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KB’s Review: Jinder Mahal And The Austin Theory Theory

May 21, 2020 • Admin

There are a lot of elements that go into wrestling but there is one thing that a lot of fans can forget: the promotion putting on the show can tell (almost) whatever story they would like. That’s a detail that is so often overlooked and it hurts the product quite a bit. The reality though is a wrestling company can have its wrestlers go to any story they want at any given time. In one of his many (many) rants available on YouTube, Jim Cornette tells a story of running Ohio Valley Wrestling and seeing his top heel come to a show suddenly bald. The wrestler, Doug Basham, explained that WWE had wanted to see what he looked like bald. This sent Cornette over the edge (again) because Basham was one of his top stars. Cornette’s (paraphrased) response was “Give me two weeks’ notice, I’ll book him in a hair vs. hair match, shave him myself and sell some tickets.” Now notice what Cornette is saying in that short statement: it isn’t hard to book Basham in a hair vs. hair match even if the stor..

New Match Added To AEW Double Or Nothing

May 21, 2020 • Admin

There’s always time for one more. We are less than three days away from AEW Double Or Nothing, which marks a unique situation for the promotion. AEW is a company that mainly relies on their weekly television shows. They only run pay per views every now and then so the card has to be especially big. Despite only having a few days left, they managed to add in another match to the card. One of the biggest surprises in AEW’s one year history has been Dustin Rhodes’ career resurgence. Rhodes has always been a talented performer but he might be having the best matches of his last twenty years. He was recently defeated in the semifinals of the TNT Title tournament though and took a heck of a beating. His career seems close to wrapping up but he has at least one more match to go. During this week’s edition of Dynamite, Shawn Spears challenged Rhodes to a match at Saturday’s Double Or Nothing. Later in the show, the match was confirmed to be taking place. Spears had insinuated that Rhodes had..

NXT Results – May 20, 2020

May 21, 2020 • Admin

NXT Date: May 20, 2020 Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Tom Phillips I’m not sure what to expect at the moment but it’s time to start getting ready for Takeover. The show is in two and a half weeks and that means we are going to need to get things going in a hurry. There isn’t much set for the show but NXT knows how to do this stuff like no one else. Let’s get to it. In Memory of Shad Gaspard. Opening sequence. Karrion Kross vs. ??? Scarlett doesn’t do as much lip syncing this week but the entrance is still cool. Doomsday Saito and the Krossjacket choke finishes…someone (his tights say Liam) at 49 seconds. Result: Karrion Kross b. ??? – Krossjacket choke (0:49) Post match here’s Tommaso Ciampa to say Kross started by going after the top man in NXT. Ciampa knows Kross is special and Kross can prove that when they fight at Takeover. We take a quick look at the Interim Cruiserweight Title Tournament. Interim Cruiserweigh..

REVIEW: Fall Brawl 1999: It Looks Like A Video Game

May 21, 2020 • Admin

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over ten years now and have reviewed over 5,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net, starting today. 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? Fall Brawl 1999 Date: September 12, 1998 Location: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, North Carolina Attendance: 7,491 Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan Well we had to get here eventually, even though I don’t think people wanted to. The main event here is Sting vs. Hogan for the title and Goldberg vs. Page because those are fresh matches. We also get to see the Revolution rising up the card in a big No DQ tag match and Benoit defending the US Title against on..

AEW Dynamite Live Coverage And Results – May 20, 2020

May 20, 2020 • Admin

Dynamite Date: May 20, 2020 Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone It’s the go home show for Double or Nothing and that means it is time to hammer home everything that has already been set up. Hopefully that makes for a good show as you never know what you might get out of something like this. Maybe Cody can ram something at six miles an hour this time. Let’s get to it. We open with a look at Double or Nothing’s three big matches. The Inner Circle arrives and has a surprise for Matt Hardy. Here’s a preview of the show. Jon Moxley vs. 10 Non-title and Brodie Lee, carrying the title, is here with 10. Before the match, Lee tells 10 to take a knee and talks about how he puts his pants on like anyone else and can’t walk on water. He is a man rather than a god, but he has taken possession of something important. This is the new Dark Order, and they operate at a different level. Lee sends 10 to hurt Moxley for him. Moxley wastes ..

WATCH: WWE-Produced Piece on Drake Maverick’s Story

May 20, 2020 • Admin

A sign of things to come? WWE has posted a new video to its YouTube channel, in which they show Drake Maverick’s story and the unbreakable dreams that he has. This is after he was released from his WWE contract on April 15 of this year. As previously reported, Maverick was among several WWE superstars that were released in the middle of April. However, he has still been competing in the NXT Interim Cruiserweight Championship tournament and has a match with Kushida on tonight’s show. If he wins, he forces a tie in his group block, which means that he will have the opportunity to compete in the tournament. Editor’s Opinion: I have a feeling that WWE is trying to find a way to bring him back, or at least get him a new deal when the world starts to return after the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic. He is a very talented performer, both in and out of the ring, and is a very valuable commodity to the company. I really don’t think that WWE would put this piece out there if they didn’t have ..

New Weekly Wrestling Series Debuting Next Month

May 20, 2020 • Admin

Open the vault. The spread of the Coronavirus has changed the way the sports world works at the moment. With almost no live sports taking place at any given point, alternatives are being sought out and that means wrestling is becoming a hot commodity. A lot of wrestling companies have a deep library of content available and that is the kind of thing that television is cashing in on. While WWE and AEW are the wrestling promotions that get the most attention, there are some other companies out there which deserve some attention. One of the bigger ones is Impact Wrestling, which has been around for almost eighteen years now. Their weekly television show has been around for over fifteen years and now a network is seeing the value in the company. AXS TV has announced a new weekly series called Impact In 60, which will feature various classic moments and matches over the course of Impact Wrestling’s history. The series will debut on June 2 with the Best of the Asylum Years. The hour long w..

Breaking: Shad Gaspard’s Body Found Near Venice Beach

May 20, 2020 • Admin

We have some sad news to report this morning as former WWE superstar, Shad Gaspard, has passed away at the age of 39. This is after his body went missing a few days ago while he was swimming with his son. According to multiple reports, The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed his death. This has also been confirmed by the Los Angeles County Fire Department via Twitter: BREAKING: @LACoLifeguards confirm body found washed up on Venice Beach this morning matches that of WWE star Shad Gaspard, who went missing Sunday afternoon. @CBSLA pic.twitter.com/i1RuITRJCu — Tina Patel (@tina_patel) May 20, 2020 He was swimming with his 10-year-old son, Aryeh, when they and several other swimmers were caught in a strong rip current near Venice Beach. “When last seen by the lifeguard, a wave had crashed over Mr. Shad Gaspard and he was swept out to sea,” Los Angeles police said in a statement Monday. Gaspard was most known for his time as a member of “Cryme Time”, along with his partner JTG..

AEW Dark Results – May 19, 2020

May 20, 2020 • Admin

Dark Date: May 19, 2020 Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida Commentators: Excalibur, Taz For reasons I don’t think I want to understand, this week’s show is even longer than last week’s, clocking in at an hour and twenty seven minutes. Factoring out commercials, that is as long as a regular two hour wrestling show, comprised almost entirely of squash matches. Why this is seen as a good idea is beyond me, but that has never stopped AEW before. Let’s get to it. Quick preview of the show. Hikaru Shida vs. Dani Jordyn Dani has her burn book. They trade shoulders to start with Shida’s giving her a knockdown, followed by a backbreaker to keep Dani down. A running knee to the face lets Shida point at the camera but Jordan hits a springboard DDT back inside. The Tommaso Ciampa flipping armbar has Shida in more trouble but she’s out in a hurry with a missile dropkick for two. Jordyn grabs a German suplex, which Shida no sells and hits a running knee to the back of the head for two..

VIDEO: Ember Moon’s Injury May Be Career Ending

May 20, 2020 • Admin

That’s never a good sign. There are a lot of ways for someone to get hurt in wrestling. You never know how bad things are going to be as soon as you see someone go down and that can make things rather scary. With so many wrestlers in the world today, you never know how often someone is going to be injured and put on the shelf. One such injury may be a lot worse than usual. There have been all kinds of wrestlers who have come up from NXT. The developmental system has gone from an extra show to fill in time to one of the most popular and revered promotions in the world. Titles mean a lot down in NXT as they rarely change hands. If you are a former NXT Champion, odds are you are going to be a big deal on the main roster. One such big deal might not be getting another chance though. During this week’s edition of WWE Backstage, former NXT Women’s Champion Ember Moon discussed her torn Achilles injury. Moon said that she may be dealing with a career ending injury and does not know when or ..

WWE Comments On Shad Gaspard’s Disappearance

May 20, 2020 • Admin

He was part of the family. There have been a lot of people to work for WWE over the years and some were more prominent than others. At one point or another, almost everyone has left WWE, though you never know how positive the terms might be. No matter what happens though, WWE is often willing to put past differences aside in a horrible situation, and that might be what they are doing again. On Sunday, horrible news came out of California involving former WWE wrestler Shad Gaspard. While at the beach with his family, Gaspard’s son got caught in a series of waves. Gaspard went out to help him but had to be rescued himself. Once emergency workers reached him, Gaspard told the first responders to help his son instead. Gaspard’s son was rescued, but Gaspard himself was pulled under a wave and has yet to be found. The Coast Guard has suspended their search but the Los Angeles Police Department is still searching. WWE has since commented on the situation, with both the company and Vince McM..

Update On Charlotte’s Role In WWE

May 20, 2020 • Admin

What is she exactly? Last week on Monday Night Raw, Becky Lynch took a leave of absence from the company due to her pregnancy. It was an amazing moment and one of the cooler things that you will see on television in a long time. However, it leaves some gaps in the women’s division as Lynch was the undisputed top star and it is not clear who is going to fill that void. Now though, we might have a better idea. While Lynch is the biggest star in all of the women’s division and one of the biggest in all of WWE (if not the biggest), there is another woman who has her own star power. That would be Charlotte, who has been one of the biggest names in the history of women’s wrestling despite only being on the main roster for about five years now. She almost has to be a major part of the division’s future, but what part will that be? According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Charlotte is not meant to be a traditional face or heel at the moment. Instead, she will appear on multiple shows and be pr..

Wrestling Could Have Another Location Option Soon

May 20, 2020 • Admin

A new location emerges. There are more changes taking place in the world every day than can be listed. With so many things going on, it can be hard to keep track of what is going on from day to day. This includes several changes in the wrestling world as well, which can cause some issues for the wrestling companies as well. Now though, they might be able to find a new place to go. One of the biggest problems that wrestling companies have been going through is finding a place to run events. While Florida has been the saving grace for a lot of promotions, that might not be the most logical place for everyone. What about a promotion based out west who can’t get that far? Other areas are starting to open up such as Oklahoma, but there is another big place being added to list. On Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsome announced plans to allow professional sports to begin taking place in the state in the first week of June. The events would have to take place without spectators, as is ..

205 Live Results – May 15, 2020

May 20, 2020 • Admin

205 Live Date: May 15, 2020 Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton After those weeks of not having this as the least interesting show WWE offers, it’s back to the same formula that turned the show into a joke. This week is back to the two matches with little story to them and telling us to watch NXT if we want the cruiserweight matches that actually matter. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Tyler Breeze vs. Tehuti Miles Miles looks impressed with his own looks and throws a towel at Breeze to start. A spinebuster cuts Miles down so he heads to the ropes, where the referee has to pull him off. That lets Miles get in a shot to the face and he poses a bit while Breeze staggers around on the floor. Back in and the slow stomping ensues, followed by the chinlock. Breeze fights up and hits a quick Supermodel Kick for two but Miles hits a spinning Dominator for the same. Miles loads up a neckbreaker but Breeze reverses into the Unprettier..

Here’s Why WWE Is Saying “Wrestling” Again

May 20, 2020 • Admin

It’s kind of on the marquee. I know it might go without saying a lot of the time, but wrestling is built around the actual wrestling matches. It’s true that there are more important things than the matches themselves, but you can only get so far without having matches. However, WWE doesn’t seem too keen on referring to them as wrestling, though that might not be the case much longer. WWE has a rather interesting vocabulary. They have a mixture of words that they prefer over others and words that they are not allowed to use no matter what. That it something that can make for interesting situations as you try to figure out what the heck they mean at times. Sometimes it would seem a lot easier to just call things what they are, and WWE might be shifting in that direction again. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Paul Heyman is the reason WWE has been using terms like wrestling or wrestler more frequently on their programming in recent weeks. This has included such things as billing ..

RUMOR: WWE’s Current 2020 PPV Schedule

May 20, 2020 • Admin

You have to go somewhere else. We are in strange times in the wrestling world as it isn’t clear where things are going from month to month. Every time that WWE announces a new pay per view, the question becomes where the show is going to be taking place. How many times have you heard “they can’t hold that at the Performance Center can they”? That question might be changing soon though. One thing that WWE is known for is holding a lot of pay per views. They hold almost one per month and that can be a little bit much to take for some fans. It feels like we are always coming into a pay per view or coming out of another, possibly at the same time. That can get a bit tiresome at times, and if WWE has its way, that will be the case as we move into the fall. According to the WrestleVotes Twitter account, WWE is currently scheduled to run a regular pay per view every month after Summerslam, plus an extra show in Saudi Arabia in November. This would be the same schedule that WWE had been runn..

Money In The Bank 2020 Preview, Predictions And Thoughts

May 10, 2020 • Admin

It’s time for another unique one as we have Money in the Bank split between the WWE Headquarters in Connecticut and down at the Performance Center. Depending on which reports you believe, the ladder match (Is it matches or match?) may be taking place throughout the show, because just having the match as usual is too simple or something I guess. Let’s get to it. Kickoff Show: Jeff Hardy vs. Cesaro There aren’t a lot of good things going on in WWE at the moment but they are doing an excellent job with making Hardy’s return a big deal. Hardy is a living legend and treating him like one is a very good idea. Above all else (and this will come into play later), if you weren’t watching twelve years ago, you might not know of Hardy’s mega singles run. Bring your fans up to date with that amazing video production team that they had. It can work wonders and it was awesome here. The star returns: In case you didn’t get it, of course Hardy wins here as he seems primed for some sort of a run. ..

UFC 249 Results: Upset Occurs in Main Event, Retirement Occurs

May 10, 2020 • Admin

The surprises never stop. Last night, UFC made its return to The Octagon, after initially being canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The main event featured Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje for the Interim UFC Lightweight Championship. Below are the results, courtesy of MMA Fighting: Main Card Justin Gaethje def. Tony Ferguson via fifth-round TKO (3:39) Henry Cejudo def. Dominick Cruz via second-round TKO (4:58) Francis Ngannou def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik via first-round KO (0:20) Calvin Kattar def. Jeremy Stephens via second-round TKO (2:42) Greg Hardy def. Yorgan De Castro via unanimous decision (30-27 x3) Preliminary Card Anthony Pettis def. Donald Cerrone via unanimous decision (29-28 x3) Alexey Oleinik def. Fabricio Werdum via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Carla Esparza def. Michelle Waterson via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 30-27) Vicente Luque def. Niko Price via third-round TKO (3:37) (doctor’s stoppage) Bryce Mitchell def. Charles Rosa via unanimou..

RUMOR: Major Push For Jinder Mahal

May 10, 2020 • Admin

Welcome back Mahal. There are a lot of wrestlers in WWE’s history but only the elite can hold the World Titles. That is the highest level of prestige that a wrestler can achieve in the company and it means a lot to see someone achieve that goal. Some champions are more well received than others and now one of the more controversial champions of all time is going to be around more often. Back in 2017, Jinder Mahal shocked the world by defeating Randy Orton for the WWE Championship. Mahal went on to hold the title for about six months, making him one of the most unlikely WWE Champions not just in recent memory, but perhaps ever. This didn’t exactly sit well with a lot of fans, and now those fans might be getting annoyed all over again. According to Tom Colohue of the Drokick DiSKussion Podcast, Mahal is in for a big push now that he is back on Monday Night Raw. WWE recently signed a new television deal in India and Mahal will be pushed in an effort to appeal to the country’s huge fan b..

Original Plans For Surprise Intercontinental Title Change In 2019

May 10, 2020 • Admin

It would be a different way to go. While not the top championship in the company, the WWE Intercontinental Title has one of the deepest and more important legacies in all of wrestling. The title has been considered the workers’ title for most of its forty plus year existence and holding it is quite the honor. One surprising wrestler claims he was supposed to join the list. Every now and then, you find a pairing in wrestling that just works. Two people are put together and find some success that wouldn’t have been expected. That was the case with Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush, who fit together incredibly well with Rush as the annoying hype man and Lashley as the unstoppable monster. It worked well enough for Lashley to become Intercontinental Champion, but it was almost the other way around. According to Fightful.com by way of Ringsidenews.com, Rush was scheduled to defeat Finn Balor to win the Intercontinental Title. This did not wind up being the case as Rush never won the title, thoug..