Search Results: "meltzer"

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Missing Out Of Action: Update On WWE Status Of 39 Year Old Former Champion

March 14, 2023

That’s one way to go. With so many talented wrestlers in WWE, it can be difficult to find something for everyone to do. This can make for some strange and often annoying stretches where a wrestler is not around as often as they could be for one reason or another. Now we know something about where a missing star is and why he has been gone for so long. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: A Rare Breed: Rhea Ripley Reveals Special Privilege WWE Grants Her During a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer was asked about the status of Roderick Strong. While Strong has not been used by WWE since October, he is still under contract with the company and has not been released. Instead, WWE is simply not using him at the moment. It is not clear what caused them to go in this direction or when Strong might wrestle again. Strong can be a star. 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 vi..

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Who Will Induct Rey Mysterio Into The WWE Hall of Fame?

March 12, 2023

It’s an interesting choice. It had been previously reported that Rey Mysterio will be given the ultimate honor within WWE, and become a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, Class of 2023. But who will be the one to induct Mysterio? According to a report from Dave Meltzer, former WCW superstar Konnan will do the honors of bringing Mysterio into the Hall of Fame. From Wrestling News: Konnan was the most obvious choice because they have been close for decades, dating back to Rey and Konnan’s early days in the wrestling business. This might be Konnan’s first appearance at a major WWE event. Konnan wrestled briefly as Max Moon on non-televised matches in 1992 but those matches never aired and he left the company before the character debuted on TV with Paul Diamond playing the role. Konnan will be inducting Rey into the Hall of Fame. Rey asked for him and the company approved it. As noted last night, to me it was the only choice. — Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) March 11, 2023 Editor’s Opin..

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It’s A Way Out: Speculation Over How WWE Could Solve Tag Team Titles Dilemma

February 6, 2023

It’s a family thing. Tag team wrestling has been undergoing a bit of a resurgence in WWE as of late, with more teams being formed and a more competitive division overall. While this has been going on, the Usos have reigned on high as one of the most dominant teams in WWE history. However, a change in plans might require someone else in the family to step in for a change. At the Royal Rumble, the Bloodline attacked Sami Zayn but Jey Uso refused to get involved, resulting in Uso not appearing this week on SmackDown. The Usos have a Tag Team Title defense scheduled against Braun Strowman and Ricochet next week on SmackDown, though there is doubt over whether Jey will team with his brother Jimmy. During a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer speculated (rather than reported) that WWE could have the Usos’ brother Solo Sikoa team with Jimmy in Jey’s place. Jimmy and Sikoa teamed together this week in a dark match after SmackDown. Jey is still scheduled for the title matc..

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The Other One: Steve Austin vs. Brock Lesnar Reportedly Pitched For WrestleMania 39

January 25, 2023

What also could have been. We are less than two and a half months away from WrestleMania 39 and that means the card is about to start coming together. There are all kinds of things that need to be done, with one of the most important being the matches at the top of the card. A few of them have been rumored, but now we know of another one that would be among the biggest. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Crossover: Former WWE Star Trying His Hand(s) At Boxing Earlier this week, a story broke that WWE had pitched Roman Reigns vs. Steve Austin for WrestleMania. However, according to Wrestling Observer Radio, the match pitched was actually Austin vs. Brock Lesnar. The match has not been made and there is no word on if it will be, though it is still a possibility. Lesnar returned to WWE TV this week on Monday Night Raw, attacking Bobby Lashley. However, there is no guarantee that a match between them will take place at WrestleMania, though it is still a possibility. WOR: Dave Meltzer discusses the ..

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Dem Boy? Update On Mark Briscoe Possibly Appearing On AEW TV

January 24, 2023

Still no. Last week, the wrestling world was rocked by the death of Jay Briscoe in a car accident in Delaware. Briscoe was a reigning Ring Of Honor Tag Team Champion at the time with his brother Mark as part of the Briscoes. The team is one of the most successful of their generation, but they have not been allowed to work for major promotions due to some past comments. Now those comments are causing more issues. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: And The Award Goes To: AEW President Tony Khan Names His MVP Of 2022 On Wrestling Observer Radio, a fan asked about the possibility of Mark appearing on AEW TV following Jay’s death. Dave Meltzer said that the answer is no, though he did say that the answer could change in the future. This continues Warner Brothers Discovery’s edict that the Briscoes not be allowed to appear on AEW TV due to homophobic comments made by Jay on Twitter in June 2011. The Briscoes were a great team. Check them out together and apart: [This post contains video, click to pl..

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Blast From The Past: Possibility Of WWE Returning To Monthly Pay Per Views Under New Owners

January 18, 2023

That would be a step. We are in the middle of a series of changes in WWE as it is not clear where things are going. The biggest change seems to be focused around the idea of the company being sold to new owners, which opens a whole new world for the company. There are going to be a variety of changes should that take place, and now we have an idea of a possible huge change. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: A Long Run: WWE Name Departs Company After 25 Years When speaking about the possible sale on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer speculated that WWE premium live events could return to being pay per views. Meltzer pointed to Endeavor (UFC’s parent company) having a series of regular events and then charging for major events. However, this would entirely depend on the Peacock contract, as Peacock pays WWE more than they would be able to make via pay per view. While Meltzer does not think such a change would happen, it would be something that Endeavor, or perhaps another new owner, would co..

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It’s Complicated: Speculation Over Bray Wyatt’s WrestleMania Plans, Why He Could Be A Problem

January 17, 2023

That’s an idea. We are rapidly approaching WrestleMania 39 and that means it is time fpr WWE to start getting ready for their biggest event of the year. They need to figure out what all of their top names are going to be doing, which is easier said than done in some cases. Now WWE is having a bit of an issue figuring out what to do with one of its stars, as there might be a bit of a problem. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: Injured WWE Star Starts “MASSIVE COMEBACK” After Nine Month Absence During a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that he believes Bray Wyatt will face Uncle Howdy at WrestleMania 39. Meltzer said that while Wyatt is popular and sells merchandise, top stars “probably want to avoid him” because of “his history with top guys”. Last week Wyatt said that he was Howdy, though Howdy appeared this week on Monday Night Raw. There is no word from WWE on what Wyatt will be doing at the show. Note that this is Meltzer’s opinion and not to be taken as a ..

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Two Stars In A Pod: How Being Seen As “The Next Sting” Kicked Off A Legendary Career

December 27, 2022

That is some high praise. Wrestling has been around for a very long time now and history has played an important role in developing new stars. Promoters are going to try to recreate something that they have done with success before and will often try to find their next star. Now we know how one of the biggest stars of all time got his start because of a previous star. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WRESTLING RUMORS: Very Interesting Report On WrestleMania 39 Main Events During a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed that Paul Heyman helped get John Cena called up from WWE developmental in 2002. Heyman felt that Cena was the next Sting, a label that has been applied to Cena by various sources over the years, including around the time of his call up. Cena would debut in a segment and match with Kurt Angle on June 27, 2002. There might be something to this. Check out some of Cena and Sting: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, clic..

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Not So Much: WWE Reportedly Makes Change To Wellness Policy, Partially Due To AEW

December 27, 2022

The new rules. There are all kinds of rules to a wrestling match and all of them come together to make sure everything stays fair. Those rules are pretty easy to figure out and understand and it is notable when one of them is changed. Other parts of wrestling have rules of their own and now one of the more important seems to have been changed as well in a big way. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Back Later: More On Postponed WWE Live Event In India According to Dave Meltzer on The Board at F4WOnline.com, WWE has changed its Wellness Policy by dropping the rule that a wrestler is automatically fired for a third violation. This comes as multiple key stars have two strikes and the company has AEW to deal with these days. In addition, there was a chance that a star with two strikes could intentionally get a third to get out of their contract. There have been some big stars fired in WWE. Check out some of the more prominent ones: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains vi..

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Not So Fast? Miro Seemingly Takes Issue With Reports Over His AEW Absence

December 23, 2022

They’re not sure what happened. There are a lot of very talented wrestlers on the AEW roster and one of the most complicated issues is finding a way to get everyone ring time. While there are all of the usual problems that can keep a wrestler out of action, there are times where it isn’t clear what exactly is going on. Now we are seeing it again, and things are still not clear. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Better Than Nothing: Update On Adam Cole’s Injury Status Following June Concussion This week on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that AEW had plans for Miro following All Out on September 4, which would have led to a match at Full Gear. However, Miro reportedly turned the match down as he did not want to do it for some reason. Miro then responded to Meltzer on Twitter, asking what happened between January and June, seemingly referencing the fact that he did not wrestle during that time. In addition, Meltzer reported that former WWE stars are “leery” of doing jobs in AEW, w..

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Better Than Nothing: Update On Adam Cole’s Injury Status Following June Concussion

December 23, 2022

That’s a good sign. Injuries are one of the worst things that can happen to a wrestler, as you never know how long someone is going to be out of action. There are certain kinds of injuries that are worse than others and they often have an open ended time frame for a return to the ring. That was the situation earlier this year for a prominent AEW name and now we have a small positive update. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: No More: AEW Tag Team Splits, New Stable Formed In Its Wake Back in June, AEW’s Adam Cole suffered a concussion during a four way match at Forbidden Door. Cole has not wrestled since and has only made one appearance on AEW television since the show. According to Dave Meltzer on Twitter, Cole is doing “much better”, but there is no word on when Cole could be back on AEW TV. Meltzer said that AEW is being cautious as you never know when someone is going to be able to recover from a concussion. He's doing much better. The last I heard is they were being cautious. Don&#039..

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It’s An Idea: Original Concept For AEW Interim Titles, Possible Thinking Behind Them

November 25, 2022

They have a plan for that. Titles are one of the most important concepts in all of wrestling and it means a lot when one of them changes hands. Occasionally a title change might not be the planned outcome and something else needs to be done. That was the case multiple times this year in AEW so they came up with a unique solution. Now we have some more clarification on their idea. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: That’s Different: Chris Jericho Speaks On Experiences With Time Displacement And Spirits This week on AEW Dynamite, Jamie Hayter was promoted from Interim AEW Women’s Champion to full Women’s Champion as Thunder Rosa was officially stripped of the title. In addition, Toni Storm’s Interim Women’s Title reign was promoted to a full on Women’s Title reign, erasing the Interim Women’s Title from history on all counts. According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the original idea for introducing an interim title of any kind was to keep the AEW World Title on an injured CM Punk e..

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UPDATE: Here’s the Latest Kevin Owens Injury Report Heading into Survivor Series WarGames

November 18, 2022

Earlier this week, it was reported by F4WOnline.com that Kevin Owens tweaked his knee during a WWE live event in Madison, Wisconsin over the weekend. The belief was that the injury was an MCL sprain,. However, Dave Meltzer has confirmed that Kevin Owens will be part of the Survivor Series WarGames match. CageSideSeats reported this morning that Owens is rehabbing his knee at the WWE Performance Center and was consulted by WWE doctors on Monday. The report also details that the former WWE Universal Champion is still traveling with WWE and his status for tonight’s SmackDown and other shows is unknown. Related: Kevin Owens Injured At WWE Live Event PWInsider is also claiming that Kevin Owens is scheduled for SmackDown for tonight and next week before Survivor Series. With the physical demands of a WarGames match, which he’s undoubtedly familiar, it’s unlikely that WWE officials will have him wrestling on the show. He’ll most likely be doing promo segments and maybe a scuffle leading to ..

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KB’s Review: Yeah Not A Fan

October 4, 2022

So I had started another column this week but it wasn’t something I could really get behind. Given that it was about a tag team comprised of Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore in late 2007, there was only so much that I was going to be able to get out of it. I needed something else to talk about and then I saw something that caught my eye, but not in the best of ways. Last week, a fan complained about AEW only having one women’s match/segment. Dave Meltzer responded, asking if they were going to watch the pay per view tonight. What pay per view you ask? Well that would be a Stardom pay per view from Japan, which the fellow commenters pointed out over and over. They also pointed out that apparently the original fan, who said he cared about women’s wrestling, wasn’t a real fan because he didn’t know about Stardom. This is the kind of thing that drives me absolutely nuts as a fan because it is the most condescending, rude and flat out obnoxious kind of take that you can have. Rather than..

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Important Detail On WWE Booking Roman Reigns vs. Logan Paul For Crown Jewel

September 20, 2022

It does make sense. Over the last few years, WWE has developed a business relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The deal has been very lucrative for WWE as the company receives millions of dollars in exchange for two shows a year in the Kingdom. WWE is returning in November with a bit of a weird main event, but now we know the reasoning behind it. WWE has announced that the main event of November 5’s Crown Jewel event will see Logan Paul challenging Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title. According to Dave Meltzer on the Sunday Night’s Main Event podcast, Saudi Arabia wanted Paul in the spot because he has more mainstream appeal than a regular WWE star like Kevin Owens or Seth Rollins. This will be Paul’s third WWE match to date. Opinion: I don’t think this is much of a surprise and that is not the worst thing. Paul does seem to be someone who has a lot of natural talent and the ability to get fans’ attention when he is in front of a camera. While I can’t imagin..

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Speculation About What Kind Of New Show AEW Could Be Developing

August 10, 2022

They have a plan for that. AEW has been around for less than four years but already have four series a week. That shows how much talent the company has around, which is one of the company’s greatest strengths. They have been able to spread their roster around so much but now they might be taking a rather large group of wrestlers could be getting its own spotlight. Last month, AEW filed a trademark for a wrestling show called All Elite Women. According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the show does not seem to be a reality show. The fact that the trademark was filed suggests that the show is likely to take place in some way. It is not clear if the show will be an ongoing series or a one off event, or when it will be taking place. Opinion: This has me intrigued as the women’s division has been a bit all over the place for AEW. What matters most is that the talent is there, but now the question becomes what happens to all of those wrestlers. Putting them on their own show co..

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Homecoming? WWE Working To Bring Back Naomi And Sasha Banks

July 29, 2022

A hope spot? There have been all kinds of changes throughout WWE over the last few months and one of the biggest on-screen changes took place when Naomi and Sasha Banks walked out. The two left the company despite being the reigning Women’s Tag Team Champions, which shook things up in multiple ways. However, the shakeup might be about to be unshook. According to Dave Meltzer on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast, WWE is working to bring Banks and Naomi back to the company. This comes after Vince McMahon retired earlier this month and the new regime wants to bring them back. There is no word on if Naomi and/or Banks are interested in returning to the company. Banks and Naomi walked out on the May 16 Monday Night Raw. Opinion: This is something that shouldn’t be a major surprise as Belair and Naomi are both rather talented, but there are going to be some changes needed. I’m not sure if this is actually going to work in the end, but at least there is an effort being made. That being s..

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KO OK? Medical Update On Kevin Owens

July 11, 2022

That could be worse. There are all kinds of reasons for a wrestler to be away from the ring for an extended period of time. One of the most common is an injury, which can vary widely by degree. Perhaps the most annoying kind of the nagging injury though, as you don’t know how long someone is going to be on the shelf. That is the case again with a WWE star, but we might have some good news. Kevin Owens has been missing from WWE television over the last few weeks, reportedly due to an unspecified minor injury. According to Dave Meltzer on the Sunday Night’s Main Event podcast, Owens is reportedly “fine” and should be back in a few weeks. The situation is said to not be Coronavirus related. Owens had been feuding with Ezekiel before leaving and it is not clear what he will be doing when he gets back. Opinion: I’m getting curious about what kind of an injury this is, as a minor injury doesn’t usually keep someone out of action for the better part of a month. It’s a shame that he has to b..

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YES! Important And Positive Medical Update On AEW’s Bryan Danielson

July 11, 2022

That is one step forward. You see wrestlers get injured on a regular basis, but there are times where you do not know what that is going to mean. If a wrestler breaks a bone or something a bit more simple like that, you might have an idea of how long they are going to be out of action. There are other kinds of injuries that are a bit more complicated though, and now we know a bit more about the status of one of the biggest stars in the world. Back at AEW Double Or Nothing, Bryan Danielson suffered a concussion during the Anarchy In The Arena match and has not wrestled since. When Danielson did make an appearance on Dynamite, he said that he was fine mentally but needed to be medically cleared. According to Dave Meltzer on the Sunday Night’s Main Event podcast, Danielson has recovered from his concussion, but AEW President Tony Khan is not allowing him to return yet in an effort to allow Danielson more time to heal. It is not clear when Danielson will be wrestling again. Opinion: That..

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KB’s Review: Who Is AEW

July 4, 2022

Last weekend, AEW presented the first ever Forbidden Door pay per view, showing that the door is neither closed nor forbidden. The show focused on a series of matches between AEW and New Japan, meaning that the quality was very high with one good match after another. The same cannot exactly be said for the build to the show, which was choppy at best and all over the place (in a bad way) at the worst. That situation is kind of a microcosm of AEW’s entire history as a whole and that is what we are going to look at today. AEW has been around for a little over three years, with its first event taking place in May 2019. This came after All In from the previous fall, which was basically the result of a bet between the original Elite and Dave Meltzer. The whole thing then took on a life of its own and Tony Khan (and his wallet) got involved, setting the stage for the AEW we now know (at least in theory). This had a lot of fans rather excited as for the first time in a LONG time there was a ..