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In a recent development, PWMania.com previously indicated that there are discussions about AEW hosting a major pay-per-view (PPV) event on the same weekend as W...
It’s a corporate thing. Wrestling is like any other industry in that there are always going to be people and companies that a wrestling promotion needs to please. This is the case with sponsors or owners, but also with their corporate partners. The concept was on display this week on national television, as a major promotion had to do something to please its television partner. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Where Did He Go? Former AEW Champion Reportedly Not Backstage For Months This week on AEW Dynamite, President Tony Khan announced that the All-Atlantic Title will officially be named the International Title starting next week with Orange Cassidy’s defense against Jeff Jarrett. The move was announced as a tie-in to the new Warner Brothers film Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods. According to Fightful Select, this move has been in place for months, as Warner Brothers Discovery had wanted “something big” to tie into the film. Khan came up with the idea of “leveling up” the belt and giving it a new ..
Money money? One of the biggest criticisms that you will hear of professional wrestling is that the endings are planned out in advance as the entire presentation is fixed. While this is true, the stories are built up in a way to leave fans wondering what they are going to see in a match or story. That can make things all the more interesting, and it could potentially make some money. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: They Could See Him: Backstage WWE Reaction To John Cena’s Monday Night Raw Appearance According to CNBC, WWE is attempting to legalize betting on its matches in Colorado and Michigan. The company has hired accounting firm Ernst & Young to help with the pitch. The firm has helped legalizing betting on the Emmys and Oscars, with WWE claiming that their results are kept secret in the same way. One potential solution would be for WWE to have storylines and results locked in place in advance, with wrestlers only finding out the results just before a match takes place. However, CNBC is a..
Maybe later. We are less than three months away from WrestleMania 39 and that means it is time to start hammering down the card for the show. With so many moving parts to the whole thing, WrestleMania can be very difficult to put together, but WWE does have some ideas in place. However, it seems that they may have known that one big match was not going to take place for some time. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: Karrion Kross’ Very Odd Video With Wrestling Legend Earlier this week, a report came out that the Rock did not feel he could get in ring shape in time to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE may have known that Rock was not going to be able to do the match months ago. However, there is always a chance of a swerve, as Rock may have only told his real status to a few people. Those in WWE have reportedly said “it’s not looking good” for Rock to wrestle. There is nothing to suggest that Rock will be appearing on WWE TV anytime soon. Rock..
So maybe not? We are in a very strange time for WWE as things are moving so fast that it is hard to keep track of everything. The difference this time is that it is at the very top of the promotion, with the future ownership being questioned. That has opened up a variety of options, but now it seems that one of the leading candidates may not be as close to control as expected. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WRESTLING RUMORS: When Vince McMahon Could Appear On WWE TV Again Earlier this week, a rumor circulated that WWE had been sold to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which planned to take the company private again. However, new reports from Ariel Helwani of BT Sports, Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics and Jon Alba of Fite TV say that they have heard nothing of such a sale. At the moment, WWE has yet to comment on the story, though the company has been rumored to look at a sale in recent days. Contrary to reports stating otherwise last night, there is no deal in place at this precise moment for ..
He has our attention. Roman Reigns has dominated WWE for the last two plus years with one of the longest World Title reigns the company has ever seen. As he smashes back one challenger after another, the question has become just who can actually stop him. This time around, it seems that Reigns might have an idea in place for a special move before someone can come against him. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Two Stars In A Pod: How Being Seen As “The Next Sting” Kicked Off A Legendary Career Last week on SmackDown, Reigns and the rest of the Bloodline were in the ring to open the show, with Reigns talking about his upcoming tag match against Kevin Owens and John Cena. During his speech, Reigns asked Sami Zayn, his partner in the match, what they could expect. Zayn spoke about how much he wanted to get rid of Owens, his longtime associate, once and for all. Reigns hugged Zayn but looked straight into the television camera. This has led to a variety of reactions online, with some of the better o..
No more. There have been a lot of changes in WWE over this year and some of them are changes that will be felt for years to come. This starts at the top of the company, where a new power structure is in place. WWE has new leadership and that group is going to introduce policies of their own. One of the new changes might not be the most popular among the locker room. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WRESTLING RUMORS: Upcoming Plans For Ronda Rousey (Contains Possible SPOILERS) According to Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE is no longer giving out financial bonuses to its wrestlers. This includes bonuses for going to the Saudi Arabian shows or wrestling on a premium live event or anything else. While there may be some exceptions for top merchandise sellers like Roman Reigns, the majority of the roster is going to be making what their contract stipulates and nothing more. WWE has had some money situations before. Check out some of the more interesting ones: [This post contains video, click to play]..
Saraya made her return to the squared circle at AEW Full Gear on Saturday. She defeated Britt Baker in her return match that lasted about 12 and a half minutes. During the post-event media scrum, Saraya addressed the status of her neck after the match with Britt. In a nutshell, she said that her neck “feels great” and that the extensive tests that AEW performed confirmed her neck is 100 percent healthy. That was a surprise even to her, but Saraya also revealed the details of her training schedule as well. Watch the full video below to hear everything Saraya had to say after AEW Full Gear. WrestlingRumors reported that Tony Khan didn’t care if Saraya would be able to wrestle to not in AEW. As they explained above, the process was slow to confirm that she was healthy to wrestle. However, there were other plans in place if Saraya could perform as an in-ring talent. Neither Saraya or Tony Khan specifically addressed how often she will be wrestling. All indications are suggesting that w..
For the first time in five years, Saraya will finally make her in-ring return to the squared circle. She will wrestle Britt Baker in her return bout, which has been highly featured as one of the top feuds heading into tonight’s AEW Full Gear. It’s very exciting for the AEW fans and for Saraya herself to have the opportunity to perform after a five year absence. There hasn’t been any word on her training or how much she’s been in the ring over the past few months. AEW only just released the news that she was medically cleared to compete at Full Gear this past week. Tony Khan, who participated in the standard conference call before Full Gear, apparently didn’t have any concerns about Saraya being physically capable of performing in the ring when she signed with the company. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful confimed the following via Twitter about what plans were in place for Saraya if she couldn’t actually wrestle: Tony Khan tells me that @Saraya was confident she would get cleared and felt..
It would only be from him. The biggest wrestling story of the year has been the retirement of Vince McMahon from WWE. For the first time in almost forty years, there is a new boss in the company and that means there are going to be some different rules in place. That means some of McMahon’s rules are gone, including one that got the voice of WWE in trouble one day. According to Brian Gerwitz in his book “There’s Just One Problem…: True Tales from the Former, One-Time, 7th Most Powerful Person in WWE.”, McMahon once fined Michael Cole for using the word “now” at the end of sentences. McMahon would fine Cole every time he used the word, which eventually was enough to make Cole stop using the word. Gerwitz did not mention the amount of the fine. Opinion: That is as McMahon of a story as I could imagine and it isn’t anything close to a surprise. McMahon liked things his way and there was nothing that was going to stop him from having the show the way he wanted it. This might seem a bit e..
It’s one less place. WWE has a lot of content available in any given week and that has always been a strong suit. One of the company’s biggest strengths is that they are able to present their product in a variety of places, meaning it is really hard to avoid. That has helped them quite a bit, but now it seems that they are going to be losing one of their bigger platforms. Last week, reports surfaced that WWE’s content on Hulu was listed as expiring before the end of the month. According to PWInsider.com, the content is scheduled to be pulled on Saturday September 24 or Sunday September 25, marking the end of WWE’s content on Hulu. The deal between the two sides expires before the end of the year and while a new deal could be worked out, the two sides splitting would mark the end of a deal that has been in place since 2012. Opinion: This is one of those things that feels more like consolidating than anything else, as WWE will likely move their Hulu content over to Peacock. That makes ..
That’s a plan for later. We are rapidly approaching WWE’s Money in the Bank pay per view and the show is going to be rather stacked. That being said, there are other major events later in the year that need to be built up as well. WWE also needs to get ready for Summerslam and now it seems that they have the plans in place for one of the bigger matches on the show. This week on Monday Night Raw, Omos defeated Riddle in a Money in the Bank qualifying match. Following the match, Seth Rollins attacked Riddle, including laying him out with a Stomp. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, this is likely setting up a match between the two at Summerslam. Riddle is currently not scheduled for Money in the Bank and Rollins has already qualified for the men’s ladder match, making Summerslam the first pay per view where the match could take place. Opinion: I don’t think it is any kind of a surprise that Riddle vs. Rollins is coming, but waiting for Summerslam is a bit different. It is rare for W..
That’s a different talent pool. WWE has a lot of wrestlers on its roster but they have to be kept in rotation to keep things fresh. That can be more than a little tricky as the company has to find extra talent to take their places. Sometimes WWE can find them in places you might not expect and that is the case again, as they have signed someone you probably would not have guessed. This week’s edition of NXT featured a video on Thea Hail, a high school student who has been signed by WWE. Hail, 18 years old, was signed by WWE and will continue to train as she continues her education in college. Hail made her in-ring debut for AEW in September 2021 and has five matches to date for WWE, with all of them coming on NXT LVL Up. There is no word on when she will make her regular NXT debut. This is pretty impressive. Check out the first look at Hail: [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: It’s almost hard to fathom that something like this is taking place but Hail has looked po..
Rampage Date: May 13, 2022 Location: UBS Arena, Belmont Park, New York Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Chris Jericho We’re still in the weird time slot due to some kind of playoffs (basketpuck or hockball I believe) and that means a grand total of nothing on this show. Granted it means very few people are going to watch it, but it isn’t like that is AEW’s fault in this case. This week is going to have some Owen Hart Foundation tournament action so let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Death Triangle vs. Butcher/Blade/Marq Quen Penta does the CERO MIEDO to Blade to start and then kicks him in the ribs. Pac comes in to hold Blade in place for the top rope double stomp What’s Up. Jericho’s voice sounds more than a bit off as Butcher comes in to take over on Pac. That doesn’t last long as Butcher is sent outside, allowing Fenix and Quen to come in. A pop up dropkick puts Fenix down and he gets sent outside for a whip into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Fenix fighting out of a f..
Talk about a dark match. There are a lot of matches taped at an AEW event, as the company films not only Dynamite, but also Rampage and Dark: Elevation. That makes for a rather long night as there is so much stuff to cover at once. The same time frame was in place this week, but things were delayed as there was a situation in the building that made the match a little more difficult. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, there was a power failure at this week’s Dynamite taping, which caused some changed to the Dark: Elevation schedule. During a match between Max Caster and Cheeseburger, the power went out near the entrance and at the commentary desk. The match was able to finish, but the following match between Nyla Rose and Skye Blue could not be taped, resulting in it just being for the live audience. The show’s scheduled main event was then taped after Dynamite and before Rampage. The problem was fixed before Dynamite went on the air at 8pm EST. Opinion: That certainly could have ..
That’s an interesting explanation. WrestleMania 38 has come and gone and there were a lot of major moments throughout the show. The event took over the course of two nights and that meant several memorable events were able to take place. Some of these involved surprises and betrayals, and now we know the thinking behind one of those changes, even if it is a bit odd. One of the surprises at WrestleMania 38 saw the Miz turn on Logan Paul after the two of them defeated the Mysterios. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, part of Paul’s deal was that he would wind up being a babyface when he his time in WWE was up. Miz attacking Paul was designed to cause the turn. There is no word on if Paul will be returning to WWE in the future. Opinion: I’m not sure how well this plan is going to work but at least there was an idea in place. Paul is not known for being a likable guy and he spent the entire match mocking the beloved Eddie Guerrero. It is going to take something bigger than Miz beatin..
The nightmare returns. According to a report from Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com, Cody Rhodes has signed a new deal and will be returning to WWE. The report states that Rhodes signed his new contract about 10-14 days ago. The current plan is to have Rhodes debut during Wrestlemania 38 weekend, with the early word among those in the company saying that Rhodes will be on the Raw brand. It has been heavily rumored that The American Nightmare will be facing Seth Rollins at WrestleMania, but nothing is finalized yet. We will continue to monitor this situation and provide any updates as they become available. Editor’s Opinion: If I’m being honest, I’m surprised that this is happening. There has to be something in place where he has a little bit more creative control over his contract, because if they try to have him revert to his old gimmicks, the return may fall flat on its face. That being said, he is one of the most incredible talents globally and will be a fantastic addition to the r..
That is rather specific. While WWE tends to dominate the wrestling landscape, there are several other wrestling promotions in the world. Some of them are rather established and have been around for a long time. These other promotions have some major names and talents who have been around for a long time. It is rather rare to see WWE interact with them, but it does happen occasionally. However, it seems that WWE had some specific rules in place about one such interaction. Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion Mickie James appeared in this year’s women’s Royal Rumble match. James wore her Knockouts Title to the ring and was acknowledged as being part of the Impact Wrestling. According to Will Washington on Fightful Grapsody, while WWE brought James in, there were several rules about her appearance. These included being allowed to say “Impact” but not “Impact Wrestling”, or use the term “World” or “Knockouts”. The idea was that WWE does not use the terms “wrestling”, “world” or James’ chyr..
It was a thing for them. You will hear all kinds of strange stories about WWE, and some of those stories involve WWE making up some rules that seem a little strange from the outside. WWE must have some kind of a reason for them, but that does not mean they make any sense to everyone involved. That was the case again back in the day and now a wrestler is explaining one of WWE’s bizarre decisions. Former WWE star Colin Delaney appeared on the Wrestlinginc Daily podcast and spoke about a time when WWE would not allow anyone to throw chops in a match except for Shawn Michaels. The announcement was made during a meeting but was removed about a month later, when Delaney had left the company. There is no word on why WWE put the rule in place or why they dropped it so soon. Delaney appeared for the company from December 2007 until August 15, 2008, when he was released from his contract. He has appeared on WWE television a few times since, often as an enhancement talent. Opinion: This is the ..
There was an idea in place. Wrestling storylines can take many forms, but at some point there has to be a match to pay the things off. That needs to be set up as delicately as possible, which is not always the easiest thing to do. There are also occasions where a story can be set up, but ultimately falls through for one reason or another. That was almost the case recently. Over the weekend, Drew McIntyre was written off of WWE television thanks to an attack by Happy Corbin at Day One. The attack was a way to get McIntyre out of storylines as he is dealing with neck issues. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE is planning for a Roman Reigns vs. McIntyre match, which is still the idea despite McIntyre’s injury. There is no word on when McIntyre is expected back on television. McIntyre vs. Reigns does sound awesome. Check out the two of them facing each other and more: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains vide..