting to face Long Island’s own John Silver, but the big story is MJF getting to name the stipulations for his match against Wardlow with Wardlow’s freedom on the line. If nothing else, it should be fun to hear MJF get that kind of a hero’s welcome. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Owen Hart Foundation First Round: Adam Cole vs. Dax Harwood Harwood starts fast with some shots to the face but gets kneed in the ribs to cut him down. That means Cole can start to pose a bit as he stomps Harwood down even more. Harwood gets sent ribs first into the post and it’s time to go outside. Cole sends him into various other things, including HARD into the post as we take a break. Back with Harwood getting sent chest first into the buckle. Harwood is fine enou..

WWE Is Bringing Back A Classic Show Next Month For NXT

May 11, 2022 • Admin

Mark your calendars. NXT was completely shaken up back in September 2021 when it was relaunched as NXT 2.0. The new version of the show featured a new look, a fresh roster and basically sent everything in a new direction. That means they had to start from scratch in a lot of ways, but things have gotten back to normal in some areas, which will be on display again next month. According to PWInsider.com, the next NXT special will take place on June 4, with In Your House. There is no location announced for the event, though the previous special event, Stand & Deliver, took place in Dallas, Texas as part of WrestleMania 38 weekend. In Your House will take place the day before Hell In A Cell near Chicago, Illinois but it is not clear if the show will take place nearby. This will be the third NXT edition of In Your House. Opinion: In your House is one of those shows that NXT can dust off every year and do just fine, as the show isn’t one that needs a lot of hype. The show has a history in ..